Last season, the PGA Tour was scouting for a fresh partner after concluding a three-year partnership with Fortinet. Apparently, Fortinet wanted to exit its deal for the Napa Valley tournament because its results hadn’t matched up to some of its competitors. Then Procore swooped in, giving rise to what’s now called the Procore Championship. And after the PGA Tour axed the event from its schedule, another league snagged it.

As per the recent updates from the league, the LPGA Tour and Fortinet are teaming up in a multi-year deal where Fortinet becomes the title partner of the Founders Cup. The 2026 Founders Cup is going to happen March 19-22, and they’re bumping up the purse to $3 million from $2 million in 2025.

After having taken the official role in July, Kessler said of this big moment, “We’re fired up to welcome Fortinet as the title partner of the Founders Cup and grateful for their commitment to elevating this historic event.” And fun fact – this also marks LPGA Commissioner Craig Kessler’s first major official signing since taking the helm. 

So what’s the big deal about this partnership? It’s all about the brand – Fortinet. Founded back in 2000 in Silicon Valley, this $55 billion giant’s been crushing it as the cybersecurity leader for 25 years. They have the biggest cybersecurity patent portfolio in the industry, plus the largest Artificial Intelligence (AI) patent portfolio out there.

On the other hand, and as per the reports, the deal went down sans agencies. Kessler and the tour’s business affairs team, headed by Ricki Lasky, hammered out the deal with Fortinet directly. Financials on the sponsorship weren’t disclosed by the tour, but insiders peg the annual deal at around $5 million. And on top of the title sponsorship deal, Kessler mentioned that Xie kicked in a “significant” donation to the LPGA Foundation.

Before this, in late 2024, Cognizant decided to pull out of sponsoring the event after backing it for three years. Come 2025, the tournament went down in Bradenton, Florida, with the U.S. Virgin Islands stepping in as the presenting sponsor. And with Cognizant out, the purse took a hit – dropping from $3 million to $2 million. So, indeed, this is a significant development.

However, this isn’t the only big partnership the LPGA circuit has signed with a financial brand this season.

In 2025, the LPGA joined hands with another billion-dollar giant

In June, Sage, a leader in accounting, financial, HR, and payroll tech for small and mid-sized businesses, teamed up with the LPGA in a multi-year partnership, making Sage the Official Finance Software Partner of the LPGA. Sage’s solutions drive high performance in every way, and hooking up with the LPGA – a league of some of the most disciplined athletes out there – was a natural fit.

Through this partnership, the $14B giant and the LPGA will show how elite athletes (who are basically business leaders too) handle pressure, make tough financial decisions, and chase sustainable success. Sage is going to sponsor a content series following LPGA athletes at different career stages who crush it with high performance and break barriers to drive growth.

The series digs into how these athletes use ambition and determination to be the best, showing off strategic, financial, and biz insights for long-term success. And the LPGA has been plenty excited about it. “We’re proud to partner with Sage,” said the LPGA’s then-interim commissioner Liz Moore. This deal adds to Sage’s growing sports sponsorships in North America, which include Major League Baseball.

Essentially, plenty of changes are coming the LPGA Tour’s way. And for good.