The KPMG Women’s PGA Championship kicks off today at Sahalee Country Club in Sammamish, Wash.
Similar to the PGA Championship we saw at Valhalla Golf Club with the men, this tournament includes not only LPGA players, but also PGA and LPGA Professionals; these women could be coaches, work in operations in the pro shop or have simply gotten their certification and kept up with the seminars and their own game.
Below we’ll share the significance of this event’s purse, who to watch this week and how.
A Look at the LPGA and PGA Tour Purse Numbers
KPMG has been a generous sponsor of this event since 2015 and regularly pushes the purse on the LPGA Tour. This year, this major’s purse increased by $400,000 to $10.4 million. This is double the purse of the Chevron Championship – another major – this year.
This bump also helped break the record for the largest season-wide purse the LPGA Tour has seen, now at $125 million. This is quite the achievement for women’s golf, though there is still work to be done.
When we look at the numbers, here are some comparisons:
- PGA Tour players are competing for well over $400 million each season
- Golf legend Annika Sorenstam won $22.5 million over her career, a span of 307 events (15 years)
- Just last season, Scottie Sheffler earned essentially the same amount ($21 million) in only 23 events
- For perspective, let’s keep in mind that the lowest player on the LPGA Tour list earned $4,642 last season while the PGA Tour player in that same position (193) won more than $335,000.
Imagine trying to play one more year – which easily costs $80,000 between travel, tournament and caddie fees – with $5,000 in the bank. It becomes quite difficult and stressful and proves the need for higher purses in order to secure top talent in the women’s game.
KPMG is helping bridge this gap faster, and their focus on LPGA Tour analytics through their KPMG Performance Insights – launched in 2021 – is another welcome upgrade.
2024 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship Featured Pairings
Last year, Yin Ruoning won this major when it was hosted at Baltusrol. Currently ranked 19th on the LPGA Tour money list, she’ll be a contender this week even though the event is taking place on a completely new golf course across the country.
Ruoning will be part of the first featured group with Nelly Korda and past champion Hannah Green. Korda will be going for her 7th win this season while Ruoning may once again prove why she ranks “first in strokes gained approach, greens in regulation and proximity to the whole” according to the LPGA Tour.
The next featured group includes Lexi Thompson, Jin Young Ko and recent U.S. Women’s Open winner Yuka Saso. With Thompson announcing her retirement after this season, everyone is soaking up every last second of her playing time. Saso came in second at the KPMG Championship last year and is looking to take over first this year.
Another featured group is Brooke Henderson, Lydia Ko and Ariya Jutanugarn. The last time this championship was played at Sahalee (in 2016), Henderson and Ko went to a playoff with Henderson ultimately winning the championship. Jutanguran was also in the race then, finishing third, so this group was set to watch the top players from 8 years ago battle it out again.
How to Watch the 2024 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship on TV
All golf tournament livestreaming will be in the NBC universe this week.
All times denoted in Eastern Time (ET).
Thursday, June 20th:
- 4:00pm – 6:00pm: Peacock
- 6:00pm – 10:00pm: Golf Channel
Friday, June 21st:
- 4:00pm – 6:00pm: Peacock
- 6:00pm – 10:00pm: Golf Channel
Saturday, June 22nd:
- 1:00pm – 3:00pm: Peacock
- 3:00pm – 6:00pm: NBC
- 6:00pm – 8:00pm: Golf Channel
Sunday, June 23rd:
- 12:00pm – 3:00pm: Peacock
- 3:00pm – 7:00pm: NBC
