It’s time to slash prices to make LPGA more family-friendly

CHASKA, Minn. — Earlier this spring at the Founders Cup, Lydia Ko had something interesting to say over breakfast about LPGA purses.

“I think sometimes we get carried away about what we play for, but there might be nothing to play for if our organization is not fundamentally strong,” said the LPGA Hall of Famer, when asked about the tour’s pain points.

“I would love the winning purse to be like CME every week,” she continued, “but sometimes I think we’ve got to match, like, what do we bring to the community? It’s a lot more complex than just the purse. If nobody’s coming out to watch us play at a certain event, it’d be weird if we had a $1.5 million [winner’s prize] … what can we bring to the community, what can we bring to our partners? All of these things have to align. It doesn’t make sense if one outweighs the other drastically.”

Only Annika Sorenstam has made more money than Ko in the history of the LPGA. Even so, Ko is a thoughtful, big-picture thinker who has served on the LPGA Board. She has more perspective on this topic than most.

Here at the KPMG Women’s PGA, the women are playing for the largest purse in LPGA history of $13 million. The influence of KPMG on the LPGA has been seismic. From taking the championship to venues that are worthy of a major (such as Hazeltine), to increased broadcast coverage and enhanced data, KPMG has challenged the status quo throughout the tour. Its women’s leadership summit served as a blueprint for events across the country.

What can KPMG do next?

It’s time to move the focus into the fan experience. The PGA of America, which operates the event, reports a record number of fans at Hazeltine since it started conducting the championship in 2015, though it wouldn’t reveal any specific numbers for the week. The galleries were solid on a Thursday morning when Korda teed off, but even so, with the No. 1 player in the world going for a third consecutive major in perfect weather for three days, it should’ve been a ‘wow’ moment in the Midwest. 

Fans weren’t even allowed on property until Thursday, with practice rounds closed. 

The LPGA should market itself as the country’s most family-friendly sports league. Finding ways to subsidize the fan experience – by slashing prices – should become a priority.

Last week at the Meijer LPGA Classic, tickets were $10 and parking was free. Kids 17 and under got in free, as did dads on Father’s Day. Concessions were cheaper than the Masters, with $1 drinks and snacks and $4 hamburgers.

For those who wanted an elevated experience, there was a 50,000 square-foot food hall that featured 30 different restaurants. The all-you-can-eat experience was $90.

More than 70,000 fans attended the Grand Rapids event.

Amen. This is beautiful! https://t.co/oPraNzOVa6

— Beth Ann Nichols (@GolfweekNichols) June 20, 2026

The KPMG Women’s PGA should take on that model, shifting the focus from the purse to the fan. It’s a headline that could gain traction, not only locally but nationally, too.

A focus on kid zones (beyond the autograph line), viewing areas with big screen TVs and creative giveaways should be automatics.

Expecting fans to pay $60 for a ticket (plus parking), $7 for a soda, $14 for a hamburger and $54 for a T-shirt creates unnecessary barriers to a league that’s starved for attention. Feed a family for less than $20, and they’ll talk about it for weeks. 

Even when a grandstand looks full, such as the first tee at Hazeltine, it only seats roughly 100 people. 

There was a time when LPGA purses needed to be the priority, but they’ve come a long way in a short amount of time, and it’s time to press pause on that arm’s race.

The tour, put simply, needs to be more popular. 

Even with Korda going for a third consecutive major title, media turnout at the Women’s PGA was abysmal. The event isn’t resonating within the golf world, let alone the broader sports landscape. Korda won the U.S. Women’s Open three weeks ago at Riviera and it almost seems forgotten already.

For an LPGA major to command better broadcast times, the tour must be more in demand. The atmosphere on the ground should be telling people this is must-watch TV.

With the Travelers Championship shifting from CBS to NBC, the KPMG’s TV window on NBC moved up to accommodate the PGA Tour. Organizers of the KPMG Women’s PGA learned about the move at the beginning of the year, too late to make any significant changes. 

As a result, even with perfect weather, coverage this week was slated to end at 4 p.m. ET on Sunday, which meant threesomes off split tees.

When Sunday morning thunderstorms pushed play back 3 hours and 30 minutes, the last nine holes of the final round were pushed over to Golf Channel as NBC switched over to the PGA Tour. KPMG deserves better. 

Unfortunately, next year will be more of the same as the Travelers, which will fall on the same week as the KPMG again, will be broadcast on NBC at least through 2027. Perhaps a big move on the calendar is needed, especially with the LPGA’s major season so incredibly crammed (three majors in six weeks).

The women’s game needs more fans. Would love to see these prices cut to create a more family-friendly event! pic.twitter.com/HSGCKV1XEW

— Beth Ann Nichols (@GolfweekNichols) June 28, 2026

The LPGA has moments of brilliance, pockets of time where they briefly break through a crowded entertainment landscape. 

Ko’s question ­– what can we bring to the community? – is a good one. In fact, it’s the question to ask. There was a time when a canned food donation could get fans in the gates at a tour stop in Alabama. 

It’s time for the LPGA to focus outward, rather than inward. Give them no excuse not to come.

This article originally appeared on Golfweek: It’s time to slash prices to make LPGA more family-friendly