That’s how much the USGA just sweetened the pot at the U.S. Women’s Open, with the 81st edition now set to play for a record-breaking $12.5 million purse this week.
“The women deserve to play with the monetary returns that we’re providing, and the game is following, and we want to lift that side of it up, the experience that the players have and how they can recover from a day on the golf course and all of those things,” said John Bodenhamer, USGA chief championship officer.
“We’re thinking about it holistically,” he told reporters Wednesday at Riviera. “We’re treating the men and the women equitably in that manner. What we do at the U.S. Open, we’ll do at the U.S. Women’s Open. That’s really important.”
Five years ago, the championship’s prize money was $5.5 million.
“I must say that we’re quite proud of that, in that going back to 2022 when we really stepped up our purse and increased to $10 million, and that journey continues,” Bodenhamer added. “We’re proud that it continues this year, and we’re proud to lead on that front as we lift up the women’s game.”
Minjee Lee took home $1.8 million from the then record $10 million pool in 2022. A year later, Allisen Corpuz became the first women’s player to win $2 million in a single tournament when she won the top prize from a new-high $11 million kitty.
Yuka Saso and Maja Stark each netted $2.4 million from the $12 million winnings given out at each of the last two U.S. Women’s Opens.
The 2026 prize-money breakdown will be revealed Saturday, after the 36-hole cut.
This year’s Chevron Championship paid out $9 million, an increase of $1 million from 2025. The Amundi Evian Championship and AIG Women’s Open also announced purse bumps for ’26. The Evian purse is now $9.1 million (up $1.1 million) and the AIG is now $10 million (up $250,000). The KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, which will be contested later this month, has not yet revealed its prize fund. It paid out $12 million last year.
The bookend par-5s at Riviera Country Club should present a strategic challenge to the 81st U.S. Women’s Open field, USGA leadership told reporters at a preview press conference Wednesday.
