In addition to a trophy, Haeran Ryu receives a winner’s check worth $1.95 million.
Andrew Wevers, Getty Images
The KPMG Women’s PGA Championship increased the LPGA major’s purse by $1 million to $13 million, making it the highest purse in women’s professional golf.
The PGA of America’s women’s major also expanded its coverage last week to nearly 100 hours of live, streaming and ancillary coverage across NBC, Golf Channel and Peacock, making it the most comprehensive broadcast coverage of any LPGA event.
“Working with the PGA of America and the LPGA Tour, we’re combining a record purse with technology that gives players better, real-time insight into their performance, along with broader, more dynamic coverage for fans,” said Tim Walsh, KPMG U.S. chairman and CEO. “It’s all about continuing to build momentum for women’s golf.”
Haeran Ryu, who won Sunday at Hazeltine National Golf Club, took home a winner’s check of $1.95 million. In 2019, the last time the KPMG Women’s PGA was played at Hazeltine National, winner Hannah Green collected $577,500 from the $3.85 million purse.
“The KPMG Women’s PGA Championship continues to raise the bar for women’s golf,” said Craig Kessler, LPGA Commissioner. “Record purse increases, enhanced broadcast coverage, and one of the strongest fields of the year makes this tournament a can’t miss event for fans.”
Last month, the U.S. Women’s Open bumped its purse by $500,000 to $12.5 million, with Nelly Korda taking home $2.5 million for her victory at Riviera. The season-ending CME Group Tour Championship offers an $11 million purse in a limited-field event. Jeeno Thitikul earned a record $4 million for winning it in 2025.
LPGA purses have nearly doubled since 2021, with the cumulative purse total climbing from $76.45 million in 2021 to $137.9 million in 2026. Major championship prize money has more than tripled in the last decade – from $16.85 million awarded across all majors in 2016 to $53.25 million in 2026. Purse increases announced since April total nearly $5 million, including boosts of $1 million for the Chevron, Amundi Evian, KPMG Women’s PGA and JM Eagle LA championships, as well as the U.S. Women’s Open ($500,000) and AIG Women’s Open ($250,000).
On Thursday, Ina Yoon went bogey-free with nine birdies and only 24 putts to shoot a 9-under 63, the lowest opening round in championship history. Her 63 also tied the championship’s 18-hole scoring record, last shot in 2021 by Nelly Korda in her second round.
“I just hit the golf ball and it just dropped in the hole,” Yoon said. “(It was a) really awesome experience.”
In the second round, Yoon shot 3-under to get to 12-under for the tournament. It’s the lowest score relative to par after 36 holes in championship history. With a five-stroke lead over the field, Yoon became the fourth player in championship history to lead by five or more after 36 holes. The other three all went on to win: Mickey Wright in 1958, Cristie Kerr in 2010 and In Gee Chun in 2022.
Yoon is four years removed from a cheating scandal in which she was initially suspended three years by the Korean Golf Association and KLPGA for playing the wrong ball and not telling anyone in the Korea Women’s Open. The suspension was shortened to two years and Yoon topped the money list when she returned for the 2024 season.
Yoon, who finished 11 under for solo second at the Women’s PGA, joined the LPGA Tour in 2025 and still seeks her first win.
For the first time since 2018, there were multiple holes-in-one made at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. Then Lexi Thompson and Brittany Marchand made aces during the first round at Kemper Lakes Golf Club. This year, Amanda Doherty made one on Thursday and Shannon Tan made another on Friday.
Doherty’s ace, the fifth of her career but first in LPGA competition, came on the seventeenth hole, a 161-yard par-3. She grabbed an 8-iron and struck it pure.
"It was a perfect number for my 8-iron," Doherty said. "A little bit of a draw wind for me, so even better, and just a stock eight. I quit watching it. Then I heard everybody cheer."
The next day, Tan aced the 169-yard fourth hole with a 6-iron. It’s the fourth time this year multiple aces have been made in the same LPGA tournament.
The hole-in-ones not only contributed 2-under to Doherty and Tan’s scores, but also resulted in $20,000 donations to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital as part of the CME Group Cares Challenge – Score 1 for St. Jude. It’s the 12th and 13th holes-in-one in 2026 and brings this year’s donation amount to $260,000. The money helps fund cancer research and treatment.
There were eight PGA of America golf professionals in the field this week who earned a spot on the Corebridge Financial Team through the 2025 LPGA Professionals Championship and the 2026 PGA Women’s Stroke Play Championship. Of the eight, only Nicole Felce, a 21-year-old PGA/LPGA Assistant Golf Professional at Countryside Country Club in Clearwater, Florida, made the cut.
In her second KPMG Women’s PGA Championship (she missed the cut in 2025), Felce followed up a 3-over first round with a 2-under round on Friday to make the cut on the number. She’s only the third club pro to make the cut in the championship since the Corebridge Financial Team was first included in 2015. The other two were Jennifer Bermingham in 2016 and Jimin Yang in 2019.
“All the members and students at my club have been really supportive of me,” said an ecstatic Felce after the round. “All the staff have been great, so they're going to be really thrilled.”
Everett Munez
