Nelly Korda heads into the KPMG Women's PGA Championship with a record $13 million purse attached to the major starting Thursday at Hazeltine National. The increase puts the event back atop women's golf financially while Korda chases a rare three-major start to a season.
KPMG raises the bar
The purse was announced Monday and makes the championship the largest in the history of women's golf. It is the ninth consecutive year the purse has gone up, a run that now stretches from a $9 million prize fund in 2022 to $13 million this year.
The jump comes as the strongest field in the women's game assembles, with all top 100 players from the LPGA points list in the field. That gives the size of the purse a direct competitive edge: the money is bigger, and the field is deeper.
Nelly Korda and Inbee Park
Korda is the No. 1 player in women's golf and is trying to become the first player since Inbee Park in 2013 to win three straight majors to start the season. Only one female in history has done that, which puts Korda's run in a narrow lane even before the first shot is struck.
The championship also adds AI-enhanced features to KPMG Performance Insights. Each player will get reels that break down rounds, media will receive shot-level data, and an AI-powered live outcome prediction engine will be part of the package.
Hazeltine National coverage
Coverage will span 26 hours across NBC, Peacock and Golf Channel, with several caddies wearing microphones so viewers can hear live interactions on course strategy. Tim Walsh said, "We're proud to deliver the premier major on the LPGA Tour" and added, "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."
That mix of money, field strength and added technology is why Thursday at Hazeltine National matters beyond a standard major start. Next year the Women's PGA goes back to Congressional, but this week the focus is on whether Korda can turn a record-rich setup into the first three-major opening run since 2013.
