Prize money rises by £4m in Ladies European Tour

The Ladies European Tour will offer record prize money of £15.2million this year, an increase of almost £4million.

The rise comes thanks, in part, to having three new events all offering more than $1million (£761,692), including the inaugural Saudi Ladies Championship to be held in March.

The Daily Telegraph understands that in addition to the tournament to be held in Saudi Arabia and the Scandinavian Mixed, the third event to have a pot of over $1million will be a new one to be held in Britain in August, ahead of the Ladies Scottish Open and the Women’s British Open. In total, there will be 24 tournaments, an increase of four on last year.

The Tour has been beset with problems in recent years, including a reduced schedule and the loss of sponsors. As a result, the majority of top European female golfers – including the English trio of Charley Hull, Bronte Law and Georgia Hall – focus their attention on the United States. The US Tour, run by the Ladies Professional Golf Association, has a prize pot this year of $75.1 million (£57.2 million).

It is, however, due to collaboration with the LPGA that the European Tour has been able to expand and raise its prize money.

Alexandra Armas was confirmed last week as the permanent chief executive of the European Tour, reporting directly to the LPGA-LET joint venture board, chaired by Mike Whan, commissioner of the US Tour.

It is understood that Armas will be mentored by Whan, who has been credited with helping to grow the LPGA in the past decade.

While the European Tour is seeking sponsors, last August Whan revealed to The Sunday Telegraph that the LPGA had received a significant surge in sponsorship in the wake of the #Metoo movement.

“The LET and the LPGA only began working together in September, but we’ve been blown away with results in the first 90 days and the positive response from across the golf industry,” Whan said.

“With overall purse increases and seven new events, our athletes will have more opportunities for success. It’s exciting to think what we can accomplish after a full year of working with our new board.

“We have a long way to go, but I’m happy to say that this is the best position that European women’s professional golf has ever been in.”

For the first time there will be the Race to the Costa del Sol as the European season climax, an event that mirrors the men’s Race to Dubai.

Players have welcomed the newlook women’s tour. Catriona Matthew, the victorious Solheim Cup captain last year, said: “I committed to playing in Europe last year and I couldn’t be more excited about what’s been achieved over the past 90 days to improve the schedule.

“This is a tour that existing players and those joining for the first time should be proud to be part of.”