WOMEN’S MAJORS
The women’s Majors kick off with the Chevron Championship at Mission Hills Country Club in California from March 31 to April 3. Formerly the ANA Inspiration, the event will move to a later date and new venue (probably around Houston) from 2023. Patty Tavatanakit defends with players competing for a purse of $5 million – a 60 per cent rise from 2021.
On then to Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in North Carolina for the US Women’s Open from June 2-6. Yuka Saso defends at a venue that has hosted the event three times previously. Taking the past champions at Pine Needles as a barometer – Annika Sorenstam, Karrie Webb and Cristie Kerr – we should see a worthy winner.
The KPMG Women’s PGA Championship will be played at Congressional Country Club in Maryland from June 23-26. Nelly Korda defends at a venue that has hosted three US Opens and a USPGA Championship over the decades.
The Evian Championship will once again be played at the Evian Resort, Evian Les Bains, in July. With stunning views of the surrounding Alpine countryside, Minjee Lee will be defending champion in an event that has held Major status since 2013.
There will be a new venue for the AIG Women’s Open as it heads to Muirfield from August 4-7. As The R&A looks to narrow the gap in prize money between the men’s and women’s games, the purse will be $6.8 million. Sweden’s Anna Nordqvist will defend the title she claimed at Carnoustie in 2021.
There’s huge money in the elite professional game, with various factions attempting to maintain, expand or gain their piece of the pie.
The PGA Tour continues to offer players the opportunity for a series of bumper paydays, none more so than the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass. Already with the biggest purse in any single tournament in professional golf, the prize fund has been increased to an obscene $20 million for 2022. When Justin Thomas defends his title from March 8, he’ll be competing for a top prize of $3.6 million. The total prize fund on the 2022 PGA Tour will be an eyepopping $633 million.
The European Tour, meanwhile, is fighting hard to keep pace and a new partnership for the circuit has been reached with DP World.
Fifty years since the foundation of the European Tour, it has now become the DP World Tour. The objective of the partnership is to elevate the Tour and this means a full 12-month schedule of 47 tournaments with a total prize fund of $200 million – the highest in European Tour history. There will be a minimum fund of $2 million for each event and a prize fund of $10 million for the DP World Tour Championship. In addition, investment will be made in the Challenge Tour, grass-roots golf and charitable causes.