If you love the Ryder Cup then you need to tune into the Golf Channel this weekend to watch the Walker Cup. This year the Walk Cup is being played in Ireland at Lahinch Golf Club (The Old Course) so be ready to get up early if you want to watch the early matches live. Golf Channel times:
Saturday, September 5:3:30 am to 8 am (Morning Foursomes); 9 am to 2 pm (Afternoon Singles). There are four foursome matches and and eight singles matches
Sunday, September 6:3:30 am to 8 am (Morning Foursomes); 9 am to 2 pm (Afternoon Singles). There are four foursome morning matches and 10 singles matches.
I assume the Golf Channel will rebroadcast in the evening but I can’t find any times listed.
The Teams: On paper the USA should win over GB&I (Great Britain and Ireland) because the world amateur golf rankings for the USA team members are all in the top 25 and GB&I team members world amateur golf rankings are not as strong. GB&I does have two top ten players (Tyler Weaver and Luke Poulter) but the rest of the team are not as high in the rankings.
The USA team really is impressive and if you want to learn more about each member you can read Team USA bios on the USGA website. The website also has the team GB&I bios.
Now I think there are a number of reasons the GB&I team can give the USA a run for their money:
(1) It’s a home game for GB&I which always seems to make a difference.
(2) A few of the top players on the USA side have not shown very good form in recent big amateur events. Specifically, the #1 player in the WAGR (World Amateur Golf Rankings) Preston Stout and #4 Ethan Fang did not make the cut to match play at the U.S. Amateur.
(3) If GB&I can get off to a fast start and win the majority of the alternate shot matches that would help; we all remember how that was the advantage for Team Europe at the most recent Ryder Cup.
Cheering for the USA
Team USA (defending champions) needs 13 points to win and GB&I need 13.5 points to win. I am definitely cheering for Team USA. I want to see good golf on both sides so that it is exciting to watch. I never really enjoy blowouts (unless the points don’t really indicate the closeness of matches). I want to see it come down to the single matches on the last day to decide the winning team.
Next UP – THE SOLHEIM CUP is the following week from September 7 to 13, 2026. It is being hosted by Team Europe in Netherlands at Bernardus Golf. And yes, I will post a blog post next week with all the details.
U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur: This USGA Championship is being contested in New Jersey at Montclair Golf Club. The U.S. Women’s Mid-Am. has an age requirement – you must be 25 years old by the first day of the championship. However, there is no upper limit age so amateur female golfers who played in the recent U.S. Women’s Senior Open will also play this championship.
The fun thing about the Mid-Amateur is that many of the players have jobs and this is how they use their vacation days. The USGA put a fun video on Facebook where women shared their day jobs. If you are on Facebook here is the link to the video post.
U.S. Senior Amateur: The U.S. Senior Amateur is also being conducted the same week as the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur at Baltimore Country Club in Maryland. I’m not a big follower of men’s senior amateur golf so I don’t have any fun facts to share.
The only player results I have an interest in following is Todd White; who lives in South Carolina. White has won the U.S. Senior Amateur (2023) and the R&A British Senior Amateur (2024) and the U.S. Four-Ball (2013). He was a history teacher in Spartanburg but in 2025 went to a private school to be the head golf coach. White also went to Furman University where a number of famous golfers played college golf; including Brad Faxon, Dottie Pepper, Beth Daniel, and Betsy King.
Format for Championships: Format for both championship includes two days of stroke play and four days of match play. The match play final is 18 holes. This is different from other USGA championships where the final match play is 36 holes. Also,18 hole match play finals are used for the U.S. Mid-Amateur (Men) and U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur.
How to Watch: Unfortunately there is no broadcast coverage but the USGA will post highlight videos on the USGA Website and the USGA YouTube Channel. And you can always follow the scoring live on the USGA App or Website; and the USGA usually posts updates and interesting shots on social media.
If you told me at the start of the week not one top 10 ranked (WAGR) male golfer would make the quarter finals I would not believe it but that is what has happened at the 2026 U.S. Amateur.
Here are how the top ten amateur golfers fared at the championship:
#1 Preston Stout – Missed the cut (+6) and did not make it to match play.
#2 Tyler Weaver – Did not compete due to a back injury.
#3 Tyler Watts – Made it to match play and lost in the round of 16; 1 down to Jay Leng, jr.
#4 Miles Russell – He was my favorite (#1 Jr in world) but shockingly lost in the round of 64 going 19 holes against Ryder Cowan (#8 WAGR). It was a very exciting match to watch.
#5 Williams Jennings – He is from Greenville, SC so I was cheering for him but he lost in the round of 16 to Carter Loftin going 19 holes.
#6 Luck Poulter – Yes, the son of Ian Poulter. He shot +6. He had a chance to go to match play but in the playoff (stroke play) he did not secure one of the 11 spots (out of 16 players in the playoff).
#7 Josiah Gilbert – Lost by 3 with 2 holes to play in round of 64 to Zackary Swanwick
#8 Ryder Cowan – Played well but lost in 20 holes to Logan Reilly (Ranked #47 in WAGR). After Cowan took out Miles Russell in the round of 64 I thought he might win it all.
#9 Ethan Fang – Missed the cut (+5). He was a player that the press made a big deal about a few years ago but he has not lived up to their hype.
#10 Tim Wiedermeyer – from Germany; Missed the cut (+4)
So, of the 8 men that have made the quarter finals today (Friday, August 14, 2026) the highest ranked golfer is Jack Turner ranked 19th. Turner is a senior at University of Florida (Gators). The next highest ranked (WAGR #23) is Jay Leng, Jr. (a junior at Standford University).
Logic would say that Jay Leng is now the betting man’s favorite because he took out #3 in the world (and #2 seed in the match play standings), Tyler Watts. And Leng has been playing well all season most recently winning the Western Amateur. But given how this championship has been going, I have no idea who will lift the trophy on Sunday.
The U.S. Women’s Amateur was just completed on Sunday August 9 with Asterisk Talley winning 8&6. Now it is time for the most prestigious amateur men’s event – the U.S. Amateur.
Today, Monday August 10 the stroke play has already begun with 312 competitors playing two courses; Merion Golf Club and Philadelphia Country Club. The match play portion of the championship will be played at Merion Golf Club. Match play will begin on Wednesday with the round of 64. You can follow live scoring on the USGA website.
How To Watch: Peacock and Golf Channel will be broadcasting the following match play rounds:
Wednesday, August 12 Round of 64: Peacock/NBCSN, 3 p.m.-6 p.m. Thursday, August 13 Round of 16: Peacock/NBCSN, 3 p.m.-6 p.m. Friday, August 14 Quarterfinals: Peacock/NBCSN, 3 p.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, August 15 Semifinals: Peacock, 3 p.m.-4 p.m. Semifinals: NBC, 4 p.m.-6 p.m. Sunday, August 16 Championship Match (Afternoon 18), Peacock, 3 p.m.-4 p.m. Championship Match (Afternoon 18): NBC, 4 p.m.-6 p.m.
Players to Watch: There are so many amazing young golfers but let’s start with the reigning U.S. Open Champion, Mason Howell. Howell is ranked 49th in the WAGR (World Amateur Golf Rankings) and plays college golf for the University of Georgia. I don’t think he will win back-to-back.
Other players that are top Amateurs are Preston Stout (#1 WAGR), Miles Russell (#3 WAGR), Luke Poulter (#4 WAGR) and the son of Ian Poulter. Ethan Fang (#9) and Luke Colton (#48) are Americans that also get a lot of press from the golf analysts.
I will also keep my eye on Stewart Hagestad who is 39, won the U.S. Mid-Am in 2016 and was the Low Amateur at the Masters with a T37 finish in 2017. He has also been on five Walker Cup teams including last years 2025 winning team.
The oldest player in the field is Mike McCoy (63). McCoy was the 2025 U.S. Senior Amateur Champion and that qualified him for the U.S. Amateur. He has had a very storied amateur career winning the 2022 British Senior Amateur Champion and the U.S. Mid-Amateur Champion in 2013, and two U.S. Four-Ball Championship in 2015 and 2019. Plus he has captained the Walk Cup. He has even more accomplishments that you can read in his bio from the Iowa Golf Association.
Finally the youngest players Landon Tudor and Bento Assis both 15 years old. Of course, there are a number of 16 year old golfers in the field (which speaks to the age of golfers with amazing games getting younger and younger).
SIDE NOTE: The youngest player in the U.S. Womens Amateur last week was Maggie Ma (14). She is from California and advanced to the quarterfinals where you played Asterisk Talley forcing the match to 19 holes where Talley took the win. That is very impressive considering Talley won the championship overall by 8&6..
So do you have a favorite golfer playing in the U.S. Amateur this week? I would like to see Miles Russell win since he was just the runner-up at the U.S. Junior Amateur. But it will be fun to watch all the golf and hopefully it will be an exciting Championship.
There was lots of golf to watch this week and I was surprised at the outcomes in men’s amateur golf, the women’s professional game and the men’s professional game.
U.S. Jr. Amateur at Saucon Valley
The USGA championships are a grind with two days of stroke play to finish in the top 64 to advance to match play.
I was fully expecting Miles Russell to win the U.S. Amateur. He is ranked #1 in the AJGA (American Junior Golf Rankings) and #7 in WAGR (World Amateur Golf Rankings). Russell sailed through stroke play as “medalist” (meaning he finished in first place in stroke play).
In match play Russell won his first match 6 and 5, the next won 4 and 2, the next match won 2 up; and won his quarter final match 6 and 5 and his semifinal match 2 and 1. In the final, championship match, they play 36 holes (18 morning then lunch and 18 in the afternoon). Russell’s opponent was Noah Maclauchlan with an AJGA ranking of 31 and a WAGR of 2,047. Maclauchlan got into the championship as an alternate and did great finishing T39 to make it into stroke play.
Noah Maclauchlan won the U.S. Jr. Amateur against Miles Russell 6 and 5 (ending on the 31st hole). It was certainly nice to see the “under dog” win; but I also felt it was a very disappointing final. It was televised on golf channel and you could see that Russell was off his game all day (with a two-way miss). Russell fought hard but was down in the match the majority of the day. Frankly I feel like this is the problem with the national amateur championships being settled by match play. My opinion is that it just seems if you want to crown the best player in the world then you need to have the championship be stroke play.
Scottish Women’ Open
Jenny Shin won the Scottish Women’s Open. It is her first win in 10 years. Shin is Korean and her other win 10 years ago was the 2016 Volunteers of American Texas Shootout.
Happy for Shin but it was another odd tournament where the big names did not show up to the party. Nelly Korda finished T16 (+2), Lottie Woad finished T37 (+7), and Charley Hull finished T44 (+10). Now every player faced the same cold and windy conditions and only seven players were under par; Shin had two great rounds of 66 and 67 to start and that gave her a huge buffer going into Sunday so that even shooting 75 in the final round she was able to win at 9 under (two strokes ahead of second place.)
Let’s hope at the AIG Women’s Open (which follows the Scottish Open) the big names have a better week.
Jackson Koivun
You know the name Jackson Koivun if you follow college golf because he has been the top golfer for a few years; with an all time NCAA career scoring average record at 68.89 and won every major award for men in college golf. He helped Auburn win the NCAA D1 championship in June (of this year) and in his third PGA Tour tournament start this week he won the 3M Open with a score of 25 under par; and holding off world #1, Scottie Scheffler who finished 22 under par.
We have seen other players come out of PGA Tour University (a program that let’s the #1 college golfer go straight to the PGA Tour) and win (remember Nick Dunlap) but many of those players haven’t made much of a splash lately. Will Jackson Koivun be the “one in a million” that comes out and gives the current superstars a run for their money? A number of PGA Tour pro were asked about Koivun’s game. Most Pros just praised his game but the funniest reply I heard was from Ben Griffin who shared that he joked with Koivun (when he played with him while he was still an amateur), “Tell me when you are going to turn pro so I can plan my retirement.”
One final thing that was interesting, the reporter interviewing Koivun after the win asked what was written on his glove. He said “Confidence, Trust, and Dominate.” Here is the clip on Instagram
It’s the tradition that the leaders at the USGA will always protect – the final round of the U.S. Open falls on father’s day (in the USA). The overall theme is to honor the tradition of golf as a bonding experience between father’s and their children (or back in the old days, particularly their sons). It has created many moving moments on Sunday. For example, Justin Rose famously looking up to the sky as a tribute to his late father.
But really, for me it is all about the golf and who I am cheering for to win. And this year it is Scottie Scheffler. I’m not cheering for him just because I like him as a player, or that he is the #1 golfer in the world. I’m cheering for him because it would give Scottie his grand slam since the U.S. Open is the only major he has yet to win. Plus championship Sunday is Scheffler’s 30th birthday. A grand slam would be a pretty amazing gift.
Other players that I would not mind hoisting the trophy are Cameron Young (New York native grew up playing his golf at Sleep Hollow), Tommy Fleetwood, or Chris Gotterup (Jersey Boy). For those wondering which player might be a great bet and be primed to win look at Tommy Fleetwood. In 2018 Tommy Fleetwood had the lowest score on Sunday with a 7 under 63 and was one shot off the winning overall score. The winner in 2018 was Brooks Koepka with a score of 1 over par. I don’t see Koepka winning because on Sunday he withdrew from the RBC Canadian Open with a hand issue.
The Course and the USGA – Shinnecock has hosted the U.S. Open in 2004 and 2018 and both times the “course got away from” the USGA. Most fans will remember Phil Mickelson famously hitting his ball while it was still moving because he was so frustrated. This week the early coverage on Golf Channel they have shown that the greens are constantly being watered. The USGA clearly does not want to be embarrassed this year.
I hope that the U.S. Open at Shinnecock is more interesting than the PGA Championship was at Aronimink; which just seemed to be a putting contest on difficult greens. I understand the reasons golf courses remove trees including saving the turf from shade and humidity; or the club says they are “restoring the course” to its original design. But I miss the courses that are tree lined and make it much more interesting off the tee. Often times, I think why do the USA courses all want to now have a links look and feel? Now, I understand that Shinnecock (and long island in general) has always been big and open and the greens (with wind) the big defense; but overall I hope the USGA and PGA of America don’t always pick links style courses to present to golf fans in their future championships.
Let’s hope for an exciting week for the U.S. Open.
Another major golf championship and another week of “must watch golf television.”
REASONS TO WATCH
(1) The Course: Riviera Country Club in LA is an old school course and always a “test” for the men on the PGA Tour. It’s the first time a women’s major has been brought to this iconic course. The most famous hole is the 6th hole, par 3 with the bunker in the middle of the green. Fun fact, regular members are not allowed to chip over the bunker while on the green; but pros can chip during a championship (and that is because they can do it without taking a divot). The other hole that is discussed frequently is hole #10 where the player needs to decide which fairway to drive (the right or left side).
(2) The Players: For me, it’s about the best women golfers in the world wanting to win the oldest and most important major for women’s golf. Who do I want to see get lots of television coverage and win:
Nelly Korda – this is obvious as the #1 player in the world. But more interesting is that she has not played well in previous U.S. Women’s Open. Perhaps it’s been a mental issue – it means too much? Or just fatigue. Nelly has completely changed her routine to “rest and not play” LPGA events the week before big events. It’s seems to be working since she won the first major of the year, The Chevron. And, it’s also exciting to watch to see if she can win the first two majors of the year. She has been playing great – she has played 7 events, won three times (including a major) and placed second three times.
And I am a fan of Charley Hull, Brooke Henderson and Lauren Coughlin so I would be happy if any one of them won the championship; but I think it might be an up hill battle if Korda comes to Riviera in great form. If Nelly doesn’t win then I think Hannah Green or Lottie Woad might be a good bet.
(3) New Pro that just played in the NCAA D1 Women’s Championship: Megha Ganne (from Stanford) and the reigning 2025 U.S. Women’s Amateur champion. She is on a high with Stanford winning the Team NCAA D1 Championship just a few weeks ago. Ganne has an infectious personality and a solid game so hopefully she plays well and gets tv time.
(4) Amateurs to Watch: Kiara Romero (University of Oregon from the USA) is the #1 Female Amateur in the world. Romero shot a final round 5 under (67) in the last round of the 2025 U.S. Women’s Open at Erin Hills. What was truly remarkable was the fact that on Saturday she shot an 84 (so a 17 shot improvement). Farah O’Keefe (University of Texas from the USA) just won the NCAA D1 Individual title a few weeks ago. Maria Jose Marin (University of Arkansas from Columbia) is the 2026 Augusta National Women’s Amateur Champion. Asterisk Talley is a 17-year-old that took home co-low amateur at the 2025 U.S. Women’s Open. Aphrodite Deng (from Canada) is the 2025 U.S. Girls Junior Champion. There are many more I could list but these are the one’s I will keep an eye on for the low-amateur title.
Finally, it is “must watch television” because it is the most important major in women’s professional golf!
HOW TO WATCH
THURSDAY AND FRIDAY: Watch on USA Network from 2 pm to 7 pm and then replay on NBCSN (or Steam on Peacock) 7 pm to 10 pm
SATURDAY (Moving Day): Watch on NBC from 5 pm to 7 pm and Peacock 7 pm to 10 pm
SUNDAY (Championship Round): Watch on NBC from 3 pm to 5 pm on NBCSN and 5 pm to 8 pm on NBC; or stream 3 pm to 8 pm on Peacock.
I was looking at the USGA website to follow the Men’s Amateur Four-Ball championship and I was struck by the ages of the men; especially after following the Women’s Amateur Four-Ball earlier this year.
If you are not familiar with the USGA Four-Ball Amateur Championship, there are 128 sides (two golfers on a side or team) and 256 total competitors. They play two rounds of four-ball stroke play to get the field down to 64 sides (teams) that will participate in match play over three days. Day 1 has 64 sides (or 32 matches), Day 2 has 16 matches, and Day 3 is the semifinal matches and the final match for the championship.
The USGA Website lists the age breakdown of championship events and If you look at the Women’s field versus the Men’s field it is really striking but after thinking about it, not as surprising as I first thought.
So here is a quick comparison of ages for the 4-ball championships:
For me the striking comparison is the total players age 31 to 60 with 149 men playing in the 2026 Amateur 4-ball and only seven (yes, seven) women in the age range of 31-60 in the 2026 Women’s Amateur 4-ball.
After some thought I basically believe it is the cycle of life that represents the age difference; and you see this in professional golf too. If you are a fan of the LPGA you know that when the ladies get into their 30s many retire (or take a leave) to have children. Yes, the LPGA has great day care but I think it is still very difficult for women to be professional golfers and raise their children. But it can be done! Julie Inkster is famous for balancing her professional golf career and raising her two daughters.
I did google the topic and a number of other “reasons” were listed such as:
(1) Physical Development – I found it interesting that one point made was that young female golfers can achieve the driving distance of their older female counterparts sooner. While boys do not have the physical ability to achieve the same driving distance that is required in the power game of men’s golf (hitting drives over 300 yards). So you will see a thirteen year old girl driving it as far as an LPGA player but you won’t see a thirteen year old boy driving it as long as a PGA Tour player. Interesting premise.
(2) Women that have the skills to turn professional do it at a younger age then men turning professional. I think it is true that women turn professional sooner because they are aware that by 30 they may want to start a family. And of course there was the “Michelle Wei” effect on the LPGA. However, this may also be changing as you see players like Blades Brown turning pro at 16 and playing on the Korn Ferry tour. But what that doesn’t solve is the question as to why so many elite amateur female golfers that do not turn pro, also do not continue competing in elite amateur golf.
There are women that continue to play after college golf if you look at the USGA Mid-Amateur Championships which are for men or women 25 years or older. It is interesting to note that the field size is different. The men’s Mid-Am. has 264 competitors and the women’s Mid-Am field is 132 competitors.
Even in the amateur golf (casual leagues) I play in you see that most of the women are past child rearing age so it’s not just about having a job that keeps them from playing. But once the kids are off to college a lot of women find golf again and enjoy playing.
I will say it is nice to see more women in their 20 and 30s recognizing the importance of golf from a business/career perspective; and I do see more young couples playing on the weekends. But as far as serious amateur competition goes I do think we will continue to see the age gaps. However, with young girls being the fastest growing demographic in golf it would not surprise me if in the future more women find their way to elite competitive golf.
In march the USGA suggested a “Model Local Rule” (MLR) that could be used to address the distance issue in golf; specifically male pro golfers overpowering golf courses. Now the USGA has come out with a statement that the golf ball roll back will not be an MLR specifically used for elite tournament golf but instead they will require all golf balls conform to new specifications. All golf balls are measured to meet specific standards with a set swing speed, spin, and launch angle so the new specifications are designed to limit the distance a ball travels.
Side Bar: Did you know the USGA tests golf balls after they have been used in a tournament to make sure they are conforming. They will randomly ask Pros for the balls after a round and test them. I know this because I have seen the rows and rows of cabinets storing the balls in the test center at USGA headquarters.
According to articles I have read the reason for this move away from the MLR to a new conforming ball specification for all balls is because of the push back from the PGA Tour. In other words, the tour would not implement a ball MLR. If that is true, then in my opinion, the USGA and R&A’s new conforming ball strategy is not really about “protecting the future of the game” but it is about protecting the historic venues that the USGA and R&A want to continue to use for championships.
The USGA states that amateur golfers will only lose a few yards (based on studies on swing speed). They also state that approximately thirty percent of 2023 golf balls would pass the tests in 2030 (examples I found in other articles mention balls like the Callaway Supersoft – basically balls designed for lower swing speeds). Below is the chart the USGA has shared and you can read their formal announcement on the USGA Website.
This chart only shows the few yards lost on a drive but a ball roll back will impact every club in the bag (expect the putter) so on every shot distance is less which means it’s really more than 3 yards.
If you want to see statistics that counter the USGA data follow an analyst from Arccos, on twitter, named Lou Stagner He has multiple Tweets on this issue.
This change will take place for Professional/Elite competition golf before it impacts the recreational amateur golfer in 2030. I have seen some funny comments on social media from golfers saying now is the time to hoard balls. The best comment was that the average golfer will just play non-conforming balls because golfers really don’t do what the governing bodies tell them to do anyway.
My thought on this is that the USGA and R&A should have stayed with the plan to use a Model Local Rule and if the Tour does not want to implement it for their events that’s there choice. Of course, the USGA and R&A could implement a specific ball for the majors. Given how important the majors are to the Pros, they would probably start playing the “major approved ball” all the time to get use to it – problem solved. :-)
The issue is also impacted by The USGA’s position that golfers don’t want “bifurcation” and that amateurs want to play the same equipment and game as the professionals. But the reality is golf already has “bifurcation” based on the simple facts that (1) amateurs don’t play the same equipment because the Pros have so many “tweaks” made to their equipment that their clubs are a far cry from the “off-the-shelf” standard club offerings; and even if amateurs get a custom clubs fitting it is nothing like what a pro might have with special grinds for bounce, etc.. (2) There is a “category” of golf balls called “Custom Performance” which includes a ProV1 left dot, a ProV1 left dash and other balls played by the Pros that are not readily available to the average golfer via retail markets. (3) the courses that the professionals play are on a different level when it comes to setup – fairways so manicured that it’s like carpet, greens that are lightening fast. The majority of amateurs will never play on the same quality “playing field” as pros because even if you do a “bucket list trip to Pebble Beach or Pinehurst” they are not “setup” for a major; and (4) the tours already implement MLRs in their tournaments that most amateurs aren’t even aware of in their recreational play. Plus golf courses can implement MLRs that elite competitions would never use. For example, MLR: E-5 “Alternative to Stroke and Distance for Lost Ball or Ball Out of Bounds” which basically gives the player the option to take relief in the fairway and take a two-stroke penalty rather than going back to the tee (or where they last played the ball). This local rule was designed to address slow play.
Only time will tell if these new standards in 2030 for conforming golf balls will actually negatively impact the regular amateur golfer but just the fact that the USGA and R&A are so blind to the impact this policy has on the perception of the governing bodies is disconcerting. The majority of comments I have read online are filled with complete disrespect for the governing bodies. Basically, golfers express a view that the USGA and R&A are a bunch of “old guys stuck in another era.” It is interesting that even Tiger Woods has stated that he believes bifurcation is the way to go (and he gives the example of different bats used in professional baseball).
My reaction to the announcement was disappointment. I want to respect the governing bodies but time and time again they take actions that reinforce a lack of awareness of how golfers feel about the sport they love. On a strictly personal level, the idea that there might be the slightest possibility that I will lose distance in the future due to manufacturing limitations is very annoying. I am already losing distance as an “aging” golfer and need all the help I can get from forgiving equipment and golf balls made to travel far.
Now that I have had a few days to get over my gut reaction, I just hope that it really will be a non-issue for amateur golfers in 2030. For now, I’m not going to follow any more stories on rolling back the ball and I’m just going to focus on my game and get ready for the 2024 golf season.
AIG and The R&A “put their money where they mouth is” with a new record overall purse for a women’s golf major. The purse total is $5.8 million with $870,000 for the winner. And they announced they are committed to raising the 2022 purse by a million to $6.8 million. The purse increase announced by AIG and The R&A is great news for women’s professional golf.
At least for the majors, I’m happy to see in 2021 things are moving in the right direction. For example, back in 2012 the USGA’s purse for the U.S. Women’s Open was $3.25 million with $585K going to the winner and in 2021, the U.S. Women’s Open purse total was $5.5 million with $1 million to the winner.
I do find it interesting that sponsors for the women’s majors get to associate their name with the major. For example the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship versus the men’s PGA Championship. But if that is the price to pay for higher pay for the women the so be it.
The USGA has a history of having the highest purses for the majors and with Mike Whan, former commissioner of the LPGA as the new CEO of the USGA, I’m hoping that he makes a big statement for women’s golf in 2022. I would love to see the governing body be the first golf organization to have the men’s and women’s purses be the same amount — a girl can dream!
The chart below lists the purses for both the women’s and men’s majors for 2021. I do care about pay equity and wrote about it in my 2012 blog “The Gender Gap in Golf Prize Money”. I’m not going to go in to deep comparison because that would require looking at regular season tour events (as I did in 2012). My hope would be that perhaps one day sponsors will see the value of women’s golf equal to men’s golf and the money will follow.
I am providing a chart because I know readers (as I did) will wonder what the payouts were in 2021 so I did the research for anyone taking the time to read my blog.
Golf Expectations 