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Presented by Ally
The start of the week showcased the power of golf's crossover appeal with basketball superstar Caitlin Clark playing in her first golf pro-am in front of large crowds.
The end of the week showcased the game's biggest star with Nelly Korda winning her seventh tournament of the season.
In between, The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican 2024 from Nov. 11-17 at Pelican Golf Club showcased the best of the LPGA Tour on one of Florida's most refined country clubs. The fact it was hosted by perhaps the greatest female player of all time - Annika Sorenstam - only strengthened the event's standing.
Following the LPGA Tour's season-ending CME Group Tour Championship at Tiburon in Naples, Fla., women's golf boasts some solid momentum in its ongoing push to be just as popular and relevant as the men's game. Considering the state of the men's professional golf - where greed and division rule - the women are playing, arguably, the purest form of the game. Everyday golfers can relate to female pros so much more. Most of us hit hybrids from 180 yards, like the LPGA Tour pros do, not 8 irons like the maulers on the men's side.
To celebrate the women's game, Ally and GolfPass have teamed up to create an incredible sweepstakes where one lucky golfer (plus a guest) can win trips to both the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania and the 2025 U.S. Women's Open at Erin Hills in Wisconsin. To enter, click here.
The push toward equality in golf
Growth in the women's game the past decade can directly be tied back to the investment from golf's leading organizations and their sponsors.
It started in 2014 when Augusta National, once heavily criticized for having no female members until 2012, began allowing boys and girls ages 7-15 to compete on its greens, tees and fairways for the Drive, Chip & Putt national finals. The Augusta National Women's Amateur launched five years later in 2019, competing the week before The Masters, giving up-and-coming female stars their biggest stage yet.
The United States Golf Association, the PGA of America and the R&A have gone all in as well, growing purses exponentially and taking their major championships to coveted sites that used to only be reserved for the men. When Pebble Beach hosted the U.S. Women's Open for the first time in 2023, it felt like a tipping point.
"There's nothing more important to elevate these championships than to put them on historic venues like Pebble Beach," Morgan Pressel, a former major champion who's now a golf analyst, said during a 2023 press conference. "They withstand the test of time. They outlive any single player of any era."
The U.S. Women's Open goes on an epic run at past U.S. Open venues starting next year, including Erin Hills (2025), Riviera (2026), Inverness (2027), Oakmont (2028, 2038), Pinehurst No. 2 (2029), Interlachen (2030), Oakland Hills Country Club's South Course (2031), Los Angeles Country Club's North Course (2032), Chicago Golf Club (2033) and Merion (2034, 2046).
Beyond the venues, the USGA and Ally – a financial services company with the nation’s largest all-digital bank - announced their partnership in 2024. The deal included Ally becoming the presenting partner of the U.S. Women’s Open and helped to elevate the purse to $12 million, the largest tournament purse in all of women’s golf.
"It really sent shock waves through the world of women's golf," Pressel said. "I think it's encouraged other people to join in and say this really matters and it's something we need to invest in for the future."
The LPGA Tour announced Nov. 20 that in its 75th season in 2025, its total purses of 35 events (33 official events) will add up to a historic total prize fund of more than $131 million, a significant increase of more than $62 million in four years, up approximately 90% from 2021.
That total still pales in comparison to the PGA TOUR, but it's a start. According to Golfweek, 37 events on the 2024 PGA TOUR schedule handed out $398.9 million in prize money (and that doesn't include the bonus money from the season-ending TOUR Championship).
The CME Group Tour Championship purse jumped from $4 million to $11 million. The KPMG Women’s PGA Championship has more than doubled its purse from $4.5 million in 2021 to $10.4 million in 2024. The 2024 AIG Women's Open had a total prize purse of $9.5 million, up $500,000 from 2023.
“The 2024 season was another year of historic growth for the LPGA Tour, and with this 2025 schedule we will continue to improve on that growth,” LPGA Commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan said in a statement. “ ... We’re excited to see even more thrilling competition and unforgettable moments for our partners, athletes and fans worldwide (next year) as we continue to celebrate and support the remarkable journey of women’s golf in our 75th year.”
When comparing major championship venues, the men and women are almost on equal footing these days. Just look at The Open overseas as another example.
Royal Birkdale was the first men's Open venue to host the women in 1982 (and again in 1986, 2000, 2005, 2010 and 2014), followed by Royal Lytham & St. Annes (five times since 1998) and Turnberry (twice since 2002). Once the Old Course at St. Andrews entered the rotation in 2007, men's venues like Carnoustie (2011, 2021), Royal Troon (2020) and Muirfield (2022) came on board as well. The 2024 AIG Women's Open on the Old Course (its third) cemented Lydia Ko's legacy.
“It’s great that as players we get to play these events and these partners believe in women’s golf and not just invest in the men,” Ko told Forbes. “It’s great to be able to play these events because they’re excited for us and they want to keep growing the game and giving opportunities to future generations as well.
“I think this is a big step forward toward the bigger picture.”
All this momentum comes at the perfect time. National Golf Foundation statistics show that the post-pandemic golf boom has been fueled by female and minority golfers, especially younger ones, trying the game in larger numbers than ever before.
When celebrities like Clark show interest in golf, they lend street cred and make the game look "cool". With role models like Korda and Ko leading the professional charge on the course, the future of the women's game continues to surge full speed ahead.
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