If there’s one persistent issue that the golf world struggles to address each year, it’s the pay disparity. A quick comparison between PGA Tour golfer Scottie Scheffler and LPGA superstar Nelly Korda highlights this stark contrast. In 2024, both athletes dominated their respective leagues, with Korda earning just $4.2 million compared to Scheffler’s giant $62.2 million, including bonuses. Earlier this year, LPGA Tour pro Lauren Coughlin spoke about this issue in an exclusive interview with EssentiallySports’ Andrew Whitelaw. Today, we’re revisiting the topic, thanks to another exclusive from Whitelaw featuring LPGA star Lilia Vu.

“I feel like among the majors, it’s gone really well. I think with our regular season, it could be a little better. But, you know, if we’re comparing it to the guys, it’s just so big. But I do understand that it’s kind of a viewership thing and, you know, we don’t get a lot as many spectators. The majors are amazing. It’s so fun to play in front of a major crowd, but I think to local events, I wish more people could come out. I know, you know, even from the pandemic, so many people have started playing golf. So would love to see more kids and women, and even young junior male golfers to come out and watch us,” Lilia Vu pointed out during the exclusive with EssentiallySports, and she isn’t wrong in her assessment.

To illustrate the disparity between the two tours, consider the first men’s major of the year, the Masters Tournament, which boasts a $21 million purse. In contrast, the first women’s major of the season, the Chevron Championship, offered a record-breaking $7.9 million purse last year. However, the overall picture paints a much bleaker reality. In 2024, the LPGA Tour achieved a record $101.4 million in prize money across 33 official events, marking a remarkable increase from $93.5 million in 2022. In comparison, the PGA Tour’s total prize money surpassed $500 million for 47 events during the 2022-2023 season.

Lilia Vu’s perspective on viewership numbers is spot on. For example, the impressive 2025 Ford Championship attracted 163,000 viewers on Golf Channel, while The PLAYERS, held in the same month, drew an average of 3.6 million viewers on NBC. Despite the significant disparity in these numbers, the LPGA superstar remains positive.

Speaking more on the exclusive with EssentiallySports’ Andrew Whitelaw, she wittily replied, “I know we don’t hit it as far, but we’re very consistent. We putt it a lot better, in my opinion, but I think it’s it’s super fun. I-I think it’s gotten better for sure. I think I would just like a bigger crowd, but I understand that it’s a viewership thing, and, you know, TV time as well. We don’t get the main airtime, and I know my friends and family say it takes sometimes a couple clicks to find where we are on live TV, and I think… I just hope that someone can figure it out for us, cause I think they’re really missing out on talent.”

Lilia Vu’s concerns about TV deals are valid. In 2023, the LPGA announced a two-year agreement with ESPN to stream Featured Group coverage live and exclusively on ESPN+ for eight LPGA Tour events. ESPN+ will provide daily coverage of these selected tournaments. This will feature one feed that highlights the rounds of four Featured Groups—two in the morning and two in the afternoon. While this deal will run through the current season, the LPGA is actively seeking solutions to address various concerns this year.

The LPGA will offer a record-breaking total purse in the 2025 season

The good news seems to have started with the 2024 CME Group Tour Championship, which featured the largest payout in women’s sports history, with the winner earning a groundbreaking $4 million prize from a total purse of $11 million. This event awarded the largest non-major winner’s check in women’s golf. For context, the NWSL’s team salary cap is $2.75 million, while the WNBA’s is just under $1.5 million. However, the good news followed in the 2025 season.

The record-breaking purse announcement comes with the fact that the LPGA will celebrate its 75th anniversary season. For the 2025 season, the LPGA golfers will compete for over $131 million in purses across a 33-tournament schedule. It will reflect a $62 million increase since 2021 and a 90% rise in the total prize pool. This marks an increase from $118 million in 2024, $101.3 million in 2023, and $86 million in 2022. Undoubtedly, as the LPGA grows older, it’s seeking a trend of record-breaking prize money increases.

Additionally, the 2025 LPGA schedule will feature two new events and will start two weeks to provide players with more off-season rest. The tour will hope to increase its audience with visits to 14 states and 11 countries outside the U.S. Sixteen of the 35 events will have purses exceeding $3 million, and 24 events will offer travel stipends, free accommodations, or guaranteed payouts to support lower-ranked players or those who missed the cut.

Notably, the 2025 rotation includes three new major venues: Erin Hills in Wisconsin for the U.S. Women’s Open, Fields Ranch East at PGA Frisco in Texas for the KPMG Women’s PGA, and Royal Porthcawl in Wales for the AIG Women’s Open. The five major championships will collectively offer $47 million in prize money. Though slowly, the LPGA seems to do its part of the work in the right direction.