The 2026 U.S. Women’s Open golf tournament is another landmark event in the sport for many reasons, including a massive purse with an eye-popping payout.
The world’s best women’s players are battling it out at the historic Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles with a record-breaking $12.5 million purse up for grabs. The winner will walk away with a major championship to their name as well as a cool $2.5 million.
Both figures clip the previous US Women’s Open record, set a year ago when 2025 champion Maja Stark won at Erin Hills to capture the $2.4 million winner’s share of the $12 million purse.
US Women’s Open Purse Reaches New Historic Heights
“And I must say that we’re quite proud of that, in that going back to 2022 when we really stepped up our purse and increased to $10 million, and that journey continues,” USGA chief championship officer John Bodenhamer said at a pre-tournament press conference. “We’re proud that it continues this year, and we’re proud to lead on that front as we lift up the women’s game.
“Best players in the world from both professional tours and amateur golfers from around the world. In fact, we have 9 of the top 10 ranked amateurs from the World Amateur golf ranking in the field this year. That’s pretty cool.”
Certainly, the women’s game has seen a massive jump in purse size over the last few years, and the USGA is no different. It’s quite jarring to see just how much that has grown since the first Women’s Open in 1946 where the purse was $19,700. That payout, for the tournament played at the Spokane Country Club, came from slot machine proceeds at the Spoke Athletic Round Table.
US Women’s Open Heading to Historic Courses Over Next Decade
The success of the women’s game can be measured by more than money, though. This is the first time Riviera Country Club, a PGA Tour staple that previously hosted three men’s majors, has hosted the US Women’s Open.
Here’s the tentative schedule for the next nine years of US Women’s Open host courses.
2027: Inverness Club
2028: Oakmont Country Club
2029: Pinehurst
2030: Interlochen Country Club
2031: Oakland Country Club
2032: Los Angeles Country Club
2033 Chicago Golf Club
2034 Marion Golf Club
2035: Pebble Beach
“Venues are really critical,” Bodenhamer added. “It’s a critical part of our strategy. We believe that we go to America’s greatest venues. Certainly with the U.S. Women’s Open and all of our championships we think of them as the cathedrals of the game. Because we believe, and we truly do, that it’s important where players wins their U.S. Open, men and women. When a player is asked, where did you win and they can say Riviera Country Club, it just means more.”
The USGA and Riviera couldn’t ask for any more heading down the stretch. World No. 1 Nelly Korda went low in Round 3 to get into the final group, and fan favorite Charley Hull made a final-round charge to get into contention ahead of a primetime finish.
US Women’s Open Purse: How Much Does Winner Make at Riviera?