Whoa Nelly! USGA Lifts U.S. Women's Open In Big, Bold Ways
Purse goes to $10 million. Plus, world class venues are added, Pinehurst will host another back-to-back year and a presenting sponsor is announced.
The U.S. Women’s Open was already big. The championship could have turned up at the previously announced venues, kept growing the purse, and remained the ultimate prize in women’s golf.
But after a series of eye-opening and bold commitments from Friday’s New York city news conference, there is now little doubt about the event’s prominence in the sports world.
To recap the reveals—refreshingly kept secret to heighten excitement usually muted by over-choreographed and over-embargoed rollouts—the USGA lined up a grand mix of historic future host sites, slipped in another back-to-back men’s and women’s Open year at Pinehurst, committed to more purse growth, and named a “presenting” sponsor.
The highlights:
Five additional U.S. Women’s Open host sites were announced: Riviera Country Club (2026); Inverness Club (2027); Pinehurst (2029); Interlachen (2030); and Oakland Hills Country Club (2031 and 2042).
These classics are added to these upcoming venues: Pine Needles (2022), Pebble Beach (2023), Lancaster CC (2024) and Erin Hills (2025). The full commitment list looks even better in one chart:
