U.S. Women's Open raises purse to record $12 million with new sponsor Ally

NEW YORK — The USGA announced that Ally Financial will become the presenting partner for the U.S. Women’s Open and the purse for this year will be the largest in women’s golf at $12 million. Ally also will be a founding partner of the U.S. National Development program. The partnership comes almost a year after the USGA parted ways with ProMedica, the former U.S. Women’s Open presenting sponsor.

Ally also announced that it reached an endorsement deal with Lilia Vu, the California native who is the current World No. 1 and captured two LPGA major championships in 2023.

Mike Whan, CEO of the USGA, says this partnership felt right from the start.

“It’s powerful to find partners that make you better, and the fact that they’re signing the best female golfer on the planet says a lot about the standard that they’re setting,” USGA CEO Mike Whan said at a press conference. “Elevating women to the same level of men is their brand, it’s in their DNA. And this partnership gives us the ability to dream a little bigger.”

This is Ally’s first involvement with women’s golf, but it has been a significant financial supporter in women’s sports. It is the National Women’s Soccer League’s second-largest sponsor and in February 2023 it struck a landmark deal with Disney to allocate 90 percent of its multi-million-dollar media investment to women’s sports on ESPN.

The USGA’s announcement follows a string of deals to significantly boost LPGA purses. In November, the LPGA said its purse for the CME Group Tour Championship would nearly double for 2024, rising by $4 million to $11 million, with the winner earning $4 million—a figure comparable to what male major winners receive.

Overall, the LPGA’s players are competing for more money than ever. The 2023 full-season purse total grew to $108 million, up 54 percent from two years earlier. Major championship purses were up 80 percent from 2021.