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LPGA Tour announces 2020 schedule, with record prize money and television hours

November 22, 2019
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NAPLES, Fla. — The LPGA announced its 2020 schedule on Friday and it features more prize money and two new tournaments in Florida.

The total purse for the 33-event season is $75.1 million, up $5.1 million from 2019. Of the purses that have grown, the KPMG Women's PGA Championship made the largest jump in prize money. The purse for that event is now $4.3 million, which is $450,000 more than it was in 2019.

"A $75.1 million total purse. That number is a testament to the support we are receiving from sponsors and industry partners around the globe," LPGA commissioner Mike Whan said. "As I enter my second decade as commissioner, we find ourselves in a new phase of the LPGA Tour. We've grown, but now we flourish."

The tour will travel to 11 countries in 2020. The two new events are the Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio Golf Club (Jan. 23-26) and the Pelican Women's Championship presented by DEX Imaging at Pelican Golf Club (May 14-17). The Blue Bay LPGA is back on the calendar, bringing the tour back to China. The event was not held in 2019 because of its shift from the late fall to the spring.

It's a UL International Crown year, too, where eight teams of four from eight countries will compete at Centurion Club in England. Team South Korea the is defending champ.

The 2020 season will again culminate at the CME Group Tour Championship at Tibur´on Golf Club, where the winner's share again will be $1.5 million. At the end of the season, there will also be more returning awards for season-long competitions—the AON Risk Reward Challenge with its $1 million bonus and the Leaders Top 10 a $100,000 bonus.

It will be easier to watch all of this, because 2020 will have the LPGA's most television hours ever. Globally, there will be 500 hours of coverage, and seven events will air on network television.

The 2020 Olympics in Tokyo was a factor in building the schedule. A two-week break begins after the Evian Championship, which concludes on July 26. The first women's Olympic round will be played on Aug. 5. The Olympics' closing ceremony is on Aug. 9, and the tour restarts that following weekend on Aug. 13 with the Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open.

The last qualifying event for the Olympics will be the KPMG Women's PGA Championship. The field is 60 players, with the top 15 players on the Rolex World Ranking automatically qualifying, with the caveat that there cannot be more than four players per country.

The schedule is as follows:

Jan. 16-19 -- Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions presented by Insurance Office of America Four Seasons G. and Sports Club Orlando, Lake Buena Vista, Florida -- $1.2M

Jan. 23-26 -- Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio, Boca Rio G.C., Boca Raton, Florida -- $2M

Feb. 6-9 -- ISPS Handa Vic Open 13th Beach G.L., Barwon Heads, Victoria, Australia -- $1.1M

Feb. 13-16 -- ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open Royal Adelaide G.C., Adelaide, South Australia, Australia -- $1.3M

Feb. 20-23 -- Honda LPGA Thailand, Siam C.C. Pattaya (Old Course), Chonburi, Thailand -- $1.6M

Feb. 27 – March 1 -- HSBC Women's World Championship, Sentosa G.C., Singapore -- $1.5M

March 5-8 -- Blue Bay LPGA, Jian Lake Blue Bay G.C., Hainan Island, People’s Republic of China -- $2.1M

March 19-22 -- Founders Cup, Wildfire G.C., Phoenix, Arizona -- $1.5M

March 26-29 -- Kia Classic, Aviara G.C., Carlsbad, California -- $1.8M

April 2-5 -- ANA Inspiration, Mission Hills C.C., Rancho Mirage, California -- $3.1M

April 15-18 -- LOTTE Championship, Ko Olina G.C., Kapolei, Oahu, Hawaii -- $2M

April 23-26 -- HUGEL-AIR PREMIA LA Open, Wilshire G.C., Los Angeles, California -- $1.5M

April 30 – May 3 -- LPGA MEDIHEAL Championship, Lake Merced G.C., San Francisco, California -- $1.8M

May 14-17 -- Pelican Women’s Championship presented by DEX Imaging, Pelican G.C., Belleair, Florida -- $1.75M

May 21-24 -- Pure Silk Championship, Kingsmill Resort, Williamsburg, Virginia -- $1.3M

May 29-31 -- ShopRite LPGA Classic presented by Acer, Sea View, A Dolce Hotel (Bay Course), Galloway, New Jersey -- $1.75M

June 4-7 -- U.S. Women's Open conducted by the USGA, Champions G.C., Houston, Texas -- $5.5M**

June 11-14 -- Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give, Blythefield C.C., Grand Rapids, Michigan -- $2.3M

June 19-21 -- Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G, Pinnacle C.C., Rogers, Arkansas -- $2.0M

June 25-28 -- KPMG Women's PGA Championship, Aronimink G.C., Newtown Square, Pennsylvania -- $4.3M

July 9-12 -- Marathon LPGA Classic presented by Dana, Highland Meadows G.C., Sylvania, Ohio -- $1.85M

July 15-18 -- Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational, Midland C.C., Midland, Michigan -- $2.3M

July 23-26 -- The Evian Championship, Evian Resort G.C., Evian-les-Bains, France -- $4.1M

Aug. 13-16 -- Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open, The Renaissance Club, North Berwick, Scotland -- $1.5M

Aug. 20-23 -- AIG Women's British Open, Royal Troon G.C., Troon, Scotland -- $4.5M**

Aug. 27-30 -- UL International Crown, Centurion Club, St Albans, England -- $1.6M*

Sept. 3-6 -- CP Women's Open, Shaughnessy G. and C.C., Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada -- $2.35M

Sept. 10-13 -- Cambia Portland Classic, Columbia Edgewater C.C., Portland, Oregon -- $1.3M

Oct. 1-4 -- Volunteers of America Classic, Old American G.C., The Colony, Texas -- $1.4M

Oct. 15-18 -- Buick LPGA Shanghai, Qizhong Garden G.C., Shanghai, People’s Republic of China -- $2.1M

Oct. 22-25 -- BMW Ladies Championship, LPGA International Busan, Busan, Republic of Korea -- $2M

Oct. 29 – Nov. 1 -- Taiwan Swinging Skirts LPGA, Miramar G. and C.C., New Taipei City, Chinese Taipei -- $2.2M

Nov. 6-8 -- TOTO Japan Classic, Taiheyo Club (Minori Course), Ibaraki, Japan -- $1.5M

Nov. 19-22 -- CME Group Tour Championship, Tiburon G.C., Naples, Florida -- $5M