Golf Saudi just announced a new multiyear commitment to women’s golf, dropping a tournament called “The Championship” set for next week in Britain with a $4 million purse. This new event will be co-sanctioned by the LPGA Tour and the Ladies European Tour. Golf Saudi says this move is all about building on their backing of women’s golf since 2020, aiming to grow the game and support women’s sport on a global stage. Sounds great on the surface, right? Well, not so fast.
The Big Print Hiding the Fine Print
While the headline-grabbing $4 million tournament is out there, Golf Saudi quietly left out the other half of the story: they’re slashing a ton of tournaments previously supported by their Public Investment Fund. This includes events on the Ladies European Tour and even one on the LPGA. For example, the Aramco Championship at Shadow Creek in Las Vegas won’t be on the LPGA schedule next year. This isn’t just a small adjustment, folks.
Where Did All That Money Go?
The impact is huge, especially for the LET. The PIF Global Series, which Golf Saudi backed, had 29 tournaments going all the way back to 2021. This year alone, the Global Series featured five tournaments with a staggering $15 million in total prize money. That $15 million, without even counting the two majors, was more than half of the LET’s entire prize funds for the year. And get this: only three regular tournaments on the LET schedule were even $1 million or more outside of those majors. So, we’re talking about a massive chunk of funding and opportunity just evaporating for women golfers. Golf Saudi did mention they’d sponsor the season points race with an end-of-year bonus, but they didn’t even say how much that bonus would be. This all comes months after the PIF announced back in April they were done funding the LIV Golf League, too.
So, next week’s “The Championship” in Britain might bring some excitement, but it’s hard to ignore what’s missing. What does this mean for the future of women’s golf when so many events and millions in prize money just vanish? We’ve got to watch closely to see if this new “commitment” truly supports the game or just consolidates it.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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