LPGA announces a 2027 schedule with higher purses and a better flow

The LPGA Tour released its 2027 schedule on Wednesday featuring 33 tournaments, a record $147 million in prize money and an itinerary that doesn't have players bouncing across the country.

LPGA Commissioner Craig Kessler has emphasized routing, quality of course and prize money, and ticked several of those boxes.

The three-week Asia swing in February — which ends with a new tournament in Hong Kong — leads to a two-week stretch in Hawaii on the Big Island and Maui.

The first stop is the new Nanea Cup with a $4 million purse for 95 players and 25 amateurs at five colleges competing in separate events held concurrently. Then it's over to Kapalua's Plantation course, the most recognizable course in Hawaii because it hosted the PGA Tour's season opener for 25 years.

Asia to Hawaii takes the LPGA Tour straight to the West Coast Swing — Phoenix, San Francisco and Los Angeles (a return to Wilshire Country Club) — before the first major of the year in Houston at The Chevron Championship.

“Our schedule impacts every stakeholder, but our athletes remain at the heart of how we build it. Our progress is evident in how our athletes and the entire LPGA ecosystem will move around the world next year, creating more opportunities to rest, recover and ultimately operate more efficiently,” Kessler said.

The Hawaii events are the same week as The Players Championship and Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill, and that wasn't an accident. The idea was for viewers to go from the PGA Tour events right into the LPGA in the evening hours.

The three majors that rotate courses take them to Inverness Club in northwestern Ohio for the U.S. Women's Open, Congressional Country Club for the KPMG Women's PGA and Royal St. George's for the AIG Women's British Open.

Royal St. George's, the first English links where the British Open was played, has held the men's Open 15 times dating to 1894. This will be the first time hosting the Women's Open.

The USGA chose to stage the U.S. Women's Open on June 3-6, the same week as the Jack Nicklaus-hosted Memorial Tour a little over two hours away in Dublin, Ohio.

Four tournaments are missing from 2026 — the Women's Scottish Open, LPGA Blue Bay in China, the Aramco Championship in Las Vegas and the Kroger Queen City Championship in Cincinnati.

Aramco is replaced by a Saudi Golf-funded tournament in the UK — the course has not been announced — that will precede the Women's British Open. Hong Kong replaces Blue Blay, the Nanea Cup is new and the Corning Classic — long a popular event with players — returns under the name, “The Classic.”

Also back is the Hanwha International Crown, held in non-Solheim Cup years and a team event based on countries. That will be at Lake Merced, a highly rated course in San Francisco.

Eighteen tournaments have at least a $3 million prize fund. That doesn't include the five majors, which have an average purse of $10.72 million. The LPGA said nearly 20 tournaments have enhanced perks such as hotels, flights or other transportation.

___

See AP’s full golf coverage here