OPEN MINI PLAYERThe 2023 Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational is the only official team event on the 2022-2023 LPGA Tour schedule, with 70 teams of two players teaming up to take on Midland Country Club in Midland, Mich., in a tournament featuring two formats -- best ball and alternate shot -- played over four days.
When all the golf has been played, one team will stand above the others and win the trophy and a large check that they'll split right down the middle. Behind them, all of the top 33 teams and ties after two rounds will also cash a check this week.
However, splitting up the 2023 Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational prize money payout is different from every other tournament on the LPGA Tour. After all, how is the prize money to be split up equally among two-person teams?
Well, the LPGA Tour has thought of that and has a good system in place that rewards teams for their play and still pays them like individuals are paid most weeks on the LPGA Tour.
How is prize money split up at the 2023 Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational?
For the LPGA Tour's team event, the first-place payout is set by combining the amount of money that would be paid to a first-place player and a second-place player were this an individual event, then dividing it by two.
At most all LPGA Tour events, the winner gets 15 percent of the purse, and the runner-up gets 9.4 percent. In combining that prize money, the winning team each gets 12.2 percent of the purse or 24.4 total percent.
From then on down to the last-place team to make the cut, the prize money is combined from the next two places. So, the second-place team gets to split the combined third- and fourth-place money. The third-place team wins a split of the combined fifth- and sixth-place money.
When teams are tied, all of the money for those place is pooled together, evenly divided among the teams and then evenly divided again among the individuals.
For example, if there is a two-way tie for second place, the hypothetical individual prize money for third place through sixth place would be pooled together, divided in two to the two teams and then divided in two again for the players individually. Or, you could pool that money and just divide once by four to get the individual numbers.
