The push for equal purses in major golf faces a lot of friction
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The push for equal purses in major golf faces a lot of friction

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The USGA announced Tuesday it has increased the 2019 US Women's Open purse by $500,000 over last year, bumping the total to $5.5 million.

The increase keeps the US Women's Open in its traditional spot on the LPGA schedule, as both the most prestigious event and the one with the largest total purse. With the hike, the US Women's Open will, for the first time, offer $1 million to the champion.

In the grand scheme, that's a big deal. While the LPGA Tour's season-ending CME Group Tour Championship has increased its purse to $5 million and its first-place payout to $1.5 million, that change for 2019 is a result of combining the purse for the tournament and the bonus pool for the season-long Race to the CME Globe into a single event. Win the season finale, win the season-long race. But to win $1 million in one fell swoop at a major championship is a watershed moment.

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Ryan Ballengee

Ryan Ballengee is founder and editor of Golf News Net. He has been writing and broadcasting about golf for nearly 20 years. Ballengee lives in the Washington, D.C. area with his family. He is a scratch golfer...sometimes.

Ballengee can be reached by email at ryan[at]thegolfnewsnet.com

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