CME Group and LPGA Announce Two-Year Extension of CME Group Tour Championship with Increased $11 Million Purse and Record $4 Million First-Place Prize
- Second-place award will increase to $1 million
- Sponsorship extension through 2025 will continue to include Race to the CME Globe and charity tie-in for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
NAPLES, Fla., November 15, 2023 – The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) and CME Group, the world’s leading derivatives marketplace, today announced an extension of the CME Group Tour Championship and the season-long Race to the CME Globe through 2025. This two-year title sponsorship agreement will bring exciting new opportunities for women's golf starting in 2024, with an enhanced total purse of $11 million, including a record $4 million first-place prize, and $1 million for the runner-up. Additionally, as part of an enhanced purse distribution formula, for the first time ever, every competitor who qualifies for the 60-golfer field will be awarded at least $55,000, increasing recognition for all players.
"As a long-standing supporter of women in business and sports, CME Group is pleased to continue our partnership with the LPGA to further elevate women’s golf,” said CME Group Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Terry Duffy. “Beginning next year, the CME Group Tour Championship’s $11 million purse will be the highest on the LPGA Tour, and the $4 million first-place prize will be the largest single prize in women’s sports. Both of these developments will make our event even more exciting for the players and spectators, while bringing more parity to the game.
“Additionally, we look forward to continuing our support of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital through the CME Group Cares Challenge - Score 1 for St. Jude,” Duffy added.
“This partnership extension with CME Group is extremely important and underscores the growth and strength of the LPGA," said LPGA Commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan. "CME Group has been pushing the LPGA forward at every step of our evolution since 2011 and with this extension they are once again helping take the LPGA, women’s golf and women’s sports to unprecedented heights. We are grateful for Terry Duffy and CME Group’s continued commitment to advancing opportunities for girls and women, on and off the golf course. We are also inspired and proud of the company’s support of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital throughout the season and at the CME Group Tour Championship.”
The CME Group Tour Championship has been a season-ending highlight on the LPGA Tour since CME Group first sponsored it in 2011. Recent champions of the event include 19-time LPGA champion and two-time CME Group Tour Championship winner Lydia Ko; back-to-back victories from Jin Young Ko; and major champion Lexi Thompson.
The Race to the CME Globe has also been an integral part of the LPGA Tour calendar since 2014. In the season-long points competition, LPGA Members accumulate points in every Official LPGA Tournament to gain entry into the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship. The 2023 Race to the CME Globe competition began with the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions in Florida and concludes with the CME Group Tour Championship in Naples, Fla.
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