Five of the next 15 events played on the LPGA Tour schedule for 2023 are major championships. Springtime welcomes The Chevron Championship for the 41st edition as a major at a new course, The Club at Carlton Woods. The tournament will be featured on the Jack Nicklaus Signature Course in The Woodlands, Texas, for the first time following 40 years of history at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage.
Later this summer, from the end of June to the middle of August, the best players in the world will conquer four more major caliber courses in the span of seven weeks: Baltusrol Golf Club, Pebble Beach Golf Links, Evian Resort Golf Club, and Walton Health Golf Club.
Thanks to partners such as Chevron, KPMG, USGA, Evian, and AIG for investing in the growth of women’s golf, players will compete for the largest amount of major prize money ever, with at least $37.9 million being awarded. To compare, the prize money 20 years ago, in 2003, was $30 million less at only $7.9 million across four major championships.
1983 offered the first move for women to earn a million dollars in four major tournaments. Beginning in 2013, the fifth major was added, The Amundi Evian Championship, providing an opportunity for players to compete in France on the shores of Lake Geneva at the foot of the Alps.
More than $20 million has been added to the major prize money total in the last two years, a 96% increase for all majors since 2021. The five LPGA Tour major champions in 2023 will earn a total of more than $6 million, which is more than the total major prize money for any year before 2000.
Major Prize Money Growth | |
---|---|
LPGA Tour Last 40 Years | |
1983 | $1.05 million |
1993 | $3.3 million |
2003 | $7.9 million |
2013 | $13.5 million |
2023 | $37.9 million |
The best place for players to separate themselves from other competitors in majors are the par 5 championship holes on the golf course. Designed by Jack Nicklaus, the course features four par 5s at an average length of 525 yards per hole. They are located at holes 4, 8, 13 and 18. As players embrace the challenge of scoring on the longest holes, the beautiful woods surrounding the holes provides for a pure test of the game.
The last five Chevron winners are a combined 40-under par on the par 5s, which averages to -8 per winner when played at Mission Hills in California.
Last Five Winners Combined Score to Par | |
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The Chevron Championship at Mission Hills | |
Par 3 Holes | -8 |
Par 4 Holes | -24 |
Par 5 Holes | -40 |
Last season with the capture of advanced scoring data through the KPMG Performance Insights, the data showed that an average of two strokes were gained on the putting greens for major winners. Jennifer Kupcho’s monumental win at The Chevron Championship was partly due to her putting performance, averaging 1.60 putts per greens in regulation, the best in the field. She became the sixth player since 2008 to win a major while leading in putting average.
2022 Major Winners | ||
---|---|---|
Strokes Gained Putting | ||
Average | Rank | |
Jennifer Kupcho | 2.50 | 1st |
Minjee Lee | 2.47 | 2nd |
In Gee Chun | 1.01 | 20th |
Brooke Henderson | 2.38 | 2nd |
Ashleigh Buhai | 1.86 | 3rd |
Georgia Hall and Stacy Lewis are two favored players in the upcoming major. Hall has been the most consistent performer in 2023 without a win. She has finished in the top 15 in five consecutive starts, with two runner-up finishes. Hall is competing for her second major win which would give her three total victories on the LPGA Tour (2018 AIG Women’s Open, 2020 Cambia Portland Classic). Lewis is a hometown favorite. She grew up in The Woodlands and her Houston fanbase will be cheering for her as a Texas favorite.
At this year’s Chevron Championship, the course length measures 6,824 yards, similar to the length played at Mission Hills. Major championships tend to favor the long-ball hitters. In 2023, Bailey Tardy and Emily Kristine Pedersen are ranked as the top two performers in average driving distance. With so many variables in a major championship, this year’s title is up for grabs.