KLPGA Tour to raise record purse in 2026

The 2026 season of the Korean Ladies Professional Golf Association Tour will comprise 31 tournaments with total prize money of 34.7 billion won.

Announcing the schedule on Dec. 24, the KLPGA Tour office said the average purse per regular-season event in 2026 will reach 1.12 billion won, the highest level on record. While the number of tournaments will remain unchanged from this year at 31, total prize money will increase by 100 million won from this season’s 34.6 billion won. Each of the 31 tournaments scheduled for next year will offer at least 1 billion won in prize money. The KLPGA said this marks the first time that every event in a single season has carried a purse of 1 billion won or more.

The season opener will be staged in Thailand in March next year with total prize money of 1.2 billion won. The tournament name has not yet been finalized. The domestic season opener is scheduled for April and will be the The Siena Open, a tentative title, with a purse of 1 billion won.

Four tournaments will offer the largest purses on the 2026 schedule, each carrying total prize money of 1.5 billion won. They are the Celltrion Queens Masters in June, the 48th KLPGA Championship in August, the Hana Financial Group Championship in September, and the HiteJinro Championship in October. A KLPGA Tour official said the organization will continue its efforts to provide an optimal environment that allows players to compete and perform at their highest level.


김정훈 기자 hun@donga.com