The AIG Women's Open has confirmed an increase to its prize money payout for 2024 and says this year's champion will earn a record figure as well.
In 2023, the total prize fund was $9 million, but that has been raised to $9.5 million with the Women's Open winner taking home a record $1,425,000 - the highest amount in the championship’s 48-year history and $100,000 up on what Lilia Vu took home following her success last summer.
The prize fund for the championship has more than doubled since before The R&A’s partnership with AIG began in 2019, sitting at $4.5 million as recently as 2020 before increasing to $5.8 million and $7.3 million in the subsequent years.
Martin Slumbers, outgoing CEO of The R&A, said: “With the outstanding backing we have received from AIG as our title sponsor, we have been able to achieve a step change and take this Championship to new levels.
"We greatly appreciate AIG’s support and are proud that they share our goal to elevate the AIG Women’s Open still further and ensure it remains at the pinnacle of the women’s game.
R&A CEO, Martin Slumbers
"The increased prize fund and our enhancements to the staging and the spectator experience this year reflect our shared commitment to making the AIG Women’s Open a world class championship for players and fans alike.”
Even with the increase, the AIG Women's Open remains third in the list of highest payouts among the five women's Majors. The US Women's Open is top with $12 million while the KPMG Women's PGA Championship is narrowly in second place on $10.4 million.
The Evian Championship offered a $8 million total prize fund earlier this year while the Chevron Championship paid out a total of $7.9 million.
This year's AIG Women's Open is taking place between Thursday, August 22 and Sunday, August 25 at St Andrews' Old Course in Scotland.
144 players will be in the field, with the likes of Lexi Thompson, Nelly Korda, and Charley Hull some of the leading names in contention. On the flip side, several big names will miss the AIG Women's Open, including Danielle Kang, Bianca Pagdanganan, and Laura Davies.
How the prize money compares between the men's and women's Opens
| Header Cell - Column 0 | The Open | AIG Women's Open |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 total prize pool | $17m | $9.5m |
| 2024 winner's check | $3.1m | $1.45m |
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