For Allisen Corpuz, winning the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach didn’t just result in a significant payday for the second-year pro from Hawaii who took home $2 million, the richest prize ever for an LPGA major champion.
More importantly, it represented the increased investment and interest in the LPGA and women’s golf. The 2023 U.S. Women’s Open, the first at the famed California course, offered the highest purse in event history at $11 million, up from $10 million the prior year with $1.8 million to the winner.
“Winning the U.S. Women’s Open has been such a dream come true and has also given me many opportunities since then,” Corpuz said. “It’s been awesome to see the increased investment into women’s golf and it is life changing, to say the least. On top of the financial benefits, it’s been heartwarming to meet more fans and hear how they’ve developed a deeper appreciation for the women’s game.”
The growth of the women’s game and golf’s equality will continue to be highlighted this weekend at the inaugural Grant Thornton Invitational.
Taking place Dec. 8-10 in Florida at Tiburón Golf Club and The Ritz-Carlton Naples, the mixed-team tournament features 16 PGA TOUR and 16 LPGA Tour players in the first co-sanctioned event for both tours since the 1999 JCPenny Classic.
“Having a mixed event return to the PGA TOUR is a big deal and is a great demonstration of the inclusivity and equality we’re striving to improve in our sport every day,” said Cameron Champ, Corpuz’s teammate this weekend. “I think it will be pretty impactful for fans to see men and women competing together and should bring a new level of excitement to the end of the year.”
Boasting 11 major champions in the field—including all five major winners from the 2023 LPGA season—the competing pairs are:Madelene Sagström/Ludvig Åberg, Allisen Corpuz/Cameron Champ, Brooke Henderson/Corey Conners, Lilia Vu/Joel Dahmen, Lydia Ko/Jason Day, Céline Boutier/Harris English, Nelly Korda/Tony Finau, Lexi Thompson/Rickie Fowler, Leona Maguire/Lucas Glover, Mel Reid/Russell Henley, Cheyenne Knight/Tom Hoge, Andrea Lee/Billy Horschel, Megan Khang/Denny McCarthy, Charley Hull/Justin Rose, Ruoning Yin/Nick Taylor, and Rose Zhang/Sahith Theegala.
Contested over three rounds that will be broadcast on NBC and Golf Channel, the Grant Thornton Invitational consists of 18 holes of scramble, 18 holes of foursomes (alternate shot) and 18 holes of modified four-ball (better ball).
Players will compete for an equal shared purse of $4 million.
“The Grant Thornton Invitational builds on the sponsorship investments our firm has made in golf over the past five years,” said Allison Kelly, Senior Director of Sponsorship Marketing at Grant Thornton. “Now, we’re collaborating with the LPGA and PGA TOUR to create a groundbreaking event focused on gender parity. For the first time in almost 25 years, men and women have a golf competition offering an equal prize with equal visibility.
“More importantly, this tournament reflects how golf, sports and culture are converging today. This is a powerful moment in the growth of professional golf and an indication that the broader world is moving toward better equity for all.”
Not only is professional golf benefitting from recent increased interest and investment but youth and amateur golf are as well. Approximately one in seven Americans played golf in 2022, growing the sport’s overall participation base in the U.S. to 41.1 million, up from 32 million in 2016, according to the National Golf Foundation.
While golf’s popularity has been skyrocketing since the height of the COVID pandemic and thanks to increased access at golf-entertainment venues including Topgolf, Five Iron and Popstroke, it’s the youth leading the game’s renaissance and resurgence.
Last year, almost half (48 percent) of all golf participants (on- and off-course) were between the ages of six and 34, out-sizing their share of the United States’ six-plus population (41 percent), per the study. There were approximately 6.4 million women on-course golfers age six and over in 2022. Since 2019, there has been a net gain in women golfers of 800,000, a 14-percent increase. Women golfers also represent a disproportionately higher percentage of beginners (41 percent), juniors (37 percent) and off-course participants (41 percent) than they do in the overall golf population.
“I think the Grant Thornton Invitational will show the next generation how golf is truly everyone’s game,” said Champ, a three-time PGA TOUR winner. “We can all play together and we can all learn from each other. I hope seeing PGA TOUR and LPGA players competing in the same event will inspire the next generation to not only give golf a chance but also to make our sport more welcoming with opportunities for everyone regardless of gender.”
