NAPLES, Fla. — The LPGA released its 2026 schedule on Wednesday, the tour announcing it will hold 33 tournaments for a record $132 million in prize money payouts. Events will be played in 13 countries—including the Solheim Cup in the Netherlands—and 13 states, with the influence of Craig Kessler and his early work as commissioner to fuel more interest and energy in the tour is visible.
“I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve built, and even more excited about where we’re headed,” Kessler, who took over in July, said in a press release. “This schedule reflects the work we’ve put into elevating our courses, improving our routing, and continuing to grow purses. Coming off our 75th anniversary season, we wanted a calendar that gives our athletes great stages, better flow, and even more opportunity—and I think 2026 delivers that. We’ve made real progress, and we’re clear-eyed about where we can keep getting better in 2027 and beyond.”
While there were no surprises or changes that hadn’t been reported previously in some fashion, a few questions still remaining. Chief among them is Chevron Championship, the first major of the season set for April 23-26. After moving to Texas in 2024 following a 51-year-old run at Mission Hills in Palm Springs, Calif., the 2026 tournament was listed as still being in the Houston area but with a course TBD. Last week, Golfweek reported that the event would change venues, leaving The Club at Carlton Woods in The Woodlands, Texas, for Memorial Park, a municipal course in Houston that also host a PGA Tour event. The tour has not confirmed the course change with a source telling Golf Digest that negotiations are still ongoing.
Also reflected in the 2026 schedule is the LPGA’s new partnership with Golf Saudi in the form of the Aramco Championship at Shadow Creek, which has the fourth-highest purse (other than majors and the CME Group Tour Championship) at $4 million. It’s co-sanctioned with the Ladies European Tour and will be part of the LET’s five-event PIF Global Series. This replaces the T-Mobile Match Play event in Las Vegas and represents the LPGA’s first direct financial connection with Saudi’s Public Investment Fund.
Meanwhile, the FM Championship in Boston—which is played in August—now has the third-highest purse payout of the season (for a non-major, non-tour championship event) at $4.4 million. This comes after Tuesday’s announcement that FM, along with Golf Channel and Trackman, will help make concrete changes to LPGA telecasts in 2026 to improve the broadcast experience.
Every round of every LPGA event will be broadcast live, a first since the Golf Channel began broadcasting events in 1995. The plan includes having more cameras, more interviews, more content, all live events, drones, a partnership with Trackman and much more, which will improve the viewership experience.
The year begins once more with the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions in Florida before jumping to the first of two Asian swings. The tour then comes back to the U.S. for four events leading into the Chevron.
Speaking of the majors, the tour can boast at list of star-studded, historical courses in 2026. The U.S. Women’s Open is at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades in June, and the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship will be at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Minnesota. The Evian Championship will continue to be at the Evian Resort Golf Cluband the AIG Women’s Open will be at Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club in England as part of a summer European swing for the tour.
A few other notable tweaks to the scheduled: The Kroger Queen City Championship is moving to Maketewah Country Club, so it’s staying in the Cincinnati market but moving to a May event. The Fortinet Founders Cup (under new sponsorship) is being moved to Sharon Heights Golf & Country Club in Menlo Park, Ca. and will be held in March. And the Black Desert Championship is off the schedule after one year, with Black Desert Resort shifting from a title sponsor to a tour marketing partner.
2026 LPGA Tour Schedule
Jan. 29-Feb. 1: Hilton Grand Vacations TOC, Lake Nona G.&C.C., Orlando, $2.1 million
Feb. 19-22: Honda LPGA Thailand, Siam C.C., Pattaya, Thailand, $1.8 million
Feb. 26-March 1: HSBC Women’s World Championship, Sentosa Golf Club, Singapore, $3 million
March 5-8: Blue Bay LPGA, Jian Lake Blue Bay Golf Course, China, $2.6 million
March 19-22: Fortinet Founders Cup, Sharon Heights G.&C.C., Menlo Park, Calif., $3 million
March 26-29: Ford Championship, Whirlwind G.C., Phoenix, $2.25 million
April 2-5: Aramco Championship, Shadow Creek G.C., Las Vegas, $4 million
Apri 16-19: JM Eagle L.A. Championship, El Caballero C.C., Los Angeles, $3.75 million
April 23-26: The Chevron Championship, TBD, Houston, $8 million
April 30-May 3: Mexico Rivera Maya Open at Mayakoba, El Camaleon G.C. at Mayakoba, Mexico, $2.5 million
May 7-10: Mizuho Americas Open, Mountain Ridge C.C., est Caldwell, N.J., $3.25 million
May 14-17: Kroger Queen City Championship, Maketewah C.C., Cincinnati, Ohio, $2 million
May 29-31: ShopRite LPGA, Seaview Bay Course, Galloway, N.J., $2 million
June 4-7: U.S. Women’s Open, Riviera C.C., Pacific Palisades, Calif., $12 million
June 11-14: Dow Championship, Midland (Mich.) C.C., $3 million
June 18-21: Meijer LPGA Classic, Blythefield C.C., Belmont, Mich., $3.25 million
June 25-28: KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, Hazeltine National, Chaska, Minn., $12 million July 9-12: The Amundi Evian Championship, Evian Resort G.C., France, $8 million
July 23-26: ISPS HANDA Women’s Scottish Open, Dundonald Links, Galles, Scotland, $2 million
July 30-Aug. 2: AIG Women’s Open, Royal Lytham & St. Annes, England, $9.75 million
Aug. 13-16: The Standard Portland Classic, Columbia Edgewater C.C., Portland, Ore., $2 million
Aug. 20-23: CPKC Women’s Open, Royal Mayfair G.C., Edmonton, Canada, $2.75 million
Aug. 27-30: FM Championship, TPC Boston, Norton, Mass., $4.4 million
Sept. 11-13: Solheim Cup, Bernardus Golf, The Netherlands
Sept. 25-27: Walmart NW Arkansas Championship, Pinnacle C.C., Rogers, Ark., $3 million
Oct. 1-4: LOTTE Championship, Hoakalei C.C., Ewa Beach, Hawaii, $3 million
Oct. 15-18: Buick LPGA Shanghai, TBD, China, $3.2 million
Oct. 22-25: BMW Ladies Championship, Pine Beach Golf Links, South Korea, $2.35 million
Oct. 29-Nov. 1: Maybank Championship, Kuala Lumpur G. & C.C., Malaysia, $3 million
Nov. 5-8: Toto Japan Classic, Taiheiyo Club, Japan, $2.1 million
Nov. 12-15: The Annika, Pelican G.C., Bellaire, Fla., $3.25 million
Nov. 19-22: CME Group Tour Championship, Tiburon G.C., Naples, Fla., $11 million
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com