{"id":823146,"date":"2026-08-23T12:48:12","date_gmt":"2026-08-23T12:48:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/823146\/"},"modified":"2026-08-23T12:48:12","modified_gmt":"2026-08-23T12:48:12","slug":"for-women-golfers-life-on-the-fringes-of-lpga-tour-can-be-rough","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/823146\/","title":{"rendered":"For women golfers, life on the fringes of LPGA Tour can be rough"},"content":{"rendered":"

While steadily increasing purses<\/a> in recent years \u2014 now $132 million across 33 LPGA events in 2026, up from $73 million in 2021 \u2014 have eased some of the burden, money remains a reason why some players have no choice but to abandon the sport.<\/p>\n

More and more tournaments, including this week\u2019s FM Championship at TPC Boston in Norton, have begun offering amenities that relieve some of that financial stress. Concurrently, the LPGA is making an active effort to improve its athletes\u2019 quality of life. <\/p>\n

\u201cForever, golf has been a meritocracy,\u201d LPGA commissioner Craig Kessler said. \u201cBut I\u2019m proud of the efforts we put forward to take care of all of our athletes, regardless of where they finish on the leaderboard.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"LPGALPGA commissioner Craig Kessler is making changes, looking to improve playing conditions for the players on tour.Kate McShane\/Getty<\/p>\n

Yet the truth is that golf, especially at the highest level, is expensive. <\/p>\n

Every tournament comes with an entry fee, generally $200 for LPGA members. Caddies are required, and caddie fees can cost anywhere from $1,700 to $2,500 for the week \u2014 plus 8-10 percent of an athlete\u2019s winnings. <\/p>\n

The players often have to book their own flights, rental cars, and hotels across the country week after week, which is not only expensive, but stressful and often logistically challenging. Some players employ travel agents, which eases the mental burden, but adds another line item on the receipt. <\/p>\n

And if a player travels with family members, dietitians, trainers, mental coaches, swing coaches, or masseuses \u2014 as many do \u2014 those numbers go up exponentially. <\/p>\n

All together, its a few thousand dollars, paid out of pocket, before tee time. And even if players\u2019 pockets are lined with sponsor dollars, a missed cut means a net loss for the week.<\/p>\n

Westborough native Alexa Pano, who turned 22 on Thursday and is in her fourth year on Tour, has experienced both ends of the meritocracy.<\/p>\n

When she began her pro career at 17, she was young and naive enough to believe that, if she played good golf, the money would take care of itself. More often than not, it did.<\/p>\n

In her lone season on the Epson Tour, the LPGA\u2019s developmental and qualifying arm, Pano made all but two cuts and finished 13th on the money list with $76,195. But at some events, she earned less than $1,000 \u2014 not even enough to cover gas and a hotel for the week. <\/p>\n

After her debut pro season, Pano earned her LPGA card for the 2023 season, opening the door to bigger purses, more sponsorships, and a generally more comfortable career. But she knows it\u2019s not always that easy. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve heard girls say, \u2018If I don\u2019t play well this season, it\u2019s going to be my last, and I\u2019m going to have to get a job,\u2019 \u201d said Pano, who has made nine cuts in 15 starts, and sits 77th on the money list with $322,287 in winnings this year. \u201cIf you\u2019re not on the LPGA Tour, or if you\u2019re not making a ton of cuts, you\u2019re not making a super sustainable living.\u201d<\/p>\n

It took her some time to settle into the rhythm of the LPGA Tour, missing the cut in six of her first eight events. But once she found her groove, including her first win in August 2023<\/a>, bigger paydays began rolling in.<\/p>\n

Her list of sponsors includes the Patriots, FootJoy\/Titleist, Sage Software, Forvis Mazars, Bell Techlogix, and oneZero \u2014 a portfolio that gives her the freedom to focus on golf. <\/p>\n

\"FinancialFinancial company oneZero and IT services group Bell Techlogix are two of Alexa Pano’s sponsors, helping support the Westborough golfer on the LPGA Tour this year.Matt York\/AP Photo\/Matt York<\/p>\n

She also has the added support of her father, who was her caddie for her first few years on Tour and now handles all her flight and hotel bookings. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe tries to make it so that I\u2019m just focusing on the golf,\u201d she said. \u201cAll that [logistics] stuff can get really heavy.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the biggest challenges the LPGA faces in improving the game is the schedule. Golfers have long lamented the serpentine route<\/a> the Tour takes throughout the season, sending them back and forth across oceans week after week. It\u2019s not only expensive, but also a logistical nightmare. <\/p>\n

This year, even after Kessler made some tweaks, the Tour travels from TPC Boston to the Netherlands (for the Solheim Cup) to Arkansas to Hawaii. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s certainly a better way of routing the best professional golf athletes on the planet than that,\u201d Kessler said.<\/p>\n

He plans to have an optimized schedule in place by 2029, a goal he and the athletes agree would make everyone\u2019s lives easier. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe would be able to play more weeks, and we would be a little bit less tired at the end of the season,\u201d said Pano, who has secured her Tour card for 2027. \u201cAs someone who does like to play a lot of events throughout the year, not having it be logistically possible to keep playing sometimes is the hard part.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beyond the improvements the LPGA is making, individual tournament sponsors have bought in. Now, they are in a chess match to set themselves apart as the players\u2019 favorite stop on the Tour. <\/p>\n

The FM Championship is a frontrunner in that category \u2014 upping its purse for a third straight year to $4.4 million (up from $3.8 million in 2024), and offering every player complimentary hotel rooms, flight vouchers, cars for the week, and Uber gift cards.<\/p>\n

Golfers have access to a hospitality suite with massage chairs, and the tournament will serve dinner for athletes and their families on Thursday and Friday. And for players who miss the cut, FM will provide a $1,000 stipend to offset some of the upfront costs. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere is nothing more important to us,\u201d said Dave Johnson, FM\u2019s senior vice president and chief client experience officer, \u201cthan making this an experience that the players will come back to year after year.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"WorldWorld No. 1 Nelly Korda will lead the stacked field, which includes every top 10 player, when the FM Championship tees off Thursday at TPC Boston in Norton. Danielle Parhizkaran\/Globe Staff<\/p>\n

It\u2019s working. This week\u2019s tournament, which begins Thursday, will draw every golfer ranked in the top 10, including Korda. These perks, which are commonplace on the PGA Tour, are helping to elevate the LPGA Tour as the women\u2019s game grows. Viewership is higher, sponsors are wealthier, and more revenue is flowing in.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe more we can do to set the athletes up to perform both inside and outside of the ropes, the better the LPGA will be,\u201d Kessler said. \u201cAnd not only will the athletes be the beneficiaries, but our fans will too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Emma Healy can be reached at emma.healy@globe.com<\/a> or on X @ByEmmaHealy<\/a>.<\/p>\n