South Jeolla Province is emerging as a “sports hub” as it continues to host major international and professional sporting events. The photo shows Pine Beach Country Club in Haenam, the host site of the LPGA tournament. (Image courtesy of BS Group)
SEOUL, Nov. 20 (Korea Bizwire) — The world’s top women golfers will return next year to Haenam, a coastal town at South Korea’s southernmost tip, as the LPGA Tour unveiled its 2026 schedule with a record-setting prize pool.
The LPGA announced on Nov. 20 (Korea time) that the BMW Ladies Championship will once again be held at Pine Beach Golf Links in Haenam from Oct. 22 to 25. The seaside course will host the event for the second consecutive year. Total prize money will rise to $2.35 million, up $50,000 from this year.
The full 2026 LPGA calendar comprises 33 tournaments with a combined purse of $132 million — the largest in tour history and $1 million more than last year, despite two fewer events. Officials noted that prize levels may still change depending on future adjustments by individual tournaments.
Some notable shifts include the absence of the Hanwha Lifeplus International Crown, a team competition held every two years, and the removal of the Black Desert Championship, won by Korea’s Yoo Hae-ran this past May.
Kim Sei-young holds the trophy and poses after winning the LPGA Tour’s BMW Ladies Championship at Pine Beach Golf Links in Haenam, South Jeolla Province, on October 19. (Provided by the BMW Ladies Championship Organizing Committee.)
The season will open with the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions in Orlando from Jan. 30 to Feb. 2, featuring only tour winners from the previous two years. From there, the tour will embark on its Asia swing with stops in Thailand, Singapore, and China before returning to the United States for early spring play in California, Arizona, Nevada, and Texas.
The first major of the season, the Chevron Championship, carries an $8 million purse and will be held in Houston from April 24 to 27. The U.S. Women’s Open and the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship — each offering $12 million, the highest among women’s majors — will follow in June in California and Minnesota.
European tournaments will dominate mid-summer, including the Amundi Evian Championship in France and the AIG Women’s Open in England. After returning to the U.S. in August and September, the Solheim Cup — the biennial showdown between the U.S. and Europe — will take place in the Netherlands from Sept. 11 to 13.
Korea will reenter the spotlight in October during the Asian swing. Following the Buick LPGA Shanghai from Oct. 15 to 18, the BMW Ladies Championship will bring the tour back to Haenam, followed by events in Malaysia and Japan. The season will close in the United States with The Annika and the CME Group Tour Championship, the latter offering a $11 million purse.
Rounding out the year, the mixed-team Grant Thornton Invitational — pairing LPGA and PGA Tour players — will be held in Naples, Florida, from Dec. 12 to 14.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
