After the completion of the Chevron Championship, the LPGA Tour is now traveling to Wilshire Country Club to host its upcoming event, the JM Eagle LA Championship. The event will begin on April 25 and follow the usual format of a four-day tournament with a cut after 36 holes.
The JM Eagle LA Championship will be broadcasted on the Golf Channel and Peacock for the first two rounds, from 6:30–9:30 p.m. ET. However, the weekend rounds will be aired from 6:00–9:00 p.m. ET. Apart from this, the field will have 144 top-tier players, with Hannah Green returning as the defending champion.
According to a report, the field of the JM Eagle LA Championship also includes 17 out of the top 25 golfers in the world. But World No. 1, Nelly Korda, has already withdrawn from the tournament for a much-needed rest after her stellar five consecutive wins this season. Other golfers in the field include Rose Zhang, Danielle Kang, Jin Young Ko, and past champions like Moriya Jutanugarn (2018), Minjee Lee (2019), and Nasa Hataoka (2022).
There has also been an increase in this year’s prize money for the event which is proof that women’s golf is evolving for the better.
JM Eagle LA Championship Sees A Hike In Prize Money
The LPGA Tour has raised the tournament’s prize money to $3.75 million from last year’s $3 million. The event’s prize money was already doubled to $3 million from $1.5 million last year. The CEO of JM Eagle, Walter Wang, took this initiative as he believes that women’s golf deserves better. Reflecting on the same, he spoke in an interview.
“I thought, these ladies deserve more…I spoke to my wife and said, ‘Let’s do this. And if we’re going to do this, let’s do it right.’”
This step marks a revolutionary movement from the sponsors, highlighting the disparity between the PGA Tour and LPGA Tour purses. Tour veteran, Lizette Salas, has acknowledged the sponsors for this step, and believes that it’s time that the women golfers receive what they deserve. With events such as the US Open at Pebble Beach touching remarkable viewership records last year and prize purses of LPGA events being elevated, it is evident that the focus is now shifting toward the talent that thrives in women’s golf. Given the men’s golf scene has been chaotic for the past three years since the inception of LIV Golf, fans are tired of the drama and wish to watch the game for what it is: the best golfers coming together to play good golf.
