The golfing season is in full swing. No pun intended. The LPGA Tour has kicked off and Bradenton Country Club beckons as the best female golfers in the world get ready for the second Tour event in the calendar this year. The Founders Cup 2025 presented by US Virgin Islands will take place in Florida from February 6th.
Rose Zhang will be looking to defend her title this year after claiming a comprehensive victory at the 2024 edition. But what is at stake for the likes of Nelly Korda, Lydia Ko, and others at the event? Let’s take a look!
Prize Money up for grabs at the Founders Cup
The total purse for the tournament is $2 million. The amount is reduced from the $3 million that was available last year. The winner’s payday also got reduced by 33%. Rose Zhang earned $450,000 for her 2-stroke victory over Madelene Sagstrom at the Cognizant-sponsored event last year. But if she repeats the feat this year, she will only get $300,000 a reduction of $150,000 from last year.
Position
Prize Money
1st
$300,000
2nd
$188,651
3rd
$136,853
4th
$105,866
5th
$85,211
6th
$69,718
7th
$58,356
8th
$51,127
9th
$45,961
10th
$41,831
11th
$38,731
12th
$36,149
13th
$33,877
14th
$31,812
15th
$29,952
16th
$28,300
17th
$26,855
18th
$25,615
19th
$24,582
20th
$23,755
21st
$22,930
22nd
$22,103
23rd
$21,278
24th
$20,450
25th
$19,728
26th
$19,005
27th
$18,281
28th
$17,558
29th
$16,836
30th
$16,216
31st
$15,596
32nd
$14,976
33rd
$14,356
34th
$13,736
35th
$13,221
36th
$12,704
37th
$12,189
38th
$11,671
39th
$11,154
40th
$10,741
41st
$10,329
42nd
$9,916
43rd
$9,502
44th
$9,089
45th
$8,779
46th
$8,469
47th
$8,159
48th
$7,849
49th
$7,539
50th
$7,229
51st
$7,024
52nd
$6,817
53rd
$6,609
54th
$6,404
55th
$6,197
56th
$5,990
57th
$5,784
58th
$5,577
59th
$5,372
60th
$5,164
61st
$5,062
62nd
$4,957
63rd
$4,854
64th
$4,752
65th
$4,647
From a field of 120 players that are set to tee off at Florida, the top 65 are guaranteed prize money. The tournament is a standard strokeplay event played over 72 holes with a cut after 36 holes. The cut after two rounds will see 65 players left standing.
Why has the Founders Cup purse reduced?
That has happened because Cognizant had dropped from Founders Cup as its chief sponsor. The IT consulting firm has been a sponsor of the event since 2021. Before 2021, the total purse was only $1.5 million, but since Cognizant took over as sponsor the purse doubled, becoming one of the biggest purses in the Tour outside of the majors.
May 31, 2024; Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA; Rose Zhang (USA) on the 18th green during the second round of the U.S. Women’s Open golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-USA TODAY Sports
The news regarding Cognizant came in October 2024. “We are very appreciative of our partnership with Cognizant and the support they gave to our athletes for the past three years,” LPGA stated Golfweek. With Cognizant dropping off, the LPGA Tour decided to move the tournament to the Bradenton Country Club, Florida from New Jersey. The dates have also been changed, with the tournament having been conducted in May last year.
The reduction in the prize pool does not take away the shine of the Cup. The Founders Cup, which was created in 2011 to honor the founders of the LPGA Tour, will be an exciting affair with lots at stake. 15-time LPGA Tour winner Nelly Korda will be at her home course for the event and could potentially add to her already impressive resume. Are you excited?
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