WTGL will pay $11 million in Season 1 prize money, matching women's majors

WTGL's first season will pay out $11 million in prize money, Front Office Sports reported Thursday, citing a league spokesperson. The women's indoor team league opens Sunday at SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., and the purse will be paid at the end of the season.

"The total purse will be $11 million and aligns with the major championships in women's golf," the spokesperson told FOS. "Individual player payouts will be tied to team finish and player participation. The breakdown of player payouts will be provided at a later date."

How it stacks up

Golfweek noted that $11 million sits above three of the five women's majors in 2026. Only the U.S. Women's Open ($12.5 million) and the KPMG Women's PGA ($13 million) pay more. FOS put the average women's major purse at about $10.72 million this year.

TGL, the men's league that uses the same SoFi Center simulator arena, paid $21 million in each of its first two seasons. Championship teams Atlanta Drive (Season 1) and Los Angeles Golf Club (Season 2) each took $9 million, nearly 43% of the pot, with last place still getting $1.5 million. A similar split for WTGL would put the inaugural champion near $4.7 million as a team. Players in both leagues also receive an undisclosed equity stake.

Who plays for it

WTGL fields 25 players across five teams of five. Three play each match. Teams play four regular-season matches from Nov. 8 through Dec. 15, then single-elimination semis Dec. 20-21 and a best-of-three final Dec. 22-23. Sunday's opener is Los Angeles Golf Club against New York Golf Club at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN. FOS reported L.A.'s first lineup as Michelle Wie West, Alison Lee and Gaby Lopez, and New York's as Rose Zhang, Linn Grant and Lydia Ko.

Why it matters for sim golfers

WTGL is the women's version of the same indoor team product TGL popularized: miked players, team strategy and a simulator screen in an arena. Putting Season 1 money next to women's majors is the league's clearest business statement before tip-off, and it sets a price tag for anyone watching how indoor golf pays on either side of the gender split.

What to watch

The player-by-player payout chart still has not been released. Sunday's L.A.-New York match is the first live look at how that $11 million season starts on air.