CME Group and LPGA Sign Two-Year Extension of CME Group Tour Championship with Largest Single Prize in Women's Golf

Rhea-AI Summary

CME Group and the LPGA have extended their partnership through 2027, featuring an enhanced $11 million total purse for the CME Group Tour Championship. The 2024 winner will receive a historic $4 million prize, the largest single prize in women's golf history, with the runner-up earning $1 million.

The extension builds on CME Group's title sponsorship of the LPGA Tour's season-ending tournament, which began in 2011. The partnership includes the Race to the CME Globe, a season-long points competition where LPGA members compete for entry into the championship. CME Group also supports St. Jude Children's Research Hospital through their Score 1 campaign, having donated $580,000 in 2024 and over $4.5 million since 2018.

Positive

• Record-breaking $4 million first-place prize, highest in women's golf history
• Enhanced total tournament purse of $11 million
• Extended partnership commitment through 2027
• Significant charitable contribution with $4.5M donated to St. Jude since 2018

Negative

• None.

Insights

Financial Analyst

The extension of CME Group's sponsorship through 2027 represents a significant financial commitment to women's golf, with the $11 million total purse and record-breaking $4 million first-place prize positioning the tournament as a premier event in women's sports. This investment enhances CME's brand visibility in the growing women's golf market, which now includes over 7 million players.

The strategic value extends beyond prize money - the Financial Face-off event creates valuable networking opportunities with high-net-worth clients, while the St. Jude partnership ($4.5 million donated since 2018) demonstrates corporate social responsibility. For CME Group, this represents an effective way to build brand equity and client relationships while supporting the growth of women's professional sports.

Extended sponsorship through 2027 comes as LPGA concludes record-setting 2024 season

2024 CME Group Tour Championship winner to receive record $4 million prize

NAPLES, Fla., Nov. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) and CME Group, the world's leading derivatives marketplace, today announced an extension of the CME Group Tour Championship and the season-long Race to the CME Globe through 2027. Since assuming title sponsorship of the LPGA Tour's season-ending tournament in 2011, CME Group has consistently grown its support, becoming one of the world's most prominent sponsors of women's sports.

This title extension is yet another demonstration of CME Group's long-standing support for LPGA Tour athletes. The 2024 CME Group Tour Championship will feature an enhanced total purse of $11 million, including a historic $4 million first-place prize, the largest single prize in the history of women's golf. The runner-up will receive $1 million.

"CME Group is proud to build on our commitment to celebrating women's golf through the CME Group Tour Championship, which offers the largest single prize in the game and the highest prize purse on the LPGA Tour," said CME Group Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Terry Duffy. "We are pleased to extend our sponsorship and continue working with the LPGA and its talented athletes. For more than a decade, we have been able to help create an increasingly exciting experience for players and fans around the world, all while helping the sport grow to over 7 million women golfers. As enthusiasm for women's golf continues to grow, this partnership with the LPGA allows us to bring our brand to their increasing audience around the globe."

"Further extending our partnership with CME Group through 2027 marks a significant moment for the LPGA and our athletes," said LPGA Commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan. "CME Group's long-term vision and commitment have consistently propelled women's golf forward since they first partnered with the LPGA in 2011, and their continued investment in our players is a testament to their belief in the future of women's sports. The $4 million first-place prize is one of the largest single prizes across women's sports and highlights CME Group Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Terry Duffy's recognition of our athletes' incredible talents and the value this partnership brings to CME Group on multiple levels. We're also extremely proud to be a part of CME Group's life-changing support of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Our partnership with CME Group has been a game-changer for the LPGA, and we can't wait to continue to work together toward further growth and impact."

As part of its on-site footprint, CME Group will host its clients at the second annual Financial Face-off, a primary element of the week's pro-am experience. Today, 24 teams representing some of the world's leading companies will take to Tiburon Golf Club for 18 holes, playing alongside the LPGA Tour professionals from the CME Group Tour Championship field. The leading two teams at the end of the day will compete in the inaugural Financial Face-off Playoff for the win and an additional donation to St. Jude. This year, the finalists will be joined by two of the biggest names on the LPGA Tour – Nelly Korda, No. 1 in the Rolex Women's World Golf Rankings and the 2024 LPGA Tour Player of the year, and Lydia Ko, whose 2024 Olympic gold-medal performance earned her entrance into the LPGA Hall of Fame.

Since 2018, CME Group has been a proud supporter of St. Jude through the Score 1 for St. Jude campaign. For every hole in one carded during the LPGA Tour season, CME Group donates $20,000 to St. Jude in support of the lifesaving mission. Through last week's The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican, the next-to-last event of the LPGA Tour season, the campaign has donated $580,000 to St. Jude on the power of 29 holes-in-one. Since 2018, CME Group has donated more than $4.5 million in total to St. Jude.

Among the illustrious list of CME Group Tour Championship winners are Lydia Ko, the newest member of the LPGA Hall of Fame and a CME Group brand ambassador, and her fellow major champions Na Yeon Choi, Shanshan Feng, Ariya Jutanugarn, Cristie Kerr, Sei Young Kim, Jin Young Ko, Lexi Thompson and Amy Yang.

The Race to the CME Globe has also been an integral part of the LPGA Tour calendar since 2014. In the season-long points competition, LPGA Members accumulate points in every Official LPGA Tournament to gain entry into the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship. The 2024 Race to the CME Globe competition began with the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions in Florida and concludes with the CME Group Tour Championship in Naples, Fla.

About CME Group

As the world's leading derivatives marketplace, CME Group (www.cmegroup.com) enables clients to trade futures, options, cash and OTC markets, optimize portfolios, and analyze data – empowering market participants worldwide to efficiently manage risk and capture opportunities. CME Group exchanges offer the widest range of global benchmark products across all major asset classes based on interest rates, equity indexes, foreign exchange, energy, agricultural products and metals.  The company offers futures and options on futures trading through the CME Globex platform, fixed income trading via BrokerTec and foreign exchange trading on the EBS platform. In addition, it operates one of the world's leading central counterparty clearing providers, CME Clearing.

CME Group, the Globe logo, CME, Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Globex, and, E-mini are trademarks of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. CBOT and Chicago Board of Trade are trademarks of Board of Trade of the City of Chicago, Inc. NYMEX, New York Mercantile Exchange and ClearPort are trademarks of New York Mercantile Exchange, Inc. COMEX is a trademark of Commodity Exchange, Inc. BrokerTec and EBS are trademarks of BrokerTec Europe LTD and EBS Group LTD, respectively. The S&P 500 Index is a product of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC ("S&P DJI"). "S&P®", "S&P 500®", "SPY®", "SPX®", US 500 and The 500 are trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC; Dow Jones®, DJIA® and Dow Jones Industrial Average are service and/or trademarks of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. These trademarks have been licensed for use by Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. Futures contracts based on the S&P 500 Index are not sponsored, endorsed, marketed, or promoted by S&P DJI, and S&P DJI makes no representation regarding the advisability of investing in such products. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

About the LPGA

The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is the world's premier women's professional golf organization. Created in 1950 by 13 pioneering female Founders, the LPGA, whose members now represent more than 60 countries, is the longest-standing professional women's sports organization. Through the LPGA Tour, the Epson Tour, the LPGA Professionals, and a joint venture with the Ladies European Tour, the LPGA provides female professionals the opportunity to pursue their dreams in the game of golf at the highest level. In addition to its professional tours and teaching accreditation programs, the LPGA features a fully integrated Foundation, which provides best-in-class programming for female golfers through its junior golf programming, and its LPGA Amateurs division, which offers its members playing and learning opportunities around the world. LPGA aims to use its unique platform to inspire, transform and advance opportunities for girls and women, on and off the golf course.

Follow the LPGA online at www.LPGA.com and on its mobile apps. Join the social conversation on Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter), Instagram and YouTube.

About the LPGA Tour

The LPGA Tour is the world's leading competitive destination for the best female professional golfers in the world. The Tour hosts more than 30 annual events across 10 countries for over 200 Active Players, awarding total prize funds exceeding $125 million and reaching television audiences in more than 220 countries. Follow the LPGA Tour on its U.S. television home, Golf Channel.

CME-G

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SOURCE CME Group

FAQ

What is the prize money for winning the 2024 CME Group Tour Championship?

The winner of the 2024 CME Group Tour Championship will receive $4 million, the largest single prize in women's golf history.

How long has CME Group extended their LPGA Tour Championship sponsorship?

CME Group has extended their sponsorship of the LPGA Tour Championship through 2027.

What is the total purse for the 2024 CME Group Tour Championship?

The 2024 CME Group Tour Championship features a total purse of $11 million.

How much has CME Group donated to St. Jude through their Score 1 campaign?

CME Group has donated over $4.5 million to St. Jude since 2018, including $580,000 in 2024 through their Score 1 campaign.