Sports Illustrated

Members of the LPGA Tour will play for a record $116 million in 33 official events during the 2024 season.

The season begins with the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions from Jan. 18-21 in Orlando and concludes with the CME Group Tour Championship from Nov. 21-24 in Naples.

Thomas Shea/USA TODAY Sports

We'll track the winners and total purses for each event here.

Jan. 18-21: Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, Lake Nona G. and C.C., Orlando, Florida, $1.5 million

Winner: Lydia Ko

Jan. 25-28: LPGA Drive On Championship, Bradenton Country Club, Bradenton, Florida, $1.75 million

Winner: Nelly Korda

Feb. 22-25: Honda LPGA Thailand, Siam C.C., Pattaya, Chonburi, Thailand, Purse: $1.7 million

Winner: TBD

Feb. 29-March 3: HSBC Women's World Championship, Sentosa G.C., Singapore, Purse: $1.8 million

Winner: TBD

March 7-10: Blue Bay LPGA, Jian Lake Blue Bay GC, Hainan Island, China, $2.2 million

Winner: TBD

March 21-24: Se Ri Pak LA Open, Palos Verdes Golf Club, Palos Verdes Estates, California, $2 million

Winner: TBD

March 28-31: Arizona Championship presented by JTBC, TBD, Phoenix, Arizona, $2 million

Winner: TBD

April 3-7: LPGA Match Play at Shadow Creek, Shadow Creek G.C., Las Vegas, Nevada, $2 million

Winner: TBD

April 18-21: The Chevron Championship, The Club at Carlton Woods, The Woodlands, Texas, $5.2 million

Winner: TBD

April 25-28: JM Eagle LA Championship presented by Plastpro, Wilshire C.C., Los Angeles, California, $3 million

Winner: TBD

May 9-12: Cognizant Founders Cup, Upper Montclair Country Club, Clifton, New Jersey, $3 million

Winner: TBD

May 16-19: Mizuho Americas Open, Liberty National Golf Club, Jersey City, New Jersey, $3 million

Winner: TBD

May 30-June 2: U.S. Women's Open, Lancaster Country Club, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, $11 million

Winner: TBD

June 7-9: ShopRite LPGA Classic presented by Acer, Seaview, A Dolce Hotel (Bay Course), Galloway, New Jersey, $1.75 million

Winner: TBD

June 13-16: Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give, Blythefield C.C., Grand Rapids, Michigan, $3 million

Winner: TBD

June 20-23: KPMG Women's PGA Championship, Sahalee Country Club, Sammamish, Washington, $10 million

Winner: TBD

June 27-30: Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational, Midland C.C., Midland, Michigan, $3 million

Winner: TBD

July 11-14: Amundi Evian Championship, Evian Resort G.C., Evian-les-Bains, France, $6.5 million

Winner: TBD

July 18-21: Dana Open for Children, Highland Meadows G.C., Sylvania, Ohio, $1.75 million

Winner: TBD

July 25-28: CPKC Women's Open, Earl Grey Golf Club, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, $2.6 million

Winner: TBD

Aug. 1-4: Portland Classic, Columbia Edgewater Country Club, Portland, Oregon, $1.75 million

Winner: TBD

Aug. 8-11: 2024 Paris Olympics, Le Golf National, Paris, France

Winner: TBD

Aug. 15-19: Women's Scottish Open, TBD, Scotland, $2 million

Winner: TBD

Aug. 22-25: AIG Women's Open, St. Andrews (Old Course), St. Andrews, Scotland, $9 million

Winner: TBD

Aug. 29-Sept. 1: FM Global Championship, TPC Boston, Norton, Massachusetts, $3.5 million

Winner: TBD

Sept. 13-15: Solheim Cup, Robert Trent Jones Golf Club, Gainesville, Virginia

Winning Team: TBD

Sept. 19-22: Kroger Queen City Championship presented by P&G, TBD, Cincinnati, Ohio, $2 million

Winner: TBD

Sept. 27-29: Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G, Pinnacle Country Club, Rogers, Arkansas, $3 million

Winner: TBD

Oct. 10-13: Buick LPGA Shanghai, Qizhong Garden Golf Club, Shanghai, China, $2.1 million

Winner: TBD

Oct. 17-20: BMW Ladies Championship, TBD, South Korea, $2.2 million

Winner: TBD

Oct. 24-27: Maybank Championship, Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, $3 million

Winner: TBD

Oct. 31-Nov. 3: TOTO Japan Classic, Seta Golf Course, Shiga, Japan, $2 million

Winner: TBD

Nov. 6-9: LOTTE Championship, Hoakalei Country Club in Ewa Beach, Oahu, Hawaii, $3 million

Winner: TBD

Nov. 14-17: The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican, Pelican G.C., Belleair, Florida, $3.25 million

Winner: TBD

Nov. 21-24: CME Group Tour Championship, Tiburon G.C., Naples, Florida, $11 million

Winner: TBD

The Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow broke a nearly month-long silence on social media to tweet four words about the AFC championship game on Sunday.

“Let the guys taunt.”

Let the guys taunt.

Burrow's comments refer to a somewhat controversial call in the third quarter of the Baltimore Ravens-Kansas City Chiefs game.

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson found wide receiver Zay Flowers for a 54-yard gain down the field, but after securing the catch, Flowers appeared to stand over and taunt his defender L’Jarius Sneed.

The Ravens were slapped with a 15-yard taunting penalty and were unable to capitalize on the drive, which ended with an unfortunate fumble-turned-touchback in the Chiefs’ end zone.

Burrow’s short and sweet message to the NFL officials seems curious for the obvious fact that Baltimore is his biggest rival. The Bengals and Chiefs have locked horns before as recently as last year’s AFC championship game, but the Ravens remain Cincinnati’s longtime division rivals.

Burrow, whose 2023 season was cut short due to a torn ligament in his wrist, likely doesn’t want to see either AFC team go on to win the Super Bowl. He, along with the rest of the NFL community, is no doubt still intrigued to see who will come out on top on Sunday.

Baltimore Ravens rookie Zay Flowers made a pair of significant mistakes during a critical drive in the third quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs during Sunday’s AFC championship tilt.

After coming up with a completion on the drive, Flowers proceeded to taunt Chiefs’ L’Jarius Sneed, resulting in a penalty against the Ravens. The team was able to overcome that setback, but when Lamar Jackson targeted Flowers again a few plays later, the rookie fumbled the football in the end zone, resulting in a costly turnover forced by none other than Sneed. 

Agree with the taunting call? pic.twitter.com/StcuPKSoEe

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, L'JARIUS SNEED!!! pic.twitter.com/rHw8hcuUgG

A report from the CBS broadcast indicated that Flowers then proceeded to suffer a laceration on his hand amid his frustrations on the bench. 

Needless to say, football fans weren’t pleased with what was a calamitous few minutes for the star rookie receiver, and they voiced their disappointment on social media.

Game Over. A taunting penalty by Flowers, followed by a fumble/touchback! Don’t get me started on the earlier penalties that led to KC scores. Now stupidity by Clowney w/ roughing the passer. Ravens will lose due to LACK OF DISCIPLINE/MATURITY….barring a miracle

Man, poor Zay Flowers. Has been the best non-Lamar player on the Ravens offense by miles, but two absolutely back-breaking plays on a must-have drive.

If the Ravens lose, one of the biggest factors will be shooting themselves in the foot with dumb penalties.

Knowing where the line is & not crossing it is an emotional maturity issue. Intentional hits to the head & taunting can’t happen.

You can’t give an inch if you are… https://t.co/5n4bayhjzx

Taunting.

Fumble at goal line.

Injure hand pouting after fumble.

That’s the knucklehead trifecta for Zay Flowers.

Zay Flowers makes a crazy play on L’Jarius Sneed for 50 yards and then flexes on him.

A couple players later, L’Jarius Sneed forces a fumble on Zay Flowers. Ultimate revenge.

Zay Flowers just had the best/worst possession I’ve seen from a wide out, 3 big catches, 1 stupid penalty & a fumble

Wild 10-min sequence for Zay Flowers:

54-yard reception
15-yard penalty for taunting
14-yard reception to make up for it
8-yard reception
Fumble at the goal line
Cuts hand in frustration on sideline

Tony Romo’s broadcasting career got off to such a hot start in his first few years on the job. But since then, fans have become more and more annoyed by the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and the things he says while calling big games on CBS. 

Those feelings continued during Sunday’s Chiefs-Ravens AFC championship game when Romo had fans sounding off over a very weird comment after Lamar Jackson fumbled the ball away in the the first half. 

Romo quickly blurted this out after the play: "In games like this, the ball matters more than any game."

Here’s how that played out: 

"In games like this, the ball matters more than any game."

- Tony Romo. https://t.co/mfzwC4ceJZ pic.twitter.com/wyfxiTUwiA

 NFL fans roasted Romo: 

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 what the hell man https://t.co/DOsL1GK2EY

He just has nothing. Idk what CBS can do if that’s all he has to say https://t.co/fjvev7OSXJ

Christ Almighty, Romo… 🤦🏻‍♀️😂 https://t.co/rogOEvfd9z

Tony Romo in mid-season babbling form. https://t.co/7EsqMpGC9W

It’s statements like this why watching the game on mute is the move when Romo is on the call of the game. I wonder when CBS will start regretting the 10 year deal they gave him. https://t.co/2Y0ugqfQ8B

Haha yesssssss Tony https://t.co/9lfvdZy7wy

“In games like this, the ball matters more than in any other games.” - Tony Romo after the Ravens turnover. pic.twitter.com/rL9fzlBryo

Tony Romo: “The ball matters more than in any game!” pic.twitter.com/Bc5wXfz2Rv

The smoke signals are faint, but indications are a long-discussed deal between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia is near, if not already completed.

The problem for now is the results of the deal are unlikely to be completely satisfying to all, at least not in the short term.

Sports Illustrated has learned that significant progress was made recently and—barring the usual approvals from both sides, a process that is seemingly never quick—a new version of the "framework agreement" is set to be unveiled.

Imago

Several plane-tracking services had the Aramco jet in New York last week at the same time the PGA Tour’s plane was there. Aramco is the Saudi oil company and the plane is one that Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the governor of the PIF, uses. The PGA Tour jet doesn’t go anywhere without commissioner Jay Monahan.

It seems unlikely they were there to chat about anything other than the conclusion or near-conclusion of the deal. According to a recent report, they had not met in person since the June 6 agreement was announced.

On Friday, Sportico reported that the Strategic Sports Group, which includes Fenway Sports and other high-profile sports owners, was set to begin investment in the PGA Tour as soon as this week. Months ago, the Tour announced it was in exclusive talks with SSG to form a relationship for private equity investment alongside the PIF.

The investment would be just shy of $3 billion and would be part of the new PGA Tour Enterprises, the separate entity outlined in the original framework agreement that would see a for-profit company under the PGA Tour banner while leaving the non-profit PGA Tour as it was constructed decades ago. It is unclear if the SSG deal will be announced first or in combination with a bigger agreement.

The PGA Tour has not commented.

That for-profit company was to see Al-Rumayyan serve as chairman of the board, with Monahan as CEO and a board comprised mostly of PGA Tour board members.

As part of the agreement, PIF would invest in this new company along with SSG, with the amount unclear. Apparently PIF would partner with the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and SSG to gain acceptance—as has long been viewed as its ultimate goal.

Such an arrangement—perhaps unveiled in parts—might also be by design as a way to appease the U.S. Department of Justice.

That is important in the short term because, as one source told Sports Illustrated, there is still the issue of "what to do with LIV."

The idea that LIV Golf could have been shuttered was a possibility, but also didn’t seem realistic given the enormous costs associated with getting to this point. But folding it into the new entity apparently is not easy, either.

Rory McIlroy has suggested that the game needs to be "global" and said perhaps the LIV Golf team format could be played at specific times of the year. Others have wondered if LIV events could be "co-sanctioned," if you will, to have them count as PGA Tour or DP World Tour events.

Bryson DeChambeau said he wants a way for the game to come together so all the players can play together again and said last week on a LIV Golf conference call that he expected a deal soon.

"I think the deal is going to come quicker than you think," he said. "It might not be the next couple of weeks. Maybe a month or so. But it’s going to happen. There’s no way around it now. This is about the good of the game for the fans. The health of the game for the fans.

"As time goes on, we’re starting to see these fans are hungry for us all to come back together. I can’t wait for that day to happen."

But as it stands, it doesn’t appear the players will be coming together outside of the major championships anytime soon. That was always likely to be the case for this year, and now it's possible that 2025 plays out the same way.

LIV Golf has been operating under that assumption since last summer. It has proceeded as though it will continue into next year, signing team sponsorships and working out deals with venues. Most of the LIV players contracts expire after the 2025 season.

All of which leads to far more questions than answers.

If the PGA Tour and LIV play separate schedules again next year, how does that achieve the goal of bringing the game together? Does LIV Golf continue to play without world ranking points? What does PGA Tour Enterprises look like? And what is SSG actually investing in? The Sportico story said “domestic rights," does that mean the PIF’s investment will be for international rights? Will the PIF event venture into sponsorship on the PGA Tour?

Meanwhile, both the PGA Tour and LIV Golf have big events this week, finally away from the NFL. The PGA Tour plays its second signature event with an 80-player field at Pebble Beach. Jon Rahm makes his LIV debut in Mexico where the first of a 14-tournament schedule begins.

South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley went viral after the team’s 76–70 win over LSU on Thursday because of how she responded to the opposing crowd’s “boos” against her.

A reporter was asking her about how unfriendly the LSU crowd was to her, but Staley didn’t see it that way.

“Actually they were [friendly], they were calling me boo,” Staley jokingly said.

To play into this now iconic quote more, Staley showed up to the team’s game vs. Vanderbilt on Sunday wearing a sweatshirt that said “Boo.” It was definitely a fun way for her to lean into the joke further than just her response on Thursday.

Dawn Staley rocking the “BOO” hoodie today🤣@WLTX | #Gamecocks pic.twitter.com/aNT66vqkrm

Thursday night’s matchup was full of intense emotions as the No. 1 Gamecocks came back to beat the No. 8 Tigers. South Carolina remained undefeated after the win, and it was clear that the LSU crowd was hoping to hand the Gamecocks their first loss of the season.

South Carolina won 91–74 on Sunday over Vanderbilt to remain undefeated.

NFL fans and media were dazzled by Lamar Jackson’s 13-yard pass to himself in the second quarter of the Baltimore Ravens’ AFC championship clash with the Kansas City Chiefs. 

Social media immediately filled up with references to Tony Romo’s gushing call of the play on the CBS telecast and comparisons to Marcus Mariota completing a pass to himself (against the Chiefs) in the 2017 NFL playoffs for the Tennessee Titans.

However, many people quickly made a joke referencing gripes from supermodel Gisele Bundchen about her then-husband Tom Brady after the New England Patriots lost Super Bowl XLVI to the New York Giants. 

“My husband cannot f—ing throw the ball and catch the ball at the same time,” Bundchen said, which was infamously caught on video.  

As many fans pointed out, Jackson did just that against the Chiefs. 

Gisele: "My husband cannot f---ing throw the ball and catch the ball."

Lamar: "Hold my beer."

Lamar Jackson confirmed better than Tom Brady pic.twitter.com/FiAS0h2NiF

Gisele: Tom can’t throw and catch the ball himself

Lamar:
pic.twitter.com/onGfQhCwdJ

Gisele-“My Husband cannot F*cking throw the ball and catch the ball at the same time.”

Lamar Jackson- “I ain’t ya husband” pic.twitter.com/UE5MdfCQEU

Gisele Bundchen was wrong … apparently a QB can throw it and catch it themselves 😂

Gisele: “My husband cannot throw the ball and catch the ball at the same time”

Lamar: pic.twitter.com/TX7mRrHBMv

Gisele might wanna be sitting down for this one
pic.twitter.com/rRSUJEaFVH

The Ravens trail the Chiefs at halftime, 17–7, in part because Jackson hasn’t been able to throw to receivers besides himself. He currently has 67 yards passing, completing 5 of 12 passes. Zay Flowers leads Baltimore with two receptions for 37 yards and a touchdown.

When it was announced that Joel Embiid would miss the Philadelphia 76ers' game against the Denver Nuggets on Saturday, there was no shortage of disappointment. It meant fans wouldn’t get another round of the Embiid vs. Nikola Jokić rivalry, but apparently, it also left Denver coach Michael Malone a bit baffled.

Embiid had played in Philadelphia’s previous six games, including one against the Nuggets, a victory in which he poured in 41 points with 10 assists and seven rebounds. When the news came out, Malone discussed the topic and stated his belief that the league would look into Embiid’s absence.

“I don’t know how you go from being active, available, to out. I’m sure the league will do their due diligence. Because that’s frowned upon.” Malone told reporters after the game. “And we’ve had situations this year where we’ve talked to the league, and they told us if a player goes from active to out, there’s going to be an investigation.”

Then, Malone proceeded to say he saw Embiid get hurt in the previous game.

“I’m sure that Joel—he hurt his knee in the Indiana game, I guess real. We watched the game … so I’m sure he’s hurt,” Malone also said.

It’s a confusing run of comments from the Nuggets coach, who said he felt there was a “letdown” from his team when the news of Embiid’s absence came just before tip-off.

It’ll be interesting to see if Malone’s belief that an investigation is coming pans out. Regardless, the Nuggets went on to win 111–105 behind a well-rounded offensive effort featuring four players scoring 18 or more points. Jokić led the way with 26 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists.