(Reuters) - The LPGA season kicks off on Thursday for a season that will comprise 34 events and distribute some $70 million (54.5 million pounds) in prize money, a record amount for the circuit although it is still barely one-fifth on offer on the PGA Tour.
The discrepancy roughly parallels the difference in television ratings in the United States between the tours, according to LPGA commissioner Mike Whan, with the women mainly shown on the smaller audience Golf Channel while the men's circuit is broadcast on free-to-air network television.