Record U.S. Women’s Open purse shows USGA, Ally’s devotion to women’s golf

Logan Whitton/USGA

The USGA partnered with Ally to serve as its presenting sponsor for the U.S. Women’s Open, but this relationship is much more than that.

If you have watched coverage of the U.S. Women’s Open this week, you cannot help but notice the Ally Financial logo on both the course and the broadcast.

That’s because the United States Golf Association (USGA) struck a deal with Ally to serve as the presenting sponsor of the U.S. Women’s Open in February. In doing so, the USGA and Ally established a record $12 million purse for this tournament, with $2.4 million going to the winner.

To put that in perspective, in 2015, when Lancaster Country Club last hosted this championship, the USGA awarded a $4.5 million purse. Champion In Gee Chun took home $800,000 that year.

But Ally has committed much more to the USGA than increased purse sizes. They long to make a true impact by ensuring that this championship visits the best courses in the country while providing additional resources to all involved.

“If we were going to invest in golf, it would be something that was big, long-term, and provided us an ownership position,” explained Stephanie Marciano, the Head of Sports & Entertainment Marketing at Ally, to Playing Through.

Jason E. Miczek/USGA
A detailed view of a tee marker for the 2024 U.S. Women’s Open.

“The ability to be the presenting partner of a major and the best in class major, and to be able to make sure that this investment helped elevate the purse, elevated resources, and allowed players to continue to play at the best courses, that mattered to us. Equity matters to us. So this partnership just made a lot of sense.”

Marciano, a point guard who captained the Yale basketball team, has committed herself and her company to growing women’s sports across many verticals. As such, she understands the current disparity between men’s and women’s professional athletes. Hence, the USGA and Ally strive for a 50-50 commitment across the board.

Yet, this week, Ally, one of the leading media partners for the USGA, will commit 70% of its advertising spending to the U.S. Women’s Open to compensate for that discrepancy. Their commitment also helps showcase the most significant event in women’s golf on NBC Sports, which will air 26 hours of live golf this week.

The other 30% will go towards ad dollars for the men’s U.S. Open, set to take place at Pinehurst No. 2 in two weeks.

Nevertheless, this only scratches the surface of this impressive relationship.

Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images
The 17th flag.

Women’s Community Golf Clinic

On Wednesday, May 29, the USGA, together with Ally, hosted a community event called “Golf with US” for young women in the area.

The clinic invited female athletes from local Central Pennsylvania universities who have excelled in other sports. But they had never touched a golf club before or had barely done so previously.

“Golf is a phenomenal sport, but it can be intimidating if you’ve never picked up a golf club before,” Marciano added.

“So if we can provide any opportunities for women who are interested in the sport and can give them access and help them step on a course, we want to be able to do that.”

This clinic provided professional instruction, as the women in attendance also learned the fundamentals of the game—a solid first step into golf.

Yet, these athletes will not go on to play professionally, and perhaps some will never break 100. But regardless of skill level, golf presents an infinite number of opportunities.

After all, the best place for a meeting is on the golf course.

“Think about the amount of business that gets done on a golf course,” Marciano added.

Jason E. Miczek/USGA
Left to right: USGA’s Katie Conway, Ally’s Stephanie Marciano, USGA’s Mary Kate Lynch, and Golf Association of Philadelphia’s Gina Grauer participate in a panel during the Community Clinic ahead of the 2024 U.S. Women’s Open.

“We want to put golf clubs in these athletes’ hands, hoping that golf will help advance their professional careers.”

Hopefully, these female athletes left Lancaster Country Club with increased confidence and a better understanding of the game. Maybe they will work on their games more, too. Regardless, the hope is that they will continue to play golf and establish better relationships because of it.

On Course and Digital Enhancements

Ally has devoted plenty of resources to the fans at this year’s U.S. Women’s Open to make it the best one yet.

“The fan experience is best in class,” Marciano added.

“Obviously, as an all-digital bank, it’s important to us to create and provide innovative digital experiences for fans. For the at-home fan, there will be a fantasy flip game, which we’re very excited about.”

Fantasy Flip

Thanks to Ally and the USGA, you can play fantasy golf this week at Lancaster Country Club.

In what is a very unique game, fans can build their own fantasy teams by opening “packs” in the USGA app. These “packs” draw similarities to baseball trading cards in that you receive three-player cards.

Ally Financial
Allisen Corpuz, the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open champion, on a ‘Fantasy Flip’ card.

Ahead of the championship, fans have the option of “flipping” one of their cards in for a different player, should they choose someone other than who they received. But once the tournament began, the “Fantasy Flip” locked in place, and fans must continue with their three players.

Then, fans will root for the players on their fantasy team, scoring points as they relate to their players’ scores.

Whoever scores the most points in this game will win incredible prizes, including two tickets to next year’s U.S. Women’s Open at Erin Hills in Wisconsin.

Ally Savings Bucket Challenge

Jason E. Miczek/USGA
Fans participate in the Ally Savings Bucket Challenge at the U.S. Women’s Open.

As a digital bank, Ally knows how to employ technology.

Look no further than the Ally Savings Bucket Challenge, available to all in attendance this week at the U.S. Women’s Open.

Fans will have an opportunity to hit putts in four separate hitting bays, but their shots quickly translate into a digital skeeball game, thus creating a unique and immersive experience. It also helps patrons better understand how to save their money.

Those who visit the Ally Savings Bucket Challenge will have an opportunity to win terrific USGA prizes, too.

Fortnite!?

For those fans who enjoy gaming, Ally and the USGA have teamed up to create an immersive golf-related experience within the Ally Arena in Fortnite.

SuperAwesome
This is not sponsored or endorsed by Epic Games Inc.

This is based on a concept known as “The Ultimate Golf Speed Run.”

Gamers can race through a challenging course scattered with golf-related obstacles. The experience will feature three unique courses and nine holes overall. Players will run through the course to try and get their fastest time, and if they do, they will see their names featured on a leaderboard.

This experience launched on May 30, and during the U.S. Women’s Open, top players can win cash prizes.

So, not only have Ally and the USGA created terrific on-site experiences, but they have included fans who are not attending via various digital platforms. That only helps lure fans in and grow the game of golf in more ways than one.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.