US tennis star Coco Gauff continues to win off the court, with the 2025 French Open champion topping Sportico's list of the 15 Highest-Paid Female Athletes for the third consecutive year.
Fueled by $23 million in off-court endorsements, the $31 million earned by the 21-year-old world No. 3 WTA player edged out the $30 million total income that fellow tennis star and world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka garnered in 2025.
Unsurprisingly, a full 10 athletes on the Sportico Top 15 list are tennis stars, a direct result of the fact that all four Grand Slams and the Masters 1000 tournaments boast equal prize money between the men's and women's competitions — a shift that began with the 1973 US Open.
That established expectation of gender equity in prize money has tennis far outpacing salaries in most other women's sports.
Also making the Top 15 are two LPGA golfers — world No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul (No. 15 on the Highest-Paid Female Athletes list) and US star No. 2 Nelly Korda (No. 7) — as well as popular Olympic skiier Eileen Gu (No. 4), WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark (No. 6), and USA gymnastics legend Simone Biles (No. 11).
Notably, Gu, Clark, and Biles as well as Venus Williams (No. 14) all proved the power of endorsements on this year's list, with nearly all of the quartet's earnings coming from sponsorship deals.
Just before the final event of the 2025 Tour, the LPGA raised the stakes for pro women's golf, announcing this week that the governing body is expanding both player paydays and live broadcast coverage for the 2026 season.
For the first time in the sport's history, the LPGA's upcoming 76th Tour will see every round of every tournament broadcast live in the US.
The Tour will also add 50% more camera equipment — including slow-motion and drone cameras — than used in this year's tournaments, with most 2026 LPGA action airing live on the Golf Channel or CNBC.
"For us to finally get our shot at having live TV and for people investing in our product out here has been amazing," US star and world No. 2 Nelly Korda said on Wednesday. "I can't wait to see where it's going to go."
Even more, next season's total prize money will reach $132 million across the Tour's 33 tournaments, a record-high sum after five major events raised their purses by a cumulative $3 million.
There will also be more financial commitment across the board, with 12 events on the 2026 LPGA Tour featuring elevated purses and more than 15 guaranteeing a minimum payout for all players — even those who miss the cut.
"I'm incredibly proud of what we've built, and even more excited about where we're headed," said LPGA commissioner Craig Kessler. "Coming off our 75th anniversary season, we wanted a calendar that gives our athletes great stages, better flow, and even more opportunity — and I think 2026 delivers that."
LPGA season wraps with this week's 2025 CME Group Tour Championship
Though the LPGA is already planning for its 2026 campaign, the final event of the 2025 Tour kicked off on Thursday, as this year's top 60 points-getters teed off in the CME Group Tour Championship.
Featuring 28 of the 29 event champions this year as well as every world Top 25 player, the 2025 Tour's grand finale will see the sport's best battling for the lion's share of the $11 million purse in Naples, Florida.
Leading the field is the aforementioned US standout Korda as well as 2024 CME Group Tour champion and world No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul and New Zealand's two-time winner No. 5 Lydia Ko.
An impressive eight LPGA rookies also made the cut to enter the elite end-of-season tournament, including Japan's No. 3 Miyu Yamashita and England's No. 10 Lottie Woad.
How to watch the 2025 CME Group Tour Championship
The 2025 LPGA Tour will finish with Sunday's final round at the CME Group Tour Championship.
While ESPN+ will stream featured groups throughout the four-day tournament, the first three rounds will air live on the Golf Channel before Sunday's finale shifts to NBC and Peacock.
The LPGA is bringing star power to Florida this week, as a wealth of women's golf talent — and one basketball superstar — tee off at the 2025 edition of The ANNIKA.
Kicking off the event on Wednesday was the annual Pro-Am, with Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark headlining the field for the second straight year.
World No. 2 golfer Nelly Korda once again joined Clark through her first nine holes, as Fever teammates Sophie Cunningham and Lexie Hull served as guest caddies.
The four-day professional tournament will then tee off on Thursday, though current world No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul will not be in attendance for the second year in a row.
Korda, however, will lead the charge to both defend her 2024 title and secure her first win of the 2025 LPGA season — as well as add to her full trio of trophies collected at The ANNIKA.
Four other Top-10 players will look to upend Korda's back-to-back bid, including No. 3 Miyu Yamashita, No. 6 Charley Hull, No. 9 Mao Saigo, and No. 10 Lottie Woad.
With the 2025 CMA Group Tour Championship capping the LPGA season later this month, The ANNIKA will also see golfers on the bubble — like US stars Rose Zhang and 2023 champion Lilia Vu — try to snag enough points to make the end-of-year tournament's final 60-player cut.
How to watch The ANNIKA 2025 LPGA tournament
Coverage of the fifth edition of The ANNIKA continues through Sunday, airing live on the Golf Channel.
Forbes tapped the most powerful women in sports this week, ranking the Top 25 players, executives, and others pushing the needle in the ever-growing sports — and women's sports — sector.
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark is the highest-ranked athlete at No. 4, joined by Unrivaled co-founders Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart at No. 9, as well as tennis stars Serena Williams (No. 11) and Coco Gauff (No. 13), reigning WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson at No. 15, gymnastics titan Simone Biles at No. 18, and world No. 2 golfer Nelly Korda at No. 21.
Also making the 2025 Forbes Most Powerful Women in Sports roster are tennis legend Billie Jean King (No. 23), NCAA basketball coaching icon Dawn Staley (No. 20), and Las Vegas Aces sideline leader Becky Hammon (No. 22).
Women's sports multi-team owner Michele Kang came in at No. 5, with NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman (No. 7), New York Liberty owner Clara Wu Tsai (No. 10), US Soccer president Cindy Parlow Cone (No. 14), and more representing the off-field lineup.
According to the publication, the new annual list honors leaders "who are transforming one of the world's most influential industries, shaping strategy, driving innovation, and expanding the role of women across the sports economy."
Investments, influence, and growth drivers were all taken into consideration, with Forbes also dividing selectees into five categories: owners/investors, business executives, front office leaders, athletes, and amplifiers.
The LPGA is hitting the green in teams on Wednesday night, as some of the top golfers on Tour link up to represent their countries at the 2025 International Crown in South Korea.
This fifth edition of the match-play tournament will see seven teams from the USA, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Sweden, and China, as well as a mixed World Team taking on the reigning champion squad out of Thailand this week.
Comprised of the four top-ranked LPGA players from each nation, countries earn a team spot in the biennial International Crown based on the combined rankings of their best quartet of golfers — with those overall aggregates also determining tournament seeding.
The US topped all teams to snag this year's No. 1 seed, though the squad suffered a significant availability blow earlier this month when world No. 2 Nelly Korda withdrew from the 2025 International Crown due to injury.
No. 28 Yealimi Noh will compete in Korda's place, with the 24-year-old joining No. 10 Angel Yin, No. 16 Lauren Coughlin, and No. 33 Lilia Vu on Team USA.
Led by another 24-year-old, LPGA Tour debutant No. 6 Miyu Yamashita, No. 2 seed Japan appears to be the team to beat, with the World Team's fourth-ranked Lydia Ko (New Zeland) and fifth-ranked Charley Hull (England) upping the stakes for the No. 7 seed squad.
How to watch the 2025 International Crown
The four-day 2025 International Crown will tee off at 10 PM ET on Wednesday night, with live coverage of each day of competition airing on the Golf Channel.
Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark is hitting the links again, returning to The Annika Pro-Am to show off her golf game on the 2025 LPGA Tour following a WNBA season rife with injuries.
The annual event will take place at the Pelican Golf Club in Tampa on Wednesday, November 12th, and will be open to the public.
"I had an amazing time at The Annika last November and participating in the Pro-Am alongside Nelly Korda and Annika Sörenstam, two of the best in the game," Clark said in a Thursday press release.
One of Clark's sponsors, Gainbridge, also backs the annual competition, with The Annika serving as the penultimate stop in a parity-filled, up-and-down 2025 LPGA season.
"[Clark] added such a great dynamic to our event [last year], and her passion for golf and competitiveness were fun to witness firsthand," the tournament's namesake, retired Swedish golf pro Annika Sörenstam, said of the 23-year-old basketball star. "I look forward to having her back and continuing to introduce the great game of golf to the next generation."
How to buy tickets to The Annika Pro-Am
Fans can watch the WNBA star tee off at the 2025 edition of The Annika Pro-Am in Tampa on Wednesday, November 12th.
Tickets to the event are on sale now at TheAnnika.com.
English golf star Charley Hull won her first LPGA title since 2022 this weekend, with the world No. 5 overcoming multiple health issues to take the 2025 Kroger Queen City Championship just outside of Cincinnati, Ohio, on Sunday.
"I'm actually a bit injured at the minute," Hull said after edging out No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul by one stroke to lift the trophy. "I tore the ligament completely in half on my foot in a car park the week after the British Open."
"When I fell down, when I did my ankle, I got the MRI, and I've got some cysts growing [in my back] from where I tore the muscle, but I've got a very healthy spine," the 29-year-old continued. "It's just managing it and stuff. I think I've been slapped with every injury at the minute."
Sunday's win marks Hull's third career LPGA title, with her latest trophy joining her hardware from the 2022 Volunteers of America Classic and the 2016 CME Group Tour Championship.
"It feels good," said Hull following her Queen City Championship win. "I feel like now I know I can do it. It's been a bit of a drought. I've had quite a few second-place finishes, and it's just always been the bridesmaid, and now I'm the bride finally."
Notably, Hull's victory furthered a hyper-competitive 2025 LPGA season, as the sport's growing parity has produced a list of 25 tournament winners without a single repeat champion all year thus far.
The LPGA Tour is taking over New England, as the second iteration of the FM Championship tees off from Norton, Massachusetts, on Thursday.
The four-day tournament will feature 35 of the world's Top 40-ranked players, all shooting for a piece of the $4.1 million total purse — the 2025 LPGA Tour's largest non-major payday.
Big names in search of a bounce-back performance headline the field, led by former No. 1 Nelly Korda, with the now-No. 2 US star still in pursuit of her first win of the 2025 season.
"Some of my stats are maybe better than even last year — it's just crazy," Korda said last week, commenting on her recent struggles. "That's just golf. By this time last year, I had six wins under my belt and [now] my stats are better, and I have zero wins."
Newly minted No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul will also make an appearance, as will 2024 FM Championship winner No. 10 Haeran Ryu.
Rookie phenom Lottie Woad is also in the mix, with the No. 18 English golfer determined to reclaim her winnings ways and shake off a missed cut at last week's 2025 CPKC Women's Open.
How to watch LPGA stars at the FM Championship
The 2025 FM Championship tees off at 7 AM ET on Thursday, and coverage of the four-day competition will air daily at 3 PM ET on the Golf Channel.
An historic 2024 LPGA season minted US star Nelly Korda as the world's No. 1 golfer, but a 36th-place tie at last weekend's 2025 AIG Women's Open saw the 27-year-old slip into the No. 2 spot on Monday.
While the US standout logged an astounding seven wins on the 2024 Tour, she has yet to win a 2025 LPGA event, allowing Thailand's Jeeno Thitikul to overtake her and snag the top world ranking.
Though her run is over, Korda's 71 straight weeks at the top is still impressive, clocking in as the fifth-longest streak in rankings history and adding to her career cumulative total of 108 weeks at No. 1.
Still hunting a first 2025 trophy, the new No. 2 has claimed four Top-5 tournament performances so far this season, including a runner-up finish at the US Women's Open in June.
Even more, Korda is stacking up a career-best run by making the cut in all of her 13 events this season.
As for the new No. 1, Thitikul spent two weeks at the top in her 2022 rookie season before beginning her second rankings reign on Monday, buoyed by the Thai star's seven Top-5 finishes in 14 starts this season.
The 2025 Tour has seen the 22-year-old claim her fifth career LPGA trophy at the Americas Open in May, settle for second place after a playoff round at last month's Evian Championship, and finish as runner-up at the HSBC Women's World Championship in February.
Notably, the LPGA is in the midst of the most parity-fueled year on record, as each of the 21 events on the 2025 Tour so far has crowned a different winner, including five new rookie champions — the most overall title-winners to begin a season in the governing body's 75-year history.
British golfer Lottie Woad saw her star skyrocket on Sunday, as the 21-year-old phenom took the 2025 Scottish Open trophy — becoming the second player in three years to win in their professional LPGA debut in the process.
"I think it's quite hard to do that, but very special to win in my first event," Woad said after the win. "Everyone was chasing me today, and [I] managed to maintain the lead and played really nicely down the stretch and hit a lot of good shots."
The debut win places Woad alongside US star Rose Zhang, who opened her career by lifting the 2023 Mizuho Americas Open trophy at 20 years old.
After previously refusing purses to maintain NCAA eligibility, the rising Florida State senior's first pro payday totals $300,000 of the tournament's $2 million overall payout.
Woad made even more history along the way, as her 21-under-par performance tied 2022 Scottish Open champion Ayaka Furue's all-time record score at the tournament.
Second-place finisher Hyo Joo Kim — the world No. 8 South Korean star — capped her weekend performance a full three strokes behind Woad, who rose 38 spots to sit at No. 24 in the world rankings with her stunning victory.
Ultimately, with each of the 2025 LPGA Tour's 19 tournaments thus far claiming a different winner — the longest stretch of parity in the organization's 75-year history — the former world No. 1 amateur is arguably minting herself as this season's breakout star.