The Ladies European Tour is a professional golf tour for women which was founded in 1978. Most of the players on the tour are European, with members from more than 40 countries internationally. Despite its name, the tour also has tournaments in Africa, Asia, North America and Oceania.
22-606: The Amundi German Masters is a golf tournament on the Ladies European Tour . It was last played at Golf & Country Club Seddiner See near Berlin , Germany. The tournament was first played as the Ladies British Masters at Mottram Hall in the North West of England in 2000 and 2001. After a ten-year hiatus, it was re-established in 2012 at Buckinghamshire Golf Club near London , home to
44-806: A common set of majors , although the Women's British Open and The Evian Championship are currently recognised as majors by both organisations. The Ladies European Tour organises the Solheim Cup when in Europe and in 2011 , the Tour received a boost when the European side won for The Cup for the fourth time on home soil at Killeen Castle in Ireland . The success continued when Europe earned an historic first away victory at Colorado Golf Club , winning The Cup for
66-401: A mixture of Australian dollars, British pounds, euro, New Zealand dollars and U.S. dollars, so year on year changes in the total prize fund reflect exchange rate fluctuations as well as prize fund movements in constant currencies. Source: The Order of Merit is awarded to the leading money winner on the tour, though for some years in the past a points system was used. The Player's Player of
88-583: A three-day contest for professional female golfers, between teams of 12 top players from the United States and Europe. Entering the 2011 matches, the U.S. had won the three recent competitions, with Europe's last victory coming eight years earlier in 2003 in Sweden . After the first two days of team play, the competition was tied at 8-all. Europe went 7–5 in singles on Sunday and regained the Cup, 15–13. It
110-487: Is based at Buckinghamshire Golf Club near London in England. Like many British-based sports organisations it is a company limited by guarantee , a legal structure which enables it to focus on maximising returns to its members through prize money, rather than on making profits for investors. The tour is run by a board of directors and a Players' Council. The U.S.-based LPGA was founded in 1950, but women's professional golf
132-595: The LPGA Tour , with the stated aim of "increasing playing opportunities for female golfers in Europe". The board of directors of Ladies European Golf Venture Limited, which assumed control of the tour, includes high level representatives from the LPGA Tour, European Tour , and The R&A . The 2020 season is the first edition of the Race to Costa Del Sol. Unlike in men's golf, the European and American tours do not share
154-525: The 2011 European Solheim Cup Team. Members of the United States team must be current members of the LPGA Tour and be born in the United States. The European and United States teams are selected by different methods. Team Europe was selected by taking the top four players from the LET Solheim Cup standings, followed by the top four Ladies European Tour members on the Women's World Golf Rankings as if 29 August 2011, were not already qualified via
176-627: The European Tour must be current members of the Ladies European Tour and must be "a European national," defined by Solheim Cup rules as someone: Either : (i) born in a European country; and (ii) holds a current passport of that European country; Or : (i) has been naturalised as a citizen of a European country; (ii) has held a current passport of that European country for the immediately preceding four (4) consecutive years; (iii) has resided in that European country for
198-714: The Ladies European Tour’s headquarters. Held 16–18 August, it fell between the 2012 Summer Olympics and 2012 Summer Paralympics in London, 20 minutes away. The tournament was renamed the Ladies European Masters in 2013 to signify its importance on the LET schedule, with ISPS Handa remaining the title sponsor. 52°16′48″N 13°01′34″E / 52.28°N 13.026°E / 52.28; 13.026 Ladies European Tour The organization
220-723: The Ladies Open of Portugal was scheduled opposite the LPGA Championship. The 2016 schedule featured 21 events including the Olympic Golf Competition in Rio de Janeiro (the biennial Solheim Cup , held in odd-numbered years, is also an official LET event but will next be played in 2017 in Iowa). The total of events has been in steep decline since 2016; the peak was 28 in 2008. The two richest events by far are
242-493: The Solheim Cup standings, and four captain's selections. Qualifying points for Team Europe were awarded weekly to the top-10 finishers at official LET events. Team USA qualified by earning points for wins and for top-20 finishes on the LPGA Tour over a two-year period. Points were earned beginning with the 2009 Safeway Classic and concluding with the 2011 Women's British Open . Points were increased in 2011 and doubled in
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#1732798741055264-618: The Tour changed its name to European Ladies' Professional Golf Association Limited and again in July 2000 to Ladies European Tour Limited. In 2008 the tour relocated to offices at the Buckinghamshire Golf Club , which is just outside London. In 2010, the LET Access Series (LETAS) was launched as the official development tour. In January 2020, the Ladies European Tour entered into a joint venture arrangement with
286-901: The Year award is voted by the members of the Tour for the member they believe has contributed the most to the season on the Tour. The Rookie of the Year (known as the Bill Johnson Trophy from 1999 to 2003 and now the Ryder Cup Wales Rookie of the Year) is awarded to the leading first-year player on the Order of Merit rankings. 2011 Solheim Cup The 2011 Solheim Cup was the 12th Solheim Cup matches, held 23–25 September in Ireland at Killeen Castle in County Meath , northwest of Dublin . The biennial matches are
308-724: The fifth time in 2013 . A record 26 official money events were scheduled for the 2008 season, which also saw the introduction of a new team competition called the European Ladies Golf Cup . Also, for the first time in several years, the LET scheduled an event opposite one of the LPGA's majors, with the ABN AMRO Open held opposite the LPGA Championship . The schedule dropped to 23 official money events in 2009, but increased to 25 for 2010. In both years,
330-509: The first two seasons, the majority of tournaments were held over 36-holes; in 1981, that increased to 54-holes. Total prize money on the tour was planned to rise to £250,000 in 1981, from £80,000 in the inaugural season, but several tournaments and pro-ams were lost after sponsors withdrew. Carlsberg ended their sponsorship after the 1981 season, and despite initial optimism, the tour experienced further problems during its fourth season in 1982 as several more events were cancelled. The circuit
352-549: The four major tournaments. The ten players with the highest points were automatically selected for Team USA. Two additional players were selected by captain Rosie Jones before the start of the Matches. Age at the start of the 2011 Solheim Cup matches on 23 September 2011. Residence/Hometown according to official Solheim Cup designation. LET rankings as of 20 August 2011 Rolex rankings as of 29 August 2011 Juli Inkster
374-483: The immediately preceding four (4) consecutive years. A European country is a nation situated in the continent of Europe and is recognised as an independent state by the United Nations. Any player who holds dual nationality (of which one shall be the nationality of a European country) shall elect on joining the Ladies European Tour in each of 2010 and 2011 whether she wishes to be eligible for selection for
396-574: The two European Majors: The Evian Championship (historically the Evian Masters) and the Women's British Open . In 2016, 10 other events (in Australia, China, Morocco, England, Scotland, Germany, Abu Dhabi, Qatar, Japan and Dubai) had prize funds in excess of €450,000, with the remainder having prize funds of between €200,000 and €400,000. Total prize money from the 2016 events passed €14 million. Individual LET tournaments have purses fixed in
418-512: Was Europe's fourth win, all won on home soil. The Solheim Cup is a match play event, with each match worth one point. The format is as follows With a total of 28 points, 14 1 ⁄ 2 points are required to win the Cup, and 14 points are required for the defending champion to retain the Cup. All matches are played to a maximum of 18 holes. If the score is even after 18 holes, each team earns one-half-point. The European and United States teams have different eligibility criteria. Members of
440-503: Was a player and assistant captain, the first time in Solheim Cup history that an assistant captain was also a player. Age at the start of the 2011 Solheim Cup matches on 23 September 2011. Residence/Hometown according to official 2011 Solheim Cup designation. Rolex rankings as of 21 August 2011. Rolex ranking does not factor into US Team selection. Shown for comparison purposes only. Friday, 23 September 2011 Saturday, 24 September 2011 By winning her match Laura Davies became
462-707: Was left with just ten tournaments, from which few players could make a living, and the future of the WPGA was being questioned. In 1988 the tour members decided to form an independent company, the Women Professional Golfers' European Tour Limited. This new company moved away from the PGA's headquarters at The Belfry and set up its own headquarters at the Tytherington Club in Cheshire . In 1998
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#1732798741055484-399: Was slower to get established in Europe. In 1978 the Women's Professional Golfers' Association ( WPGA ) was formed as part of Professional Golfers' Association of Great Britain and Ireland. A tour was established the following year with Carlsberg as the main sponsor, supporting 12 36-hole tournaments, with several other tournaments including the Women's British Open on the schedule. For
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