35-749: The Epson Tour , previously known as the LPGA Futures Tour , and known for sponsorship reasons between 2006 and 2010 as the Duramed Futures Tour and between 2012 and 2021 as the Symetra Tour , is the official developmental golf tour of the LPGA Tour . Tour membership is open to professional women golfers and to qualified amateurs. The Futures Tour was founded in Florida in 1981 as the "Tampa Bay Mini Tour". It officially became
70-737: A group in 2023 though six had already been inducted individually. The first LPGA tournament was the 1950 Tampa Women's Open , held at Palma Ceia Golf and Country Club in Tampa, Florida. Ironically, the winner was amateur Polly Riley , who beat the stellar field of professional founders. In 1956, the LPGA hosted its first tournament outside the United States at the Havana Open in Havana, Cuba. In 2001, Jane Blalock 's JBC Marketing established
105-461: Is an American organization for female golfers. The organization is headquartered at LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida , and is best known for running the LPGA Tour , a series of weekly golf tournaments for elite women professional golfers from around the world. Other "LPGAs" exist in other countries, each with a geographical designation in its name, but the U.S. organization
140-590: Is the first, largest, and most prestigious. The LPGA is also an organization for female club and teaching professionals. This is different from the PGA Tour , which runs the main professional tours in the U.S. and, since 1968, has been independent of the club and teaching professionals' organization, the Professional Golfers' Association of America (or PGA of America). The LPGA also administers an annual qualifying school similar to that conducted by
175-564: The Futures Golf Tour in 1983 and in 1999 become a national tour designated as the "official developmental tour" of the LPGA Tour (the U.S. -based professional women's golf tour). Grace Park , Marilyn Lovander and Audra Burks were the first players to receive automatic LPGA Tour exempt status by finishing one, two, and three on the Futures Golf Tour Money List. The minimum age for participation
210-583: The Women's Australian Open (also co-sanctioned with the ALPG Tour ). The other two co-sanctioned events—the BMW Ladies Championship ( LPGA of Korea Tour ) and Toto Japan Classic ( LPGA of Japan Tour )—are held during the tour's autumn swing to Asia. The LPGA's annual major championships are: Source: Since 2006 , the LPGA has played a season-ending championship tournament. Through
245-497: The 2004 Southern Conference Championship while at Furman University; Kristy McPherson , a three-time NCAA All-American First Team selection and two-time individual winner of the SEC Championship while at The University of South Carolina; and Briana Vega , who holds North Carolina State University's scoring records for 18-holes (68) and 54-holes (216). LPGA Tour The Ladies Professional Golf Association ( LPGA )
280-774: The 2008 season, it was known as the LPGA Playoffs at The ADT ; in 2009 and 2010 , it was known as the LPGA Tour Championship . In 2011 , the event became the CME Group Titleholders , held in November; since 2014, it has been known as the CME Group Tour Championship, and that name is used as of 2024 . From 2006 through 2008 the LPGA schedule was divided into two halves, with 15 players from each half qualifying for
315-540: The CME Globe champions include Lydia Ko (2014, 2015), Ariya Jutanugarn (2016, 2018) and Lexi Thompson (2017). In 2010, total official prize money on the LPGA Tour was $ 41.4 million, a decrease of over $ 6 million from 2009 . In 2010 there were 24 official tournaments, down from 28 in 2009 and 34 in 2008. Despite the loss in total tournaments, the number of tournaments hosted outside of the United States in 2010 stayed
350-630: The Championship based on their performance. Two wild-card selections were also included for a final field of 21 players. The winner of the LPGA Tour Championship, which features three days of "playoffs" plus the final championship round, earns $ 1 million. In 2009, the Tour Championship field was increased to 120 players, with entry open to all Tour members in the top 120 on the money list as of three weeks prior to
385-488: The Futures Tour from 1996 to 1999. The Big Break V: Hawaii , which aired in the spring of 2006, included six additional Futures Tour competitors: Dana Lacey , Ashley Prange , Kim Lewellen , Kristina Tucker , Becky Lucidi and Jeanne Cho . Prange won the competition; Cho was runner-up. The Big Break VI: Trump National , broadcast in the fall of 2006, included six more Futures Tour players: Rachel Bailey ,
SECTION 10
#1732787630761420-758: The Hall of Fame of Women's Golf in 1951, with four charter members: Patty Berg , Betty Jameson , Louise Suggs , and Babe Zaharias . After being inactive for several years, the Hall of Fame moved in 1967 to its first physical premises, in Augusta, Georgia , and was renamed the LPGA Tour Hall of Fame. In 1998 it merged into the World Golf Hall of Fame . The LPGA Tour presents several annual awards. Three are awarded in competitive contests, based on scoring over
455-526: The PGA Tour. Depending on a golfer's finish in the final qualifying tournament, she may receive full or partial playing privileges on the LPGA Tour. In addition to the main LPGA Tour, the LPGA also owns and operates the Epson Tour , formerly the Futures Tour, the official developmental tour of the LPGA. Top finishers at the end of each season on that tour receive playing privileges on the main LPGA Tour for
490-616: The U.S. and North America. Initially called the LPGA Women Who Play, the amateur organization was rebranded as the LPGA Amateur Golf Association. The LPGA Amateur Golf Association has member-operated chapters throughout North America and the Caribbean. As a United States–based tour, most of the LPGA Tour's events are held in the United States. In 1956, the LPGA hosted its first tournament outside
525-737: The United States at the Havana Open in Havana, Cuba . In 2020, fourteen tournaments are held outside of the United States, seven events in Asia, four in Europe, two events in Australia, and one in Canada. Five of the tournaments held outside North America are co-sanctioned with other professional tours. The Ladies European Tour co-sanctions the Women's British Open , The Evian Championship in France, and
560-566: The Women's Senior Golf Tour, now called the Legends Tour , for women professionals aged 45 and older. This is affiliated with the LPGA, but is not owned by the LPGA. Michael Whan , a former marketing executive in the sporting goods industry, became the eighth commissioner of the LPGA in October 2009, succeeding the ousted Carolyn Bivens . After a lawsuit filed by golfer Lana Lawless ,
595-473: The contestants on The Golf Channel 's The Big Break III: Ladies Only , which aired in the Spring of 2005, played on the Futures Tour, including Danielle Amiee , who ended up being the show's overall champion. The other players from the show that played on the Futures Tour were Jan Dowling , Valeria Ochoa , runner-up Pamela Crikelair , and LPGA veteran Cindy Miller . Show co-host Stephanie Sparks played on
630-450: The course of the year. American golfer Nancy Lopez , in 1978, is the only player to win all three awards in the same season. Lopez was also the Tour's top money earner that season. 1 The five players with three titles in 1988 were Juli Inkster , Rosie Jones , Betsy King , Nancy Lopez , and Ayako Okamoto . The table below shows the top-10 career money leaders on the LPGA Tour (from
665-419: The end of the season gain membership on the LPGA Tour for the next season, with those finishing in the top five positions gaining higher priority for entry into events than those finishing in positions six through ten. Finishers in positions sixth through ten still have the option to attend LPGA Qualifying School to try to improve their membership for the following season. Beginning in 2011, the promotion process
700-450: The field is determined by a season-long points race, the Race to the CME Globe. Points conferred to players on tour depend on whether the tournament is major or not, and placement. From 2014 to 2018, the top 72 players in the Race to the CME Globe competed in the CME Group Tour Championship, with the top 12 players mathematically eligible to win a $ 1 million bonus in 2017 and 2018. Past Race to
735-405: The first player living outside the United States to gain an LPGA tour card in 1968 . The non-U.S. contingent is now very large. The last time an American player topped the money list was in 2014 ( Stacy Lewis ), the last time an American led the tour in tournaments won was in 2020 ( Danielle Kang ), and from 2000 through 2009, non-Americans won 31 of 40 major championships. Particularly, one of
SECTION 20
#1732787630761770-489: The following season's LPGA Tour. Starting with the sixth-ranked player at the end of the season, ten additional Futures Tour players who are not already members of the LPGA, automatically advanced into the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament, bypassing the sectional qualifying tournament. Beginning in 2008 the process for promotion to the LPGA Tour was changed. The top ten leading money winners at
805-515: The following year. The LPGA is the oldest continuing women's professional sports organization in the United States. It succeeded the WPGA (Women's Professional Golf Association), which was founded in 1944 but stopped its limited tour after the 1948 season and officially ceased operations in December 1949. The WPGA had been founded by Ellen Griffin , Betty Hicks , and Hope Seignious . The LPGA
840-471: The individual winner of the 2002 Sunbelt Conference Championship at New Mexico State University; Bridget Dwyer , a member of the 2004 NCAA Women's Golf Championship winning team at UCLA; Ashley Gomes , the 2004 WAC Player of the Year and individual winner of the 2004 WAC Championship while at San Jose State University; Sarah Lynn Johnston , the 2004 Southern Conference Player of the Year and individual winner of
875-648: The notable trends seen in the early 21st century in the LPGA is the rise and dominance of Korean golfers. Se Ri Pak 's early success in the LPGA sparked the boom in Korean women golfers on the LPGA Tour. In 2009, there were 122 non-Americans from 27 countries on the tour, including 47 from South Korea, 14 from Sweden , 10 from Australia , eight from the United Kingdom (four from England , three from Scotland and one from Wales ), seven from Canada, five from Taiwan , and four from Japan . The LPGA established
910-604: The rules were changed in 2010 to allow transgender competitors. In 2013, trans woman Bobbi Lancaster faced local scorn for attempting to play in Arizona's Cactus Tour in hopes of getting a spot for the LPGA Qualifying Tournament . In 2018, the LPGA acquired an amateur golf association, the Executive Women's Golf Association (EWGA), and expanded its emphasis to include amateur golfers in
945-423: The same, as all four lost tournaments had been hosted in the United States. By 2016, the number of tournaments had risen to 33 with a record-high total prize money in excess of $ 63 million. In 2019, a new record was set with total prize money amounting to $ 70.5 million (a rise of over $ 5 million in one year). In its first four decades, the LPGA Tour was dominated by American players. Sandra Post of Canada became
980-521: The start of the tournament. The total purse was $ 1.5 million with $ 225,000 going to the winner. The CME Group Titleholders , which resurrects the name of a former LPGA major championship (the Titleholders Championship ), was first played in 2011. From 2011 to 2013, its field was made up of three qualifiers from each official tour event during the season, specifically the top three finishers not previously qualified. After 2014,
1015-693: The start of their rookie seasons) as of the 2024 season. Active players on the Tour are shown in bold . Ashley Prange Ashley Prange (born November 24, 1981) is a professional golfer and winner of the reality television program The Big Break V: Hawaii . Prange was born in Newport Beach, California . She graduated from the University of North Carolina in 2004 with a degree in Marketing and Advertising. She won three events and recorded 15 top-10 finishes during her career at UNC. She
1050-403: The tour was known as the "LPGA Futures Tour." In 2012, Symetra , a United States-based insurance provider, became the title sponsor of the tour and tour's name was changed to "Symetra Tour". In January 2022, the LPGA signed a five-year title sponsorship agreement with Epson America Inc. From 1999 through 2007 the top five leading money winners at the end of each season earned full membership in
1085-477: Was a 2003 NCAA All-America Honorable Mention and 2004 NCAA First-Team All-American . Prange won the Golf Channel 's The Big Break V: Hawaii in 2006. She won two Futures Tour events in 2006. In 2007, she became a non-exempt member of the LPGA Tour and competed that year on both the LPGA Tour and the Futures Tour. She failed to perform well enough to retain her LPGA Tour playing privileges and in 2008
Epson Tour - Misplaced Pages Continue
1120-486: Was back playing on the Futures Tour full-time. She last played the Futures Tour in 2011. Prange was an assistant coach at Stetson University from 2009 to 2011. In October 2011, Prange was hired as the coach of the women's golf team at Jacksonville University . After coaching the team for one year, she accepted an assistant coaching position at University of Central Florida . Prange credits her father Bob Prange, who has been her "main influence, backbone and rock," as
1155-547: Was changed slightly to allow the next 24 players, excluding current LPGA members, after the top ten qualifiers to automatic entry into Stage III of the LPGA Qualifying Tournament. Futures Tour graduates include LPGA tournament winners Laura Davies , Meaghan Francella , Hannah Green , Cristie Kerr , Christina Kim , Nelly Korda , Mo Martin , Lorena Ochoa , Grace Park , Inbee Park , Stacy Prammanasudh , Sherri Steinhauer , and Karrie Webb . Many of
1190-475: Was founded in 1950 at Rolling Hills Country Club in Wichita, Kansas . Its 13 founders were: Alice Bauer , Patty Berg , Bettye Danoff , Helen Dettweiler , Marlene Hagge , Helen Hicks , Opal Hill , Betty Jameson , Sally Sessions , Marilynn Smith , Shirley Spork , Louise Suggs , and Babe Zaharias . Patty Berg served as its first president. The founders were elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame as
1225-405: Was lowered to 17 prior to the 2006 season. On July 18, 2007, the LPGA officially announced that it had acquired the Futures Tour effective immediately, "bringing women's professional golf now under one umbrella." Previously the Futures Tour had operated as a licensee of the LPGA. Duramed , a pharmaceutical company, was the tour's title sponsor from 2006 through the end of the 2010 season. In 2011,
#760239