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25-547: The Ladies Professional Golf Association ( LPGA ) 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

50-513: A $ 1 million bonus in 2017 and 2018. Past Race to 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,

75-457: A challenge with strategic mounding, sand bunkers, natural marsh areas, beautiful lakes and undulating greens. The Jones course has been rated as four and a half stars (out of five) on average by Golf Digest magazine readers. GolfLink.com users have rated the Champion course at four stars (out of five) overall. In its 2013 ranking of America's Top 50 Golf Courses for Women, Golf Digest ranked

100-734: 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

125-472: A new headquarters in the late 1980s, the City of Daytona Beach made an effort to attract them to this city. Daytona Beach renamed Eleventh Street to LPGA Boulevard and offered to build a new golf course for the LPGA on undeveloped land near the western border of the city. Consolidated Tomoka Land Company agreed to donate 650 acres of land to the city, and the result was LPGA International. The venue has hosted

150-743: 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 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

175-758: The Mercury Titleholders Championship from 1995 to 2000, Arch Wireless Championship in 2000, several editions of the Symetra Tour Championship , the LPGA Tour Final Qualifying Tournament, and the 2001 and 2007 NCAA Division I Women's Golf Championships . Rees Jones designed the Jones Course, which opened in 1994 and is a favorite of tour players. It offers traditional links style golf design, totaling 7,088 yards. It poses

200-634: The Women's British Open , The Evian Championship in France, and 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 ,

225-837: 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 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

250-593: The Champions Course seventh. Arthur Hills designed the Hills Course, which opened in 1998 and offers a design of 6,984 yards. The course features natural wetlands, narrow pine corridors, small greens and strategically placed water hazards. The Hills course is considered to be the more challenging of the two. The Hills course has been rated as four and a half stars (out of five) on average by Golf Digest magazine readers. GolfLink.com users have rated

275-758: 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

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300-487: The LPGA Tour was dominated by American players. Sandra Post of Canada became 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

325-749: The LPGA has played a season-ending championship tournament. Through 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

350-666: The LPGA schedule was divided into two halves, with 15 players from each half qualifying for 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

375-587: 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

400-612: The U.S. organization 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

425-814: 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 , 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

450-450: 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

475-510: 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

500-645: 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

525-417: The number of tournaments hosted outside of the United States in 2010 stayed 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,

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550-488: The season, specifically the top three finishers not previously qualified. After 2014, 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

575-493: The start of their rookie seasons) as of the 2024 season. Active players on the Tour are shown in bold . LPGA International In addition to the two Bermuda grass golf courses, the facility offers a driving range, practice putting green, and full-service restaurant. The complex is owned and operated by Fore Golf Partners. When the Ladies Professional Golf Association was looking for

600-489: The top 120 on the money list as of three weeks prior to 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

625-471: 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

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