Record purses available for jam-packed 2021 LPGA season
With 34 official events, including the return of every event that was postponed in 2020, and a record $76.45 million available in purses, the LPGA is looking forward to a promising upcoming season starting in January with the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.. The tour resumes with its first full-field event Feb. 25-28 with the…
The LPGA was as affected by the coronavirus pandemic as most sports
associations, but 2021 is looking promising for the tour.
With 34 official events, including the return of every event that waspostponed in 2020, and a record $76.45 million available in purses, the LPGAis looking forward to a promising upcoming season starting in January with theDiamond Resorts Tournament of Champions in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
The tour resumes with its first full-field event Feb. 25-28 with theGainbridge Championship at a new Florida location to be determined. Themonth-long break is because the Australian leg of the tour has been canceled.
“We can all agree that 2020, while certainly not the 70th anniversary yearthat we expected, was a year that we will never forget,” LPGA commissionerMike Whan said in a statement. “As we look back at the year, I am amazed athow our partnerships have actually grown during this trying time, and how theLPGA staff was able to return all three Tours to play in summer 2020.
“We actually added sponsorship sales in 2020 in the form of new title partnersand new marketing partners, and we proved that professional golf can be playedsafely for all involved. And our fans responded. Social engagement is up morethan 40 percent and TV viewership is up more than 30 percent over last year.”
There have been some tweaks to the schedule.
The Founders Cup will move from spring to fall and be played at Mountain RidgeCountry Club in West Caldwell, N.J., instead of Phoenix. Three events in Asiausually held in February and March — the HSBC Women’s World Championship inSingapore, the Honda LPGA Thailand and Blue Bay LPGA on Hainan Island in China– have shifted to late April and early May.
The ANA Inspiration returns to its spot as the first major of the season fromApril 1-4 at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, Calif.
A new match-play event will be added to the calendar for late May; detailswill be announced later.
The U.S. Women’s Open is scheduled for June 3-6 at The Olympic Club in SanFrancisco. The Evian Championship in France is July 22-25, while the AIGWomen’s Open is set for Carnoustie Golf Links in Scotland from Aug. 19-22.
An Asia swing in October and then two stops in Florida wrap up the season.
Golf will also be part of the 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo from Aug. 4-7.
–Field Level Media