News
2011 LPGA schedule will have 24 events
The LPGA season will begin Feb. 17 at the Honda LPGA in Thailand and conclude Nov. 20 at the Titleholders at the Grand Cypress Golf Club in Orlando, according to the 2011 schedule released Thursday by the LPGA. The schedule has 24 official events, the Solheim Cup Sept. 23-25 in Ireland and the unofficial HSBC Brazil Cup May 28-29. There are eight full-field non-major tournaments held in the United States and 12 tournaments played abroad. The events outside the U.S. borders are in Thailand, Singapore, China, Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan, Japan, France, Scotland, Canada and two in Mexico. Sources say, however, that the Tres Marias Championship in Morelia, Mexico April 21-24 is still up in the air because of security concerns in the country torn apart by a drug war.
(Photo by Getty Images)
New events include the RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup March 18-20 at the Wildfire Golf Club at JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa. The 54-hole event will have a 132-player field and what the tour referred to in an e-mail to players as "a $1.3 million mock purse." Instead of winnings, the players share of prize money will go to charity. The tour told players it will provide a stipend to help with their caddie fees at that event and provide free rooms. Among the travel challenges will be a summer swing that goes from the Evian Masters in France to the Ricoh Women's British Open at Carnoustie, Scotland to the Imperial Springs LPGA in Guangzhou, China on consecutive weeks.
Between February and Novemeber, the schedule will have 15 off weeks, including one between the tournament in Taiwan and the event in Japan. In response to player pressure, the LPGA moved the end of the season to before Thanksgiving from the week after the holiday in 2010. The first major will be the Kraft Nabisco Championship March 31-April 3 followed by the Wegman's LPGA Champions in Rochester, N.Y., June 23-26, the U.S. Women's Open at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs and then the British Open July 28-31.
*-- Ron Sirak
Access the full 2011 schedule below:
__2011 LPGA SCHEDULE__
Honda PTT LPGA Thailand Feb. 17-20
HSBC Women's Champions (Singapore) Feb. 24-27
RR Donnelley Founders Cup March 17-20
Kia Classic (City of Industry, CA) March 24-27
Kraft Nabisco Championship March 31-April 3
Tres Marias (Mexico) April 21-24
Avnet LPGA Classic (Ala.) April 29-May 1
Sybase Match Play Championship May 19-22
HSBC Brazil Cup (Unofficial event) May 26-29
ShopRite LPGA Classic June 3-5
LPGA State Farm Classic June 9-12
LPGA Championship by Wegmans June 23-26
U.S. Women's Open July 7-10
Evian Masters July 21-24
Ricoh Women's British Open July 28-31
Imperial Springs (China) Aug. 4-7
Safeway Classic Aug. 19-21
CN Canadian Women's Open Aug. 25-28
Walmart NW Arkansas Championship Sept. 9-11
Navistar LPGA Classic Sept. 15-18
Solheim Cup Killeen Castle, Ireland Sept. 23-25
LPGA Hana Bank Championship (Korea) Oct. 6-9
Sime Darby LPGA Malayasia Oct. 14-16
LPGA Taiwan Championship Oct. 20-23
Mizuno Classic (Japan) Nov. 4-6
Lorena Ochoa Invitational (Mexico) Nov. 10-13
Titleholders (Orlando) Nov. 17-20