LPGA
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Image:LPGA logo.png The LPGA is an abbreviation for the Ladies Professional Golf Association, an American organization best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of weekly golf tournaments for elite female golfers from around the world which runs from February to November each year.
Other "LPGA's" exist in other countries, each with a geographical designation in its name, but the American organization is the largest and best known. The LPGA is also an organization for female club and teaching golf professionals. This is different from the position in U.S. men's professional golf, where the PGA Tour which runs the main men's professional tours in the U.S. is independent of the club and teaching professionals organsation, the PGA of America.
The LPGA was founded in 1950 by a group of thirteen women. It is now the oldest ongoing women's professional sports organization in the United States. Carolyn Bivens is the current LPGA Commissioner.
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LPGA Tour tournaments
Most of the LPGA Tour's events are held in the United States. In 2006 there are two tournaments in Mexico and one in Canada. Two events are co-sanctioned with the Ladies European Tour: the Women's British Open and the Evian Masters in France, held the preceding week. One late-season event is in South Korea, and is co-sanctioned with the LPGA of Korea Tour, and another is in Japan.
The LPGA's annual major championships are:
- Kraft Nabisco Championship
- McDonald's U.S. LPGA Championship Presented by Coca-Cola
- U.S. Women's Open
- Weetabix Women's British Open (held in cooperation with Ladies European Tour)
International presence
In its early decades the LPGA Tour was dominated by American players. Vivien Saunders of the United Kingdom became the first player living outside the United States to gain an LPGA tour card in 1969. The non-U.S. contingent is now very large, and generally has the upper hand on the course. The last time an American player topped the money list was in 1993, the last time an American led the tour in tournaments won was in 1996, and no American player has won a major other than the U.S. Women's Open since 2000. In 2006 the largest international contingents are 32 South Koreans, 14 Swedes, 11 Australians, 9 Britons (4 English, 4 Scottish, 1 Welsh), 6 Canadians and 4 Japanese. [1]
Other tours organised by the LPGA
Besides the main LPGA Tour, the LPGA operates a second-level developmental tour, the Futures Tour. Top finishers at the end of each season on that tour receive playing privileges on the main LPGA Tour for the following year.
The LPGA also administers an annual Qualifying School similar to that conducted by the PGA Tour. Depending on a golfer's finish in the Qualifying School tournament, she may receive playing privileges on the LPGA Tour, the Futures Tour, or neither tour.
In 2001 the LPGA established the Women's Senior Golf Tour for women aged 45 and above.
Points system
On June 7, 2005, then LPGA commissioner Ty Votaw, announced that the LPGA would have a playoff system beginning in 2006. The playoff system will be a points system in which the top 30 points scorers and two wild cards will compete for a $1 million first-place prize at the LPGA Playoffs at The ADT in Florida in November. Major winners will automatically qualify, as well as winners of other selected events.
2006 LPGA Tour
- The winner of Major Events will automatically qualify for LPGA Playoffs at The ADT. ADT Playoffs Points are doubled at Major Events.
- The top-20 finishers in Points Events will earn double ADT Playoffs Points.
- The champion of Winner Events will automatically qualify for LPGA Playoffs at The ADT. Other top-20 finishers earn single ADT Playoffs Points.
- The Global Group (pre-determined international events) events will be combined to count as one Winner Event qualifier, with the player earning the most combined points in these events earning automatic entry to LPGA Playoffs at The ADT. No additional points will be awarded.
- Unofficial Money Events do not count toward entry into the LPGA Playoffs at The ADT.
- The first half of the season concludes with the final full-field domestic event (Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic) prior to the Tour traveling to Europe.
- The second half concludes with final event (The Mitchell Company Tournament of Champions) prior to the LPGA Playoffs at The ADT.
The number in parentheses after winners' names show the player's total number of official money, individual event wins on the LPGA Tour including that event.
See also
- LPGA leading money winners
- Golfers with most LPGA Tour wins
- Golfers with most LPGA major championship wins
- Women's World Golf Rankings
- Professional golf tours
External links
- Official site
- myLPGA fan site
- Brief film clip Featuring Patty Berg, Babe Zaharias, and Shirley Englehorn. From the State Library & Archives of Florida.da:Ladies Professional Golf Association
ko:LPGA no:Ladies Professional Golf Association sv:Ladies Professional Golf Association