Money boost for 2017 LPGA Tour

NASSAU: LPGA commissioner Mike Whan unveiled a 2017 tour schedule on Wednesday that features a US$4.35 million (RM19.14 million) prize money boost and more tournaments than the 2016 campaign.

There will be four new LPGA events but three others that will not return from this year for 34 tournaments in all plus the Solheim Cup US-Europe women’s team showdown with a record total purse of US$67.35 million.

In all, 11 of 30 returning events will raise prize money offerings, including four of the five women’s golf majors.

The US Women’s Open will jump from US$4.5 million to US$5 million next year, when it will be staged at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey — a layout owned by US President-elect Donald Trump.

“Our goal has been to consistently move the needle forward in providing increased financial opportunities for our members,” Whan said.

“We are excited to see these increases for 2017 and we look forward to continuing to grow overall prize money in future years.

“While we receive credit for being a global tour, we’re just as proud that we’ve added more events in North America since 2011 then we have abroad.”

The number of US events will fall, however, with events lost in Florida, San Francisco and Alabama and added in Indianapolis and Oneida, Wisconsin.

The Scottish Ladies Open, cosanctioned with the Ladies European Tour, and New Zealand Women’s Open, won by Kiwi teen star Lydia Ko three of the last four years, were also added to the LPGA lineup.

The New Zealand event begins a run of seven LPGA events in the Asia-Pacific region before the season-ending Tour Championship in Naples, Florida.

The Lorena Ochoa Invitational will become a match-play event starting next year with the world’s 64 top players competing in Mexico City. The event will also move from November to May.

Americans will seek to defend the Solheim Cup from Aug 18-20, 2017, at Des Moines Golf and Country Club in Iowa. AFP