World’s best senior female golfers to compete July 10-12, 2017
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., April 12, 2017 – The LPGA Tour announced today the launch of entries and outlined the criteria for the inaugural Senior LPGA Championship, which will be contested July 10-12, 2017, at the Pete Dye Course at the French Lick Resort in Indiana.
A total of 81 professionals will compete at the 54-hole, no-cut event for a total purse of $600,000, with a first-place prize of $90,000. The LPGA Tour announced the championship in December 2016, along with a multi-year deal with Golf Channel for live television coverage.
“The Legends Tour players can’t wait to play for a title on one of Pete Dye’s signature courses, where we will be given the true test of golf,” 13-time LPGA Tour champion and seven-time Legends Tour winner Rosie Jones said. “I’m sure it will be a fantastic week showcasing LPGA players and current players on the Legends Tour.”
“I’m proud that the LPGA has taken the lead to host the Senior LPGA Championship,” added four-time LPGA Legends Tour winner and Canadian Golf Hall of Fame member Lorie Kane. “We’re heading into a new chapter for senior women’s golf.”
The Senior LPGA Championship is open to female professionals age 45 and older as of July 10, 2017, while members of the LPGA and/or World Golf Halls of Fame will be given first priority to fill the field.
Next priority will be given to winners of Legends Tour events in the previous three years, including this year, followed by winners of an official LPGA Tour event in the previous 10 years.
The rest of the field will be determined as follows:
- Top-five finishers and ties in the Senior Division at the previous year’s T&CP National Championship
- Top-10 finishers and ties in the Championship Division at the previous year’s T&CP National Championship
- Top-40 players on the current-year Legends Tour Performance Points List as of the commitment deadline
- Past winners of an LPGA major championship
- Two sponsor invites
- Top-two finishers in the local qualifying tournament held during tournament week
- Players ranked in the order of their position on the official LPGA Career Money List as of the commitment deadline
Follow the link to submit your entry to play in the Senior LPGA Championship:https://qs.lpga.com/senior-lpga-championship
The Legends Tour, the official senior tour of the LPGA, has a long relationship with French Lick Resort and the Pete Dye Course. From 2013-2016, the course hosted the Legends Championship, counting Trish Johnson (2016), Juli Inkster (2015), Laurie Rinker (2014) and Kane (2013) as its champions.
“I’m really excited to go back to French Lick this year and play in the Senior LPGA Championship,” four-time major champion and World Golf Hall of Fame member Laura Davies said. “It’s great the Legends Championship has been elevated to another level.”
Additionally, French Lick Resort will host a new Epson Tour event on the Donald Ross Course on July 7-9, the week prior to the Senior LPGA Championship. The Donald Ross Centennial Classic at French Lick Resort, a 54-hole tournament, will have a purse of $200,000 and a winner’s payout of $30,000.
The Senior LPGA Championship will host pro-ams on Friday, July 7, and Saturday, July 8, on the Pete Dye Course. For more information on playing in the pro-am with an LPGA legend, sponsorship, to volunteer or other information, contact seniorlpga@frenchlick.com.
There will be a qualifier held at the Pete Dye Course on Thursday, July 6, with the top two finishers gaining entry to the Senior LPGA Championship.
Follow the link to enter the qualifier: https://qs.lpga.com/senior-lpga-championship