New format approved for first official team competition in LPGA Tour history
MIDLAND, Mich. (Dec. 10, 2018) – The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) and The Dow Chemical Company (Dow) have announced the official tournament format for the inaugural 2019 Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational, which will debut at Midland Country Club from July 15-20, 2019.
The world’s top female talent will make their way to Michigan’s Great Lakes Bay Region next summer to play a new 72-hole, stroke play format featuring 72 two-woman teams. Over four days, players will compete in alternating rounds of foursomes (alternate shot) and four-ball (best ball) competition for official money and Race to the CME Globe points. The Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational marks the first official full field team competition since the LPGA Tour began in 1950.
“We have seen the excitement a team format can bring with events such as the Solheim Cup and the UL International Crown,” said LPGA Tour star and Dow Ambassador Suzann Pettersen, who will serve as a vice captain for Team Europe for the second time at the 2019 Solheim Cup at Gleneagles in Scotland. “I’ve been fortunate to play on eight Solheim Cup teams and I’m thrilled the LPGA and Dow have created an Official LPGA Event that is truly unique and new for the sport.”
The starting field will consist of 72 teams (144 players). The top 70 players, based on the 2019 LPGA Priority List, will have the opportunity to choose their playing partner, who must have LPGA Tour playing status. The balance of the field will be determined by sponsor exemptions, who must play together. Players will compete for a $2 million purse, with the first-place team splitting $485,000. Each winner will receive the standard two-year winner’s exemption on the LPGA Priority List, as well as a one-year exemption into three major championships: ANA Inspiration, KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and The Evian Championship.
Official event rounds begin Wednesday, July 17, and continue through Saturday, July 20. The format will feature foursomes during the first and third rounds and four-ball during the second and fourth rounds. After 36 holes, the field will be a cut to the low 35 teams and any ties for 35th. In the event of a tie after 72 holes, the champions will be determined by a hole-by-hole playoff using the foursomes format.
“The team format is just as much for fans as it is for the players. When this event debuts next July, fans from the Great Lakes Bay Region and from around the globe will be invited to enjoy the fun, interactive energy created by blending competition with comradery,” said LPGA Tour Commissioner Mike Whan. “I’m really excited that the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational will be included in the 2019 LPGA schedule.”
Official tournament teams will begin to be revealed as early as March 2019 and partner selections will continue to roll out through the spring until the final field has been confirmed in July.
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