Hall of Famers, Major Champions to Compete in Televised Event October 15-17, 2018
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., June 5, 2018 – The LPGA announced today the launch of entries for the second-annual Senior LPGA Championship presented by Old National Bank, which will be contested October 15-17, 2018 at the Pete Dye Course at French Lick Resort in Indiana.
A field of 81 current and past LPGA stars will compete over 54 holes at the senior major championship for a total purse of $600,000. The event will be televised live on Golf Channel from 4-6 p.m. ET during the three competition days.
“It’s the LPGA’s goal to continue to honor the legends of the game by providing them this great stage in French Lick,” said LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan. “I saw first-hand last year how special this event is and I’m confident we will see growth in fans, viewership numbers and sponsors with each passing year.”
In 2017, Englishwomen Trish Johnson was the wire-to-wire winner of the inaugural Senior LPGA Championship with a first-place prize of $90,000.Michele Redman finished runner-up at the 2017 event, while World Golf Hall of Fame member Laura Davies tied for third alongside Helen Alfredsson and Wendy Doolan.
“To anyone who follows women’s golf, this event has very special meaning,” said Director of Golf at French Lick Resort Dave Harner. “The inaugural event last year showcased their very special talent, not only on, but off the course as well. This championship as well as the U.S. Senior Women’s Open has renewed the careers of these great women’s golf legends and we are proud to be a part of it.”
31-time LPGA winner and Team USA Solheim Cup captain Juli Inkster announced her intentions to compete this year after missing the inaugural event because she was broadcasting the 2017 U.S. Women’s Open on FOX.
“It's a great opportunity for the Legends Tour players to compete and play a first-class golf course,” said Inkster. “We all look forward to the event and can't wait until October. Dave Harner and his people do an amazing job setting up the tournament. I'm sure once again it will be a first-class tournament.”
Johnson and Inkster staged an epic six-hole playoff at the Pete Dye Course at French Lick Resort in 2016, before the event was elevated to major championship status. Johnson ultimately topped Inkster in the longest playoff in Legends Tour history.
“I am looking forward tremendously to defending my Senior LPGA Championship title,” Johnson said. “French Lick is without doubt one of my favorite courses. There is something extremely special about the place and the people, and the fact that the Riley Children’s Hospital kids get to benefit from the tournament always makes it that much extra special.”
The Championship is open to female professionals age 45 and older as of Monday, October 15, 2018.
Legends Tour event winners from the previous three calendar years and the 2018 season are exempt into the Senior LPGA Championship field, which includes Johnson, Inkster, Liselotte Neumann, Lorie Kane, Kris Tschetter and Laurie Rinker.
The full 2018 field will be determined as follows:
- Two sponsor invites as determined by the sponsor
- Top-two finishers in the local qualifying tournament
- Past winners of the Senior LPGA Championship
- Members of the LPGA and/or World Golf Halls of Fame
- Top 15 finishers and ties at the previous year’s (2017) Senior LPGA Championship
- Winners of the Senior Division at the 2016 and 2017 T&CP National Championships
- Winners of the U.S Women’s Senior Open in the previous three years (beginning with the 2018 U.S. Women’s Senior Open)
- Winners of Legends Tour events in the previous three calendar years (2015, 2016 and 2017) and during the current calendar year (2018) [inclusive of official and unofficial events with a minimum of 36 holes of tournament play completed]
- Top-40 players on the current-year Legends Tour Performance Points List as of the commitment deadline
- Top-five finishers and ties in the Senior Division at the 2017 T&CP National Championship
- Top-five finishers and ties in the Senior Division at the 2018 T&CP National Championship
- Top-10 finishers and ties in the Championship Division at the 2017 and 2018 T&CP National Championship
- Winners of an Official LPGA Tour event in the previous 10 years
- Past winners of an LPGA Major Championship
- The balance of the field will be filled by players, ranked in the order of their position on the official LPGA Career Money list as of the commitment deadline
Entries will close on September 14, 2018.
There will be a qualifier held at The Pete Dye Course on Thursday, October 11, with the top two finishers gaining entry to the Senior LPGA Championship.
Practice rounds will begin on October 10th. The tournament will again benefit Riley Children’s Foundation, which is connected to Riley Children’s Hospital, the premier children’s hospital in the region.
French Lick Resort is also host to the Donald Ross Classic at French Lick Resort, a Epson Tour tournament on July 12-14 on The Donald Ross Course. The Epson Tour’s 54-hole tournament will have a purse of $200,000. 2018 LPGA Tour rookie Erynne Lee won the inaugural event in 2017.
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