DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 18, 2021) – The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) today announced that the inaugural Bank of Hope LPGA Match-Play Hosted by Shadow Creek will be held May 26-30, 2021. The tournament, which will feature 64 players competing head-to-head for a $1.5 million purse, will be conducted at Shadow Creek in Las Vegas, the exclusive golf course owned by MGM Resorts International and available only to guests of the company’s resorts.
Bank of Hope, based in Los Angeles, is one of the leading Asian-American banks in the United States and was previously associated with the LPGA Tour as title sponsor of the Bank of Hope Founders Cup from 2017 to 2019.
“We are extremely pleased to once again partner with the LPGA and inaugurate a highly anticipated LPGA match-play competition as title sponsor of the Bank of Hope LPGA Match-Play Hosted by Shadow Creek,” said Kevin S. Kim, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Bank of Hope. “This event combines the top female golfers with one of the most exclusive golf courses in the country in a unique match-play format. We look forward to working closely with the LPGA and Shadow Creek to create one of the Tour’s most exciting and successful events of 2021 and beyond.”
Shadow Creek, built in 1989 by renowned golf architect Tom Fazio, is considered one of the world’s top golfing destinations. In 2018, the course served as host for The Match: Tiger vs. Phil, which saw Phil Mickelson outlast Tiger Woods in a match that stretched to 22 holes. This past October, Shadow Creek hosted the PGA Tour’s CJ CUP, won by Jason Kokrak. While this is the first time the LPGA Tour will visit Shadow Creek, MGM Resorts has supported the women’s game for many years through its Golf Ambassador program, led by popular Tour players Natalie Gulbis, Danielle Kang, Cristie Kerr, Alison Lee, Anna Nordqvist and Michelle Wie West.
George Kliavkoff, president of Entertainment & Sports for MGM Resorts International, said, “Shadow Creek, one of golf’s premier courses, will be an ideal setting for the world’s best women golfers. The LPGA Tour’s match-play event in May provides us with another opportunity to demonstrate why MGM Resorts and Las Vegas are the leaders in the sports and entertainment industry.”
The 64-player field for the Bank of Hope LPGA Match-Play Hosted by Shadow Creek will be divided into 16 groups of four players, with three days of round-robin matches deciding the final 16-player bracket. From there, the tournament will proceed in single-elimination matches to determine the two players who will face off in Sunday’s Championship Match. Full qualification and tiebreaker information will be available in the coming weeks.
Ricki Lasky, LPGA’s Chief Tournament Business Officer, said, “We are beyond thrilled to add the Bank of Hope LPGA Match-Play Hosted by Shadow Creek to the LPGA family of competitions. Bank of Hope and MGM Resorts are two organizations that have proven to be great supporters of women’s sports and we are honored to have them as LPGA partners. We look forward to working with them to continue to create more opportunities for women both on the course and in the workplace. This will also be an incredibly exciting week for our players, who have long told us that they wanted to add a match-play competition to our schedule.”
The Bank of Hope LPGA Match-Play Hosted by Shadow Creek will be the the LPGA Tour’s first match-play event since the 2017 Lorena Ochoa Match Play, where Sei Young Kim earned a 1-up victory over Ariya Jutanugarn. Other official LPGA Tour match-play competitions include the 2010-2012 Sybase LPGA Match Play Championship and the 2005-2007 HSBC Women’s World Match Play Championship, as well as the 1950-1954 Women’s Western Open, then a major championship.
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