LPGA Targets Mid-July To Restart 2020 Season

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Category: Inside Golf

Published: 2020-05-04

DAYTONA BEACH, Florid — Given the continued impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic and in collaboration with its partners, the LPGA Tour is announcing updates to the remainder of its 2020 schedule in preparation for a safe and responsible return to competition.

The LPGA recently informed its athletes that it is currently targeting a restart of the 2020 LPGA Tour season in mid-July.

“One thing that has become clear is that there will be no ‘opening bell’ regarding a return to safe play in this new normal of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan. “To be honest, being ‘first’ has never been the goal when it comes to returning to play in this new normal. We have built a schedule that we think is as safe as possible given what we know about travel bans, testing availability, and delivering events that our sponsors and our athletes will be excited to attend. 

“While July seems like a long way away, we are certainly aware that restarting our season in Michigan, Ohio and New Jersey will require a continued improvement in the situation in each of those states.” 

The Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G in Rogers, Ark., originally scheduled for June 19-21, will now take place August 28-30. The Marathon Classic presented by Dana in Sylvania, Ohio, originally scheduled for July 9-12, will now be held July 23-26.

The PGA of America also announced that the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pa., originally scheduled for June 25-28, will move to October 8-11. For more information, please visit pga.com.

Additional changes have also been made to deliver a full LPGA Tour season for 2020. 

The Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give in Grand Rapids, Mich., previously postponed from its June date, has been rescheduled for October 1-4. The Pelican Women’s Championship presented by DEX Imaging in Belleair, Fla., which had been rescheduled to November, will shift one week later to November 19-22, and the Volunteers of America Classic in The Colony, Texas will move to December 3-6.

Finally, the CME Group Tour Championship in Naples, Fla., originally scheduled for November 19-22, will move to December 17-20 and will be the final event of the 2020 LPGA Tour season.

Due to the limited dates available for official full-field events on the LPGA calendar, the UL International Crown will not take place in 2020. Additionally, the Volvik Founders Cup, the LOTTE Championship, the HUGEL-AIR PREMIA LA Open and the LPGA MEDIHEAL Championship, which had previously been postponed, will return to the schedule for the 2021 season. 

The LPGA also announced increases to the purses of numerous 2020 tournaments, bringing the total available purse remaining for the year to more than $56 million, with players competing for an average of nearly $2.7 million per event.

“Many of our remaining events will feature higher purses in 2020 thanks in part to some of our sponsors, who could not reschedule their events, offering some of their prize funds to increase other purses,” said Whan. “In what has been a very challenging year for everyone, we are so thankful to our partners for their creativity, collaboration and dedication to helping our athletes get the most out of the playing opportunities they will have in this unprecedented season.”

Summary of LPGA Tour events affected in the latest schedule update:

• Marathon Classic presented by Dana will move to July 23-26 
• Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G will move to August 28-30
• UL International Crown, originally slated for the week of August 24, will not be played in 2020 so a full-field, official event can be held that week
• Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give will move to October 1-4
• KPMG Women’s PGA Championship will move to October 8-11
• Pelican Women’s Championship presented by DEX Imaging will move to November 19-22
• Volunteers of America Classic will move to December 3-6
• CME Group Tour Championship will move to December 17-20 and will be the final event of the 2020 LPGA Tour season

If necessary, further schedule adjustments will be shared when appropriate.

Below is a revised look at the LPGA Tour’s 2020 schedule, as of April 29: 

• LPGA
• Rotator