When the LPGA Tour was created in 1950 through thirteen brave women who were smart enough to play proly, there was no style to outline how to create a professional sport. . .
When the LPGA Tour was created in 1950 through thirteen brave women who were smart enough to play proly, there was no plan on how to create a professional sports tour for women.
They have done it all themselves, from writing their own press releases to organizing the courses before tournaments and traveling in caravans to make sure their dream comes true.
Not everyone could accept women into the game in 1950, which is why early LPGA Tour golfers even created signals to communicate with each other and keep them safe at events.
Now, 74 years later, the tour has popular fan appeal and will make a stop in Gilbert for the first time in LPGA history. LPGA Commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan was present at the opening on Feb. 13 and expressed hope that women’s soccer will continue. thrive now and in the future.
“Arizona is the birthplace of golf in many ways. And we know that other people in this network love golf and the opportunity for them to see the most productive people in the world is important. “said Marcoux Samaan. “
The box will be made up of 144 golfers, who will compete for a purse of 2 million dollars from March 28 to 31 at Sevilla Golf
It is the first time for professional golf in Seville, opened in 2000, and will be one of six new courses on the LPGA Tour this season.
The Ford Championship is the seventh event avoided on this year’s tour, which boasts a record prize pool of approximately $118 million, a $10 million cumulative over last season’s total.
Marcoux Samaan called the Ford Championship “a moment for women’s golf (and) for women’s sport. “
Marcoux Samaan, who has led the LPGA Tour since May 2021, was thrilled to bring the excursion back to the Valley, a golf-loving community, wonderful courses and the best weather.
Current LPGA Tour golfers Mina Harigae and Alena Sharp, citizens of the valley, also participated in the announcement and will compete in the championship in March.
Sharp, who has represented Canada twice at the Olympics, won a sponsorship exemption for the Ford Championship and revealed she was “overwhelmed with joy” when she heard the news. She is a member of Sevilla Golf.
He considers Seville “one of the fields of Arizona” because of the quality of the vegetables and the dish as a whole.
Harigae shared the same enthusiasm for the valley leg of the tour, joking that it would be wonderful to sleep in his own bed during the tournament.
Young local golfers were honorary attendees at the press conference, showcasing the LPGA Tour’s project to create a fairer and more sustainable environment for the next generation of women’s golf and for the women’s game as a whole.
Marcoux Samaan said it felt “warm and special” meeting the women in Seville, which reminded him of the LPGA’s mission.
“The LPGA’s project is to be the world leader in women’s professional golf,” said Marcoux Samaan. “But the spur of the moment component has to do with our platform to uplift, empower and promote opportunities for women and women. “
Golf was a vital thing for Harigae as she grew up as one of two women in her network interested in the game, which is why she enjoyed seeing so many young women interested in golf.
Harigae hopes that as the next generation of skills joins the circuit, there will be more young, long-term golfers who will have the opportunity to showcase their skills in front of developing crowds.
When Sharp joined the LPGA in 2005, he taught how to leave the journey better than he found it for the next generation, and he intends to continue that tradition.
Sharp, 42, hopes the LPGA will continue to raise the bar for its cause at each and every tournament, leading to greater domestic and foreign popularity for the deal and for women’s golf as a whole.
That first LPGA Tour more than 70 years ago included 15 tournaments across the country, with Babe Zaharias on 8 occasions and taking home a record $14,800.
The tour made its first appearance in Arizona in 1953 for the Phoenix Weathervane at Arizona Country Club, where Patty Berg and Louise Suggs shared first place. The four-occasion special occasion excursion component within the excursion at the Cross Country 11 Hole Weathervane. , which also had opportunities in Boca Raton, Florida; Philadelphia and San Francisco.
Since then, Arizona has hosted LPGA events across the state, with the most recent excursion stop coming last year at the 2023 Drive On Championship at Superstition Mountain Golf and Country Club.
Since 1980, there have been only a few years when the LPGA hasn’t hosted an event in the Phoenix area, and the Valley was the site of the Founders Cup, which revered the original members of the LPGA Tour, from 2011 to 2011. 2020. The event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the tournament moved to New Jersey in 2021.
As women’s football continues to gain popularity internationally, the LPGA continues to be at the forefront of change.
There is still work to be done, according to Marcoux Samaan, but he believes we are getting closer to parity with men’s football. One of the next steps in achieving this goal is to allow fans to connect more with golfers on the course and seriously. life.
“I would like more people to know about our athletes and for more people to see the price of what we do,” Marcoux Samaan said. “I think it’s going to take us to the next level. “
Jesse Brawders hopes to graduate from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication in May 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in sports journalism and a studies major. Brawders is a freelance esports commentator.