Washington, Dec 19 : The 2021 Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour will feature 34 official events across North America, Europe, and Asia, with two new events added to the tournament calendar and players competing for a record 76.45 million US dollars purse.
According to the LPGA, all official LPGA events that were postponed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic will return to the Tour schedule in 2021. Several adjustments have been made to the schedule, given pandemic-related challenges that may arise in early 2021. Full-field events won’t begin until late February, and the usual Spring Asia Swing has been moved back to late April and early May, Xinhua news reports.
“We can all agree that 2020, while certainly not the 70th anniversary year that we expected, was a year that we will never forget,” LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan said.
Whan praised LPGA staff in getting the competition underway and said the tour had even been able to sign up new sponsors and marketing partners.
The 2021 season will start with the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions in Lake Buena Vista in the United States. The season-opening event will again feature celebrities from the worlds of sports and entertainment, and for 2021 only, the LPGA Tour field will comprise winners from the last three seasons.
Full-field LPGA Tour competition will start February 25-28 with the Gainbridge Championship. A Florida venue to be announced at a later date. The ANA Inspiration returns to its place as the first major of the year at Rancho Mirage, California, April 1-4.
The HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore from April 29 to May 2 heralds the start of the Asia Swing, which will also include the Honda LPGA Thailand and the Blue Bay LPGA in Hainan in China.
The Tour’s two usual stops in Australia were previously postponed to 2022 for pandemic-related reasons.
Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from IANS service.