LPGA heads back to Hawaii after 3 years
The LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association) has decided to head back to Hawaii after a long time, as it is going to stage its new tournament, LOTTE Championship, in April this year.
The LPGA has not staged any event in Hawaii for the last 3 years, and now, with the decision to resume golfing activities in the region, the Association has lifted hopes of players and fans.
The LOTTE Championship is slated to take place from April 18-21 and the field will comprise of 144 players from across the world.
LPGA officials announced in a statement released recently that the Championship will offer a hefty $1.7 million purse. The venue of the tournament, they said, is yet to be decided.
LOTTE is a conglomerate representing Asia. Meanwhile, the Championship is being staged in cooperation with J Golf, a media firm from Korea.
Commissioner of LPGA, Mike Whan said re-opening the event in Hawaii will prove beneficial for players and local fans.
Whan said that they had been receiving a deluge of requests to re-open the Championship in Hawaii, especially from local female players.
He added that there is no doubt the region spent months without a good event designed for women’s golf, but LPGA is now taking all of its events more seriously than ever before.
He stated, “We are honored that such an established and well-respected conglomerate like LOTTE has chosen the LPGA to expand its global platform”.
Together with LOTTE and J Golf, we look forward to returning to the Hawaiian Islands, where our tour has such a great history of fantastic golf,” Whan said.
In addition to bringing a prestigious event back to its place, there other factors that will give boost to women’s golf.
Having a worldwide presence, LOTTE is taking keen interest in the uplift of golf because it knows the Championship in Hawaii will bring more opportunities for its business.
President of Global Business Division of LOTTE, Kag-Gyu Hwang said the company is confident that its interest in the Championship will help increase the popularity of women’s golf across the world.
“Through this tournament, we will align LOTTE’s tremendous success and prosperity with the LPGA and increase our visibility as Asia’s top global conglomerate," he said.
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