After several changes to the 2020 schedule due to the Corona Virus, the LPGA is scheduled to resume its season on July 23rd in Ohio. Resume you ask? Yes, although it now seems like a lifetime ago, the LPGA actually did play four tournaments earlier this year.

LPGA Tournaments Completed Earlier in the Season

1. Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions – Winner – Gaby Lopez
2. Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio – Winner – Madelene Sagstrom
3. ISPS Handa Vic Open – Winner – Hee Young Park
4. ISPS Women’s Australian Open – Winner – Inbee Park

It has been over three months since the last LPGA tournament was played, and there have been plenty of cancelations and postponements to the 2020 LPGA schedule.

LPGA Tournaments Canceled for the 2020 Season

1. Honda LPGA Thailand -Thailand
2. HSBC Women’s World Championship – Singapore
3. Blue Bay LPGA – People’s Republic of China
4. Volvik Founders Cup – Phoenix, AZ.
5. Pure Silk Championship – Williamsburg, VA.
6. Meijer LPGA Classic – Grand Rapids, MI.
7. Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational – Midland, MI.
8. UL International Crown – St. Albans, England

LPGA Tournaments Postponed in 2020

1. LOTTE Championship – Ko Olina, Oahu, HI.
2. HUGEL-AIR PREMIA LA Open – Los Angeles, CA.
3. LPGA MEDIHEAL Championship – Daly City, CA.

As of this writing these 3 tournaments do not have a new date, and there does not seem to be room on the schedule unless tournaments in Europe (3), or Asia (4), are canceled.

That leaves nineteen more tournaments that have dates and are scheduled to be played in 2020.

Upcoming Tournaments in the LPGA Season

1. Marathon Classic presented by Dana – July 23-26, Sylvania OH.
2. The Evian Championship – August 6-9, Evian-Les-Bains, France
3. Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open – August 13-16, North Berwick, Scotland
4. AIG Women’s British Open – August 20-23, Troon, Scotland
5. Walmart NW Arkansas Championship Presented by P&G – August 28-30, Rogers, AR.
6. CP Women’s Open – September 3-6, Vancouver, British Columbia
7. ANA Inspiration – September 10-13, Rancho Mirage, CA.
8. Cambia Portland Classic – September 17-20, Portland, OR.
9. Kia Classic – September 24-27, Carlsbad, CA.
10. ShopRite LPGA Classic Presented by Acer – October 2-4, Galloway, NJ.
11. KPMG Women’s PGA Championship – October 8-11, Newton Square, PA.
12. Buick LPGA Shanghai – October 15-18, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
13. BMW Ladies Championship – October 22-25, Busan, Republic of Korea
14. Taiwan Swinging Skirts LPGA – Oct. 29 – Nov 1, New Taipei City, Chinese Taipei
15. TOTO Japan Classic – November 6-8, Ibaraki, Japan
16. Pelican Women’s Championship presented by Dex Imaging – November 19-22, Belleair, FL.
17. Volunteers of America Classic – December 3-6, The Colony, TX.
18. U.S. Women’s Open – December 10-13, Houston, TX.
19. CME Group Tour Championship – December 17-20, Naples, FL.

The above shows us that there is still a fair amount of golf to look forward to. If Commissioner Michael Whan can find a way to get those “postponed” tournaments back onto the schedule, we can still have twenty-two more events.

That said, there are still many questions that still have to be answered:

• Will there be any more cancelations? Will tournaments in Europe and Asia go on as scheduled?
• Will players domiciled outside the United States have trouble getting back into the country?
• Will fans be allowed on the course, or will players be playing without spectators?
• How will the long layoff affect the players and the quality of golf? Top players such as Jin Young Ko and Sung Hyun Park have not played a single round on the LPGA Tour this year.

I am sure that we will be getting answers to the above questions very shortly. With the number of COVID-19 cases now decreasing quite rapidly in most places, we may get some favorable answers. We can only hope!

Tony

Featured Photo: Minjee Lee and Brooke Henderson at the 2018 CME Group LPGA Tour Championship – Photo by Ben Harpring