The LPGA modified the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship, expanding the field and eliminating the 36-hole cut.
The tour announced the changes Thursday to the $3 million 72-hole tournament, scheduled for Dec. 17-20 at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Fla. The field was increased from the traditional 60 to 70 players plus two sponsor exemptions. The winner will earn $1.1 million, the highest first-place prize on the tour.
“The 2020 LPGA Tour season has certainly faced its challenges, and thanks to incredible partners like CME Group, we have been able to stage competitive opportunities for our players,” LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan said in a news release.
Whan said the Tour Championship will return to its original format in 2021.
“We are extremely proud to continue our long-standing relationship with the LPGA Tour, which supports female athletes while also elevating the sport of women’s golf,” said Terry Duffy, CME Group Chairman and CEO. .”.. We believe this year’s Tour Championship will provide an exciting finish to one the most uncertain years in history.”
The defending champion is South Korea’s Sei Young Kim, who edged England’s Charley Hull by one stroke last year at Tiburon.
–Field Level Media
