LPGA 2012 schedule changes

 Associated Press


DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The LPGA Tour begins a new season with four more tournaments, including a new Canadian stop, and a lot more reason for optimism.

The tour took a big step toward beefing up its schedule by adding three tournaments in the United States, including the return of two popular events in Ohio and Virginia.

The biggest surprise Tuesday was the Jamie Farr Toledo Classic, which was not played a year ago. The LPGA also is going back to Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg, Va., a favorite among players that was last played in 2009.

The ladies tour makes its first stop in Canada on June 21-24 with the inaugural Manulife Financial LPGA Classic to be played at Grey Silo Golf Club in Waterloo, Ont.. The 2012 CN Canadian Women's Open will be played at Vancouver Golf Club in Coquitlam, B.C., on August 23-26.

The tour previously announced a new tournament in Hawaii, along with sanctioning the Women's Australian Open, which will kick off the new season Feb. 9-12 at fabled Royal Melbourne Golf Club.

Right when it looked as though the LPGA Tour would suffer irreparable harm from the economic downturn, Commissioner Mike Whan delivered a schedule of 27 tournaments worth $47 million in prize money that signals a strong recovery.

Along with the new tournaments, Whan said the North American events will get live television coverage on the Golf Channel on the weekend, instead of being shown on tape delay. That led to complaints for its fan base that it didn't know when to watch.

Another big improvement is the flow of the schedule. A year ago, the LPGA was coming off its first major championship - Stacy Lewis winning the Kraft Nabisco Championship - when it took three weeks off before its next tournament. Even with a global schedule in which tournaments will be played in a dozen countries, the LPGA will not go more than two weeks without playing.

It also might get more attention for its biggest event - the U.S. Women's Open, which in the last three years was held a week before the men's British Open. This year, the Women's Open will be played July 5-8, two weeks before the British Open.

Meanwhile, the Women's British Open will be held at Royal Liverpool on Sept. 13-16, moved back a month in part because of the 2012 Olympics in London.

The LPGA goes to Australia, Thailand and Singapore in consecutive weeks to start the year. The first domestic tournament will be the RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup outside Phoenix, and this time the players will actually get paid. A year ago, it was a mock purse. The earnings were applied toward the money list, but the actually money went toward a charity program to honor LPGA founders.

Whan said the LPGA was able to renew eight of the nine tournament contracts that ended in 2011, and 10 of its 11 marketing agreements. The one tournament it lost was the State Farm Classic in Illinois.

"With more tournaments, more corporate partners, more viewers and more fans, the anticipation and excitement for the 2012 season is at an all-time high," Whan said. "Our message to everyone is 'see why it's different out here,' and we're hopeful that more people than ever before will take notice and become a part of our growth."

2012 Schedule

Feb. 9-12 - ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open, Royal Melbourne GC, Melbourne, Australia.
Feb. 16-19 - Honda LPGA Thailand, Siam CC (Pattaya Old Course), Chonburi, Thailand.
Feb. 23-26 - HSBC Women's Champions, Tanah Merah CC (Garden Course), Singapore.
March 15-18 - RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup, Wildfire GC, Tempe, Ariz.
March 22-25 - Kia Classic, La Costa Resort & Spa, Carlsbad, Calif.
March 29-April 1 - Kraft Nabisco Championship, Mission Hills CC, Rancho Mirage, Calif.
April 18-21 - LPGA LOTTE Championship, TBD, Honolulu.
April 26-29 - Mobile Bay LPA Classic, RTJ Golf Trail (Crossings Course), Mobile, Ala.
May 5-6, HSBC LPGA Brasil Cup, TBC, Rio de Janeiro.
May 17-20 - Sybase Match Play Championship, Hamilton Garm GC, Gladstone, N.J.
June 1-3 - ShopRite LPGA Classic, Seaview GC, Galloway, N.J.
June 7-10 - Wegmans LPGA Championship, Locust Hill CC, Pittsford, N.Y.
June 21-24 - Manulife Financial LPGA Classic, Grey Silo GC, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
June 29-July 1 - Walmart NW Arkansas Championship, Pinnacle CC, Rogers, Ark.
July 5-8 - U.S. Women's Open, Blackwolf Run (Championship Course), Sheboygan, Wis.
July 26-29 - Evian Masters, Evian Masters GC, Evian-les-Bains, France.
Aug. 9-12 - Jamie Farr Toledo Classic, Highland Meadows GC, Sylvania, Ohio.
Aug. 17-19 - Safeway Classic, Pumpkin Ridge GC (Ghost Creek), North Plains, Oregon
Aug. 23-26 - CN Canadian Women's Open, Vancouver GC, Coquitlam, British Columbia.
Sept. 6-9 - Kingsmill Championship, Kingsmill Resort (River Course), Williamsburg, Va.
Sept. 13-16 - Ricoh Women's British Open, Royal Liverpool GC, Hoylake, England.
Sept. 20-23 - Navistar LPGA Classic, RTJ Trail (Senator Course), Prattville, Ala.
Oct. 12-14 - Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur Golf & CC, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Oct. 19-21 - LPGA HanaBank Championship, Sky72 GC (Ocean Course), Incheon, South Korea.
Oct. 25-28 - Sunrise LPGA Taiwan Championship, Sunrise Golf & CC, Taipei, Taiwan.
Nov. 2-4 - Mizuno Classic, Kintetsu Kashkikojima CC, Shima-Shi, Japan.
Nov. 8-11 - Lorena Ochoa Invitational, Guadalajara CC, Guadalajara, Mexico.
Nov. 15-18 - CME Group Titleholders, TwinEagles GC (Eagles Course), Naples, Fla.

Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles