The 2014 LPGA Tour was a series of weekly golf tournaments for elite female golfers from around the world. The Tour began at Ocean Club Golf Course on Paradise Island in The Bahamas on January 23 and ended on November 23 at Grand Cypress Golf Club in Orlando, Florida. The tournaments were sanctioned by the United States–based Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA).
| Duration | January 23, 2014 – November 23, 2014 |
|---|---|
| Number of official events | 33 |
| Most wins | 5  Stacy Lewis |
| Race to CME Globe Winner |  Lydia Ko |
| Money leader | Stacy Lewis |
| Player of the Year | Stacy Lewis |
| Rookie of the Year | Lydia Ko |
← 2013 2015 → | |
The most significant addition to the Tour in 2014 was a new team event, the International Crown. To be held each even-numbered year (those in which the Solheim Cup is not held), the event involved four-woman teams from eight countries competing in a four-day match play format. The eight qualifying countries were those whose four top players are cumulatively ranked highest in the Women's World Golf Rankings as of the end of the preceding LPGA season.[1] The individual participants from each qualified country were determined by the rankings immediately prior to the Kraft Nabisco Championship.[2]
Qualification for the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship changed for 2014 and a $1 million bonus was added. Previously, the top three finishers in each tournament, not previously qualified, earned entry to the tournament. The field in 2014 was determined by a season-long points race, the "Race to the CME Globe". All players making the cut in a tournament earned points with 500 points going to the winner. The five major champions had a higher points distribution with 625 points to the winner. No-cut tournaments only awarded points to the top 40 finishers (top 20 for the Lorena Ochoa Invitational). Only LPGA members were eligible to earn points. The top 72 players on the points list gained entry into the Tour Championship as well as any tournament winners, whether or not an LPGA member, not in the top 72. Points were reset before the tournament such that only the top three players were guaranteed to win the Race by winning the tournament and only the top nine had a mathematical chance of winning the Race. The winner of the points race received a $1 million bonus that did not count on the official money list.[3][4][5] The Race is similar to the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup and the European Tour's Race to Dubai.
Schedule and results
editThe number in parentheses after winners' names is the player's total number wins in official money individual events on the LPGA Tour, including that event.
| Date | Tournament | Location | Winner | WWGR points[6] |
Purse ($) | Winner's share ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 26 | Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic | Bahamas | Jessica Korda (2)
|
34 | 1,300,000 | 195,000 |
| Feb 116 | ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open | Australia |  Karrie Webb (40)
|
43 | 1,200,000 | 180,000 |
| Feb 223 | Honda LPGA Thailand | Thailand |  Anna Nordqvist (3)
|
62 | 1,500,000 | 225,000 |
| Mar 2 | HSBC Women's Champions | Singapore | Paula Creamer (10)
|
62 | 1,400,000 | 210,000 |
| Mar 23 | JTBC Founders Cup | Arizona | Karrie Webb (41)
|
62 | 1,500,000 | 225,000 |
| Mar 30 | Kia Classic | California | Anna Nordqvist (4)
|
62 | 1,700,000 | 255,000 |
| Apr 6 | Kraft Nabisco Championship | California | Lexi Thompson (4)
|
100 | 2,000,000 | 300,000 |
| Apr 19 | LPGA Lotte Championship | Hawaii | Michelle Wie (3)
|
46 | 1,700,000 | 255,000 |
| Apr 27 | Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic | California | Lydia Ko (3)
|
62 | 1,800,000 | 270,000 |
| May 4 | North Texas LPGA Shootout | Texas | Stacy Lewis (9)
|
43 | 1,300,000 | 195,000 |
| May 18 | Kingsmill Championship | Virginia | Lizette Salas (1)
|
50 | 1,300,000 | 195,000 |
| May 25 | Airbus LPGA Classic | Alabama | Jessica Korda (3)
|
53 | 1,300,000 | 195,000 |
| Jun 1 | ShopRite LPGA Classic | New Jersey | Stacy Lewis (10)
|
62 | 1,500,000 | 225,000 |
| Jun 8 | Manulife Financial LPGA Classic | Ontario |  Inbee Park (10)
|
43 | 1,500,000 | 225,000 |
| Jun 22 | U.S. Women's Open | North Carolina | Michelle Wie (4)
|
100 | 4,000,000 | 720,000 |
| Jun 29 | Walmart NW Arkansas Championship | Arkansas | Stacy Lewis (11)
|
62 | 2,000,000 | 300,000 |
| Jul 13 | Ricoh Women's British Open | England | Mo Martin (1)
|
100 | 3,000,000 | 474,575 |
| Jul 20 | Marathon Classic | Ohio | Lydia Ko (4)
|
37 | 1,400,000 | 210,000 |
| Jul 27^ | International Crown | Maryland |  Spain
|
n/a | 1,600,000 | 100,000[a 1] |
| Aug 10 | Meijer LPGA Classic | Michigan | Mirim Lee (1)
|
53 | 1,500,000 | 225,000 |
| Aug 17 | Wegmans LPGA Championship | New York | Inbee Park (11)
|
100 | 2,250,000 | 337,500 |
| Aug 24 | Canadian Pacific Women's Open | Ontario | So Yeon Ryu (3)
|
62 | 2,250,000 | 337,500 |
| Aug 31 | Portland Classic | Oregon | Austin Ernst (1)
|
31 | 1,300,000 | 195,000 |
| Sep 14 | The Evian Championship | France | Kim Hyo-joo (1)
|
100 | 3,250,000 | 487,500 |
| Sep 21 | Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic | Alabama | Mi Jung Hur (2)
|
22 | 1,300,000 | 195,000 |
| Oct 5 | Reignwood LPGA Classic | China | Mirim Lee (2)
|
34 | 2,100,000 | 315,000 |
| Oct 12 | Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia | Malaysia |  Shanshan Feng (4)
|
46 | 2,000,000 | 300,000 |
| Oct 19 | LPGA KEB-HanaBank Championship | South Korea | Baek Kyu-jung (1)
|
62 | 2,000,000 | 300,000 |
| Oct 27 | Blue Bay LPGA | China |  Lee-Anne Pace (1)
|
34 | 2,000,000 | 300,000 |
| Nov 2 | Fubon LPGA Taiwan Championship | Taiwan | Inbee Park (12)
|
43 | 2,000,000 | 300,000 |
| Nov 9 | Mizuno Classic | Japan | Mi Hyang Lee (1)
|
28 | 1,200,000 | 180,000 |
| Nov 16 | Lorena Ochoa Invitational | Mexico | Christina Kim (3)
|
37 | 1,000,000 | 200,000 |
| Nov 23 | CME Group Tour Championship | Florida | Lydia Ko (5)
|
62 | 2,000,000 | 500,000 |
^ Event held over to Monday, July 27 due to lack of daylight. The event was also shortened to 54 holes.
- ^ Prize for each of the four members of the winning team.
Season leaders
editMoney list leaders
| Rank | Player | Country | Events | Prize money($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stacy Lewis |  United States |
28 | 2,539,039 |
| 2 | Inbee Park | South Korea |
23 | 2,226,641 |
| 3 | Lydia Ko | New Zealand |
26 | 2,089,033 |
| 4 | Michelle Wie | United States |
21 | 1,924,796 |
| 5 | So Yeon Ryu | South Korea |
25 | 1,468,804 |
| 6 | Shanshan Feng | China |
24 | 1,404,623 |
| 7 | Anna Nordqvist | Sweden |
26 | 1,144,245 |
| 8 | Karrie Webb | Australia |
19 | 1,069,540 |
| 9 | Azahara Muñoz | Spain |
27 | 1,051,332 |
| 10 | Chella Choi | South Korea |
31 | 1,048,932 |
Scoring average leaders
| Rank | Player | Country | Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stacy Lewis | United States |
69.53 |
| 2 | Inbee Park | South Korea |
69.68 |
| 3 | Michelle Wie | United States |
69.82 |
| 4 | So Yeon Ryu | South Korea |
69.98 |
| 5 | Lydia Ko | New Zealand |
70.08 |
Awards
editSee also
editReferences
edit- ^ "32 Players, 8 Countries, 1 Crown: LPGA Unveils the International Crown" (Press release). LPGA. January 24, 2013. Retrieved April 5, 2013.
- ^ "LPGA International Crown Celebrates "Year from Here" Event" (Press release). LPGA. July 23, 2013. Archived from the original on October 3, 2013. Retrieved September 30, 2013.
- ^ "LPGA Tour goes to points race". ESPN. Associated Press. January 8, 2014. Retrieved January 10, 2014.
- ^ Voepel, Mechelle (January 8, 2014). "LPGA adds intrigue with points race". ESPNW. Retrieved January 10, 2014.
- ^ "The Race is On! LPGA Launches Inaugural "Race to the CME Globe"". LPGA. January 8, 2014. Retrieved January 10, 2014.
- ^ "Rolex Rankings – Events – LPGA Tour – 2014". Rolex Rankings.