The LPGA travels from Portland, Ore., to the capital city of Indiana this week as a world-class fi eld of 144 professionals from 26 different countries descends on Brickyard Crossing Golf Club for the inaugural Indy Women in Tech Championship presented by Guggenheim.
This is the Tour’s first stop in Indiana since the ninth Solheim Cup in 2005, where the U.S. captured the fi rst of three consecutive victories, the only time that has been accomplished in Solheim Cup history. Earlier this year, the inaugural Senior LPGA Championship was contested at the Pete Dye Course at the French Lick Resort, one of two major championships for the Legends Tour.
The IWiT Championship will be the LPGA’s final domestic event until the season-ending CME Group Tour
Championship in Naples, Fla., in November. It is also the last event before the Tour travels to France for the fi fth and final major championship of the season, The Evian Championship.
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE IWiT CHAMPIONSHIP
• One of three 54-hole tournaments on the 2017 schedule (ShopRite LPGA Classic presented by Acer, Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G)
• One of 16 LPGA events with a purse of $2 million or greater in 2017; this season, players are competing for a record $67.65 million in total official prize money
• One of four new events on the 2017 schedule, which has an LPGA-record 34 offi cial events
• Traditional holes 7-10 at Brickyard Crossing G.C., which are located inside the 2.5-mile oval track, will be rerouted to become tournament holes 15-18 for the IWiT Championship
LPGA HISTORY IN INDIANA
2005: Solheim Cup – Crooked Stick Golf Club, Carmel (USA 15½ – Europe 12½)
1993: U.S. Women’s Open – Crooked Stick Golf Club, Carmel (Lauri Merten)
1978: U.S. Women’s Open – Country Club of Indianapolis (Hollis Stacy)
1977-88: Mayfl ower Classic – Harbour Trees Country Club, Noblesville, 1977-1980; Country Club of Indianapolis, Indianapolis, 1981-88 (1977 – Judy Rankin; 1978 – Jane Blalock; 1979 – Hollis Stacy; 1980 – Amy Alcott; 1981 – Debbie Austin; 1982 – Sally Little; 1983 – Lauren Howe; 1984 – Ayako Okamoto; 1985 – Alice Miller; 1986 – Sandra Palmer; 1987 – Colleen Walker; 1988 – Terry-Jo Myers)
1976: Bloomington Bicentennial Classic – Lake Monroe at the Pointe Golf Course, Bloomington (Sandra Palmer)
1974-80: Hoosier LPGA Classic/Hoosier Classic/Barth Classic, Plymouth Country Club, Plymouth (1974 – Joanne Carner; 1975 – Betsy Cullen; 1976 – Joanne Carner; 1977 – Debbie Austin; 1978 – Pat Bradley; 1979 – Sally Little; 1980 – Sandra Spuzich) 1968: “500” Ladies Classic – Speedway Golf Course, Indianapolis (Mickey Wright) 1961: Tippecanoe Open – Tippecanoe Country Club, Leesburg (Kathy Cornelius)
1960: Leesburg Pro-Am (unoffi cial event) – Tippecanoe Lake Country Club, Leesburg (Barbara Romack)
1960: LPGA Championship – Sheraton Country Club, French Lick (Mickey Wright)
1959-1960: Hoosier Celebrity (unoffi cial event) – Tippecanoe Lake Country Club, Leesburg, 1959; Fort Wayne Country Club, Fort Wayne, 1960 (1959 – Mickey Wright; 1960 – Joyce Ziske)
1959: Hoosier Open – Fort Wayne Country Club, Fort Wayne (Marlene Hagge)
1959: LPGA Championship – Sheraton Country Club, French Lick (Betsy Rawls)
WHO’S IN THE FIELD
2017 LPGA Winners (9)
Anna Nordqvist (Bank of Hope Founders Cup), Cristie Kerr (LOTTE Championship presented by Hershey), Sei Young Kim (Citibanamex Lorena Ochoa Match Play presented by Aeromexico and Delta), Lexi Thompson (Kingsmill Championship presented by JTBC), Brooke Henderson (Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give), Danielle Kang (KPMG Women’s PGA Championship), Katherine Kirk (Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic), Mi Hyang Lee (Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open), Stacy Lewis (Cambia Portland Classic presented by JTBC)
2017 Solheim Cup Participants (15)
Team USA (10): Paula Creamer, Austin Ernst, Danielle Kang, Cristie Kerr, Brittany Lang, Stacy Lewis, Gerina Piller, Lizette Salas, Lexi Thompson, Angel Yin Team Europe (5): Caroline Masson, Catriona Matthew, Anna Nordqvist, Emily K. Pedersen, Mel Reid
2017 LPGA Rookies (26)
Aditi Ashok, Nicole Broch Larsen, Hannah Burke, Peiyun Chien, Karen Chung, Jenny Coleman, Emily Collins, Regan DeGuzman, Justine Dreher, Dana Finkelstein, Jennifer Ha, Nasa Hataoka, Augusta James, Min-G Kim, Olafi a Kristinsdottir,Bronte Law, Maria Parra, Emily K. Pedersen, Katherine Perry, Mel Reid, Madeleine Sheils, Mariah Stackhouse, Jessy Tang,Emily Tubert, Brittany Yada, Angel Yin
