2019 LPGA Tour Storylines • The 2019 LPGA Tour schedule features 32 official events, plus the biennial Solheim Cup, and will make stops in 15 states and 12 countries (including the U.S.). • In 2019, players will compete for a record $70.2 million in total prize money, up $7.2 million from 2016 (major prize money at $20.95 million). • All five of the season’s majors have announced purse increases for 2019: ANA Inspiration ($3 million, up $200,000 from 2018), the U.S. Women’s Open Championship presented by the USGA ($5.5 million, up $500,000 from 2018) the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship ($3.85 million, up $200,000 from 2018), The Evian Championship ($4.1 million, up $250,000 from 2018) and the AIG Women’s British Open ($4.5 million, up $1.25 million from 2018). • The 2019 LPGA Tour schedule features four new events: the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions, the ISPS Handa Vic Open, the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational and the BMW Ladies Championship. • The LPGA Tour will see 450 hours of domestic broadcast coverage on Golf Channel and network TV in 2019, with more than 475 hours available in 175 countries around the world. • In 2019, active LPGA Tour players will represent 34 different countries (including the U.S.) and there will be 27 LPGA Tour rookies representing 14 different countries, including the U.S. • In 2019, there are 14 mothers active on the LPGA Tour: Laura Diaz, Karine Icher, Juli Inkster, Cristie Kerr, Stacy Lewis, Brittany Lincicome, Catriona Matthew, Sydnee Michaels, Brooke Pancake, Suzann Pettersen, Gerina Piller, Rachel Rohanna, Sarah Jane Smith and Jackie Stoelting. Lincicome gave birth to daughter Emery Reign Gouws on July 8, Smith gave birth to son Theo Kai Smith on July 24 and Stoelting gave birth to son Baren Errol Stoelting on Sept. 28. Additionally, Brittany Lang is expecting her first child in January 2020. • The 2019 LPGA Tour will feature three different season-long races: • The Race to the CME Globe will give the top 60 players following the tournament heading to the CME Group Tour Championship the opportunity to win $1.5 million, the largest single prize in the history of women’s golf. • The Aon Risk Reward Challenge, a new competition on both the PGA and LPGA Tours, will feature the world’s best golfers as they navigate risk across the season’s most strategically challenging holes. The player from each Tour on top of the Aon leaderboard at the end of the regular season will each receive $1 million. • In its second year, the LEADERS Top-10s competition will award $100,000 to the player with the most top-10 finishes. Ariya Jutanugarn took the inaugural title with 17 top-10 finishes in 2018. • The 2019 Solheim Cup held at Gleneagles in Scotland was one for the record books. Suzann Pettersen had played in just three LPGA Tour events following an 18-month Maternity Leave when she was chosen by Captain Catriona Matthew to make the 2019 European Solheim Cup Team. On Sunday, the Solheim Cup came down to a 7-foot putt on the 18th hole where Pettersen drained a birdie to seal the 14.5-13.5 victory and bring the Solheim Cup back to Europe for the first time since 2013. Pettersen later confirmed her plans to retire from professional golf. • The 2021 Solheim Cup will be held at Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio, on Sept. 4-6. Team USA heads to Ohio leading Europe 10-6 all-time in Solheim Cup competition. 2019 Tournament Recaps Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions presented by Insurance Office of America (Jan. 17-20) Winner: Eun-Hee Ji (-14) • Eun-Hee Ji shot a final-round 70 to capture the inaugural tournament at 14-under 270, a two-stroke advantage over Mirim Lee (-12). Nelly Korda (-11) rounded out the top three. • At 32 years, 8 months and 7 days of age, Ji is the oldest winner from the Republic of Korea since Se Ri Pak won the 2010 Bell Micro LPGA Classic at 32 years, 7 months and 18 days of age. • This is the third consecutive season that Ji has won an LPGA Tour event. Prior to 2017, her last wins came in 2008 and 2009, a span of 8 years, 3 months and 10 days (203 LPGA tournaments). ISPS Handa Vic Open (Feb. 7-10) Winner: Celine Boutier (-8) • France’s Celine Boutier knocked in a two-putt par at No. 18 and earned her first LPGA Tour victory at 8-under 281, a three-stroke victory over Sarah Kemp, Charlotte Thomas and Su Oh at -6. • Boutier is the second Duke University alumna to win on the LPGA Tour, joining 2016 U.S. Women’s Open champion Brittany Lang. She is also the fourth French golfer to win an LPGA Tour event and first since 2003, joining Catherine Lacoste (one win), Patricia Meunier-Lebouc (two wins) and Anne-Marie Palli (two wins). • The tournament was held conjunction with a men’s competition sanctioned by the European Tour, with both fields competing for an equal purse of $1.1 million USD. ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open (Feb. 14-17) Winner: Nelly Korda (-17) • Nelly Korda secured her second LPGA Tour victory after posting a second consecutive round of 5-under 67 in the final round on Sunday, a two-stroke advantage over defending champion Jin Young Ko. • Korda is the fourth member of her family to win a sporting event in Australia; father Petr won the 1998 Australian Open tennis tournament, sister Jessica won the 2012 ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open and brother Sebastian won the 2018 Australian Open junior tennis tournament. • Korda and her older sister Jessica (five wins) are one of three sets of sisters in LPGA history to both win titles, joining Annika Sorenstam (72 wins) and Charlotta Sorenstam (one win), and Ariya Jutanugarn (10 wins) and Moriya Jutanugarn (one win). Honda LPGA Thailand (Feb. 21-24) Winner: Amy Yang (-22) • Amy Yang won the Honda LPGA Thailand for the third time, posting a 7-under 65 on Sunday to reach -22 and win by one stroke over Minjee Lee. • Yang has earned more than $1 million at the Honda LPGA Thailand in her 10 starts, totalling $1,005,825. • This marked Yang’s fourth career LPGA Tour victory and the third she captured at Siam Country Club, where she also won in 2015 and 2017. HSBC Women’s World Championship (Feb. 28-March 3) Winner: Sung Hyun Park (-15) • Sung Hyun Park clinched her sixth career victory on the LPGA Tour by two shots over Minjee Lee at the HSBC Women’s World Championship. She credited her win to a surprise meeting with Tiger Woods in February. • Park began the final round four strokes off the lead and closed with an 8-under 64, the lowest score of the week. • With the win, Park moved to No. 1 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings for the third time in her career. Bank of Hope Founders Cup (March 21-24) Winner: Jin Young Ko (-22) • Jin Young Ko emerged victorious from a crowded leaderboard, playing the weekend bogey-free to finish at -22 and earn a one-stroke victory over Jessica Korda, Nelly Korda, Carlota Ciganda and Yu Liu. • The win is Ko’s third LPGA victory and second since becoming an LPGA Member in 2018. She is a 10-time winner on the KLPGA, but this was her first victory in the U.S., joining LPGA wins in the Republic of Korea and Australia. Kia Classic (March 28-31) Winner: Nasa Hataoka (-18) • Nasa Hataoka started the final round one stroke off the lead. By the time she made the turn, she was two strokes clear of the field. The 20-year-old from Japan cruised in to her third LPGA Tour title. • Five players tied for second, including third-round leader and LPGA Hall of Famer Inbee Park, the previous week’s winner Jin Young Ko, Rolex Rankings No. 1 Sung Hyun Park and LPGA winners Danielle Kang and Azahara Munoz. ANA Inspiration (April 4-7) Winner: Jin Young Ko (-10) • The Republic of Korea’s Jin Young Ko became a major champion in her 42nd career LPGA Tour start. • Ko became the fifth Korean player to win the ANA Inspiration, joining Grace Park (2004), Sun Young Yoo (2012), Inbee Park (2013) and So Yeon Ryu (2017). • Ko was the 17th player to make the ANA Inspiration her first LPGA Tour major victory and the third player from Republic of Korea, joining Grace Park (2004) and Sun Young Yoo ( 2012). • She is the 15th player from the Republic of Korea to win a major, the most of any country other than the United States • With her victory at the ANA Inspiration and two weeks prior at the Bank of Hope Founders Cup, Ko became the first multiple winner of the 2019 LPGA Tour season. LOTTE Championship (April 17-20) Winner: Brooke Henderson (-16) • Canada’s Brooke Henderson won her second consecutive LOTTE Championship at -16, earning a four-stroke win over Eun-Hee Ji. • With with eight career LPGA Tour victories, Henderson joined Sandra Post, Mike Weir and George Knudson with the most victories by a Canadian player on the LPGA or PGA Tour. • Henderson and Nelly Korda were tied for the lead heading into the final round; Henderson came out on top thanks to a final-round 2-under 70, while Korda finished a 4-over 77, including with a quadruple bogey on No.