ORLANDO, FLORIDA | There’s way too much talent, celebrity, and flat-out fun for the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions to simply be called the LPGA Tour’s season opener. It’s a one-of-a-kind event and the perfect kickoff to what is sure to be a year unlike any other at the LPGA.
The Tournament of Champions at Lake Nona Golf Club in Orlando, Florida is the first in a 33-event schedule which features a record-setting and eye-popping $101.4 million purse.
Plus, there are two team events slated for the season ahead. The Hanwha LIFEPLUS International Crown returns to the schedule for the first time since 2019 and will be played at TPC Harding Park, also a first. And the Solheim Cup will make its debut in Spain.
Thursday, the Tournament of Champions celebrates its fifth anniversary since switching from the PGA Tour Champions to the LPGA’s schedule in 2019. And since the tournament joined the LPGA and brought with it a DJ who spins tunes at both the driving range and the 18th hole, the party that is the first event of the season has produced some of the most nail-biting finishes in recent memory.
In 2019, Eun Hee Ji won the inaugural playing by bouncing back from a pair of opening bogeys in unseasonably cold and windy Florida conditions to edge out Lydia Ko.
In 2020, the Tournament of Champions was one of the few events played before the coronavirus pandemic halted golf around the world and Gaby Lopez made the most of what would turn out to be a limited playing schedule by forcing a seven-hole playoff with Nasa Hataoka and Inbee Park which lasted until Monday.
In 2021, Jessica Korda ended a three-year winless drought by defeating Danielle Kang in a playoff to win in her first start of the season for the fourth time in her career.
And in 2022, Kang did one better than the year before, winning by three strokes to capture the season opener in its new home at Lake Nona.
While 30 of the LPGA’s finest vie for the first title of the season, all of whom earned a spot in the field by winning during the past two seasons on tour, they’ll do so alongside stars of entertainment, sports, and music, who compete in their own celebrity competition. Where else could former MLB pitcher Derek Lowe beat World Golf Hall of Famer Annika Sorenstam to win the celebrity division? There’s really nothing like it.
Nelly Korda, at No. 2 in the Rolex Rankings, headlines the field with three top 5 finishes at the Tournament of Champions. She’s joined by Brooke Henderson, who dealt with back pain at the end of last season and finished runner up at last year’s Tournament of Champions, is also in the field along with defending champion Danielle Kang.
And a slew of first-time winners from last year will make their debut at the Tournament of Champions, among them are Jennifer Kupcho, Leona Maguire, Andrea Lee, Ayaka Furue, Jodi Ewart Shadoff, Ashleigh Buhai, Nanna Koerstz Madsen, Paula Reto, Gemma Dryburgh, and Maja Stark. These newcomers will get to experience firsthand what it is like to be a part of the Tournament of Champions.
Some call it the season opener while others call it a party. But everyone who competes knows it's the most unique event of the year.
It’s the perfect start to what will be a one-of-a-kind season on the LPGA Tour.
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