Fresh off of the longest-running major championship on the LPGA Tour at the U.S. Women’s Open, the Tour travels to another one of its other long-standing stops on the schedule: the Dana Open. The 38th edition of what began as the Jamie Farr Toledo Classic in 1984, gets underway Thursday just outside Toledo, Ohio where the world’s best will compete for a purse of $1.75 million.
The Dana Open is the second tournament in a run of 10 events, marking the busiest and also one of the most important stretches of the year.
Over the next nine weeks, players will compete for nearly $28 million in prize money and 4,700 Race to the CME Globe points. The string of events includes the final two majors of the year starting with the Amundi Evian Championship in late July followed by the AIG Women’s Open in early August.
During this busy run, Americans will be in crunch mode as they look to rack up the last critical points available to try and secure a spot on the United States Solheim Cup team. Twice the number of qualifying points are available at the major championships, adding to what is already a pressure-packed summer. Qualifying will conclude and the U.S. squad finalized upon completion of the CPKC Women’s Open in mid-August.
Beginning Thursday with the Dana Open, Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings No. 1 Jin Young Ko headlines the field as she makes her tournament debut. She’s joined in the field by defending champion Gaby Lopez, who picked up her third career win last season outside Toledo and Lydia Ko, a two-time winner in Ohio, as well as major champion Minjee Lee. A pair of U.S. Women’s Amateur champions in Rose Zhang and Gabi Ruffels are also set to tee it up in addition to Erica Shepherd and Lauren Walsh who each received a sponsor’s invite.
And Allisen Corpuz, the latest Rolex First-Time Winner who secured her first major title at the U.S. Women’s Open, still plans to compete.
Since the first playing of the Dana Open in 1984, the tournament has attracted some of the biggest names in the women’s game. World Golf Hall of Fame member Se Ri Pak holds the record for most wins at Highland Meadows Golf Club with a record five titles, and she’s one of several legends to have won in Ohio in addition to Patty Sheehan, Laura Davies, Annika Sorenstam and Meg Mallon. This year’s field will see the return of past champions Paula Creamer (2008), Chella Choi (2015), Lydia Ko (2014, 2016), Jasmine Suwannapura (2018) and Sei Young Kim (2019).
Following the season's third major championship at the U.S. Women’s Open, the Tour rolls into one of its most thrilling stretches of the year. Players’ endurance, energy and enthusiasm will be tested over the course of the next nine weeks as they compete in the final two majors of the year, determine who qualifies for the Solheim Cup and see who takes the lead in the Race to the CME Globe standings. It’s an important two months on the LPGA Tour schedule and it continues Thursday with the Dana Open.
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