The LPGA is returning to Las Vegas in 2022, making it official with the release of the 2022 tour schedule, which includes the Bank of Hope Match Play back to Shadow Creek in late May.
The announcement is primarily a formality as Bank of Hope and Shadow Creek both signed three-year contracts to run the tournament. Where exactly it would end up on the calendar was the main question.
The 2022 version is planned for May 25-29, a five-day tournament that will again feature three days of round robin play in a pod system to reduce the field from 64 to 16 players competing against each other become a single-elimination bracket on the weekend.
The prize money will again be $ 1.5 million, with $ 225,000 going to the champion.
As with the opening event, the Bank of Hope Match Play takes place the week before the US Women’s Open. That was a comfortable pairing in 2021 when the San Francisco Open was taking place. In 2022, however, the biggest major of the year will be played at the Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club in Southern Pines, North Carolina.
Holding an event the week before a major may have lost the tournament a few top players as Nelly Korda, Jessica Korda, Lydia Ko and Lexi Thompson skipped Shadow Creek.
However, players competing in Las Vegas said it was one of the best venues and events they played all season and they expected more players to come in the future.
“We had presents outside of our lockers almost every day. Great food. Simply world class treatment. ”Said 2021 winner Ally Ewing. “They ran the golf tournament really, really well, and I think they are of a pretty high standard for the special treatment we received.”
Another big change for 2022 will be the return of fans. The Bank of Hope Match Play was one of the last events this year to keep viewers off due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. There were also no spectators at the CJ Cup when the PGA Tour played in Shadow Creek in late 2020.
How viewers will fit into a very tight and difficult to navigate course will be an interesting aspect of the 2022 edition.
Not only are LPGA officials excited about the return to Las Vegas, but also the overall plan for 2022, which includes some new events and increased wallets.
“2022 will be one of the most exciting years in the history of the LPGA Tour, with new events, the largest grand total of all time, over 500 hours of television coverage and a shared commitment to being the world’s leading professional women’s sports company,” said Mollie Marcoux Samaan, Commissioner the LPGA.
Samaan actually made part of tournament history in 2021 after being named commissioner during the week of the Bank of Hope event.
“As home to the best women golfers in the world, we will continue to focus on offering a dynamic schedule that will allow players to reach their peak performance in golf and in life, and that will provide the platform to meet young girls and women all over the world World to inspire Globe to dream big, ”he said.
Two new events on the program are a fourth tournament in Southern California, the JTBC Championship (28, the first time since 1989.
Greg Robertson reports on golf for the Review Journal. He can be reached at grobertson@reviewjournal.com.
