LPGA TOUR CLOSES OUT FLORIDA SWING OF LPGA DRIVE ON CHAMPIONSHIP
FORT MYERS, Florida – This week, the LPGA Tour travels to Florida’s Gulf Coast for the LPGA Drive On Championship at Crown Colony Golf & Country Club in Fort Myers. The event closes out the opening swing in the Sunshine State following the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions (Lake Nona) and Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio (Boca Raton) before the Tour reconvenes in March for the HSBC Women’s World Championship.
The LPGA Drive On Championship is in its fourth edition, with its inaugural playing at Inverness Club in July 2020, and continuing at Reynolds Lake Oconee in October 2020 and Golden Ocala in 2021.
Amongst the 120-player field, world No. 2 and Bradenton native Nelly Korda highlights a stellar group of players vying for the $1.5 million purse. Inbee Park (No. 4), Yuka Saso (No. 7), Nasa Hataoka (No. 9) and Miromar Lakes resident Brooke Henderson (No. 10) round out those in the top-10 in the Rolex Rankings this week at Crown Colony Golf & Country Club. LPGA Drive On Championship at Reynolds Lake Oconee winner Ally Ewing and the Golden Ocala champion Austin Ernst will also tee it up this week as two of the three past Drive On champions. World Golf Hall of Fame member Laura Davies is in the field as well, along with 13 LPGA Tour rookies, including Hye-Jin Choi, who finished in a tie for eighth at last week’s Gainbridge LPGA.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE LPGA DRIVE ON CHAMPIONSHIP
This is the first professional women’s event to be held at Crown Colony Golf & Country Club, with the Tour returning to the Fort Myers area for the first time since the 1975 Greater Ft. Myers Classic, won by Sandra Haynie.
Crown Colony spreads across 403 acres, and this golf course community offers beautiful homes and magnificent amenities all in a prime location. The crown jewel of the club and community is the 18-hole Audubon Sanctuary Certified golf course.
There are no sponsor exemptions in this week’s field; Andrea Lee and Frida Kinhult are the Monday Qualifiers. Thirteen of 32 rookies are in this week’s field, and 16 of the 2021 LPGA Tour winners. The purse is $1.5 million.
Fans are not allowed on-site at the tournament. There is no pro-am and only members and guests of Crown Colony Golf & Country Club are allowed to walk the course, as well as five guests per player.
SOCIAL MEDIA
LPGA Tour: @LPGA and @LPGAMedia (Twitter), @lpga_tour (Instagram), #DriveOn
STREAMING TIMES (all times Eastern)
Thursday, Feb. 3
Approx. 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Featured Hole Stream on LPGA.com
3-6 p.m.
Peacock
Friday, Feb. 4
10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Featured Hole Stream on LPGA.com
3-6 p.m.
Peacock
Saturday, Feb. 5
9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Featured Hole Stream on LPGA.com
2-5 p.m.
Peacock
Feature Holes TBA
WHITE LINE PAR AND YARDAGE
36-36—72; 6,592 yards
PAST CHAMPIONS AND RUNNERS-UP
2021 at Golden Ocala: Austin Ernst, 273 (-15); Jennifer Kupcho, 278 (-10)
2020 at Reynolds Lake Oconee: Ally Ewing, 272 (-16); Danielle Kang, 273 (-15)
2020 at Inverness Club: Danielle Kang, 209 (-7); Celine Boutier, 210 (-6)
https://www.lpga.com/tournaments/lpga-drive-on-championship/leaderboard
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