Imminent became reality just before Christmas.
The LPGA officially announced its Drive On Championship will be played at Crown Colony Golf Club from February 3-5.
The 120-player tournament will not sell tickets or have any fans besides Crown Colony members. There also will not be a pro-am as there usually is at many LPGA events. And it also will only be streamed on the Golf Channel or NBC’s Peacock service, and not be televised.
But the best female golfers in the world will be playing in Fort Myers for the first time in 47 years.
“We are excited to kick off our 2022 LPGA Tour season with three consecutive events in Florida, with the opening swing concluding in Fort Myers at a worthy setting like the Crown Colony Golf & Country Club,” said Ricki Lasky, the LPGA’s Chief Tournament Business Officer in a release. “We’re thrilled to continue our LPGA Drive On Championship in a familiar place like Southwest Florida, and thank our partners at Crown Colony for giving us a fantastic host venue to showcase our players.”
The News-Press and Naples Daily News reported the likelihood of the event coming to Fort Myers on December 14.
Since then Crown Colony general manager David Kent, who had termed the tournament being played as “imminent” then, had been going back and forth with the LPGA getting the agreement complete. There will be a $1.5 million purse.
“We are so appreciative of partners like those at Crown Colony Golf & Country Club for welcoming us as we continue the spirit of the LPGA Drive On Championship events in Fort Myers,” said Mollie Marcoux Samaan, LPGA Commissioner, in the release. “We’ll be taking advantage of another incredible week on tour with player initiatives that will support our membership in different ways for the upcoming season.”
The tournament was played in Ocala this past March and won by Austin Ernst.
The CME Group Tour Championship has been played in Naples since 2012, and at Tiburón Golf Club at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort since 2013. Jin Young Ko won the tournament on November 21, taking home a $1.5 million first-place check.
Jin Young Ko holds the winner’s trophy after winning the LPGA’s CME Group Tour Championship on Sunday, Nov. 21, 2021, in Naples, Florida. Photo by Rebecca Blackwell/Associated Press
February 3-5 is a Thursday-Saturday, with the final round not played on the usual Sunday. There will be a Monday qualifier on January 31, but only practice rounds the following two days. The field will be cut to the top 70 and ties for the final round.
The Fort Myers tournament will be the week after the Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio in Boca Raton. It also creates a three-tournament swing, with the tour opening its 2022 season with the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions in Orlando from January 20-23.
The last LPGA event played in Fort Myers was the Greater Fort Myers Classic in 1974 and 1975, at Lochmoor Country Club. Bonnie Bryant, a left-hander, won in 1974, and Sandra Haynie won in a playoff against Pat Bradley in 1975. Haynie coincidentally also won the Naples Lely LPGA Classic that same year.
“On behalf of the Board of Governors, membership, and staff, I am thrilled that Crown Colony has the privilege to host the 2022 LPGA Drive On Championship featuring 120 of the best female golfers in the world,” said Kent in the release. “This is a wonderful opportunity to showcase our exceptional golf club while enjoying competition at the highest level. We welcome the LPGA Tour back to Fort Myers for the first time in 47 years with open arms and eagerly await the championship.”