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The Ladies European Tour is a professional golf tour for women which was founded in 1979. It is based in England. Like many UK-based sports organisations it is a company limited by guarantee, a legal structure which enables it to focus on maximising returns to its members through prize money, rather than on making profits for investors. In British or Irish Company law, a company limited by guarantee is an alternative type of Corporation used primarily for Non-profit The tour is run by a Board of Directors and a Players' Council. Most of the players on the tour are European, and the largest non-European contingent by far comes from Australia.
History
The U. S. based LPGA was founded in 1950, but women's professional golf was slower to get established in Europe. The LPGA, in full the Ladies Professional Golf Association, is an American organization for female professional Golfers The organization whose headquarters are In 1978 the Women's Professional Golf Association (WPGA) was formed as part of Professional Golfers' Association of Great Britain and Ireland and a tour was established the following year. The Professional Golfers' Association is the professional body which represents the interests of teaching and club Golf professionals in the United Kingdom In 1988 the tour members decided to form an independent company, the Women Professional Golfers' European Tour Limited. This new company moved away from the PGA's headquarters at The Belfry and set up its own headquarters at the Tytherington Club in Cheshire. The Belfry is a prestigious golf resort in Wishaw, Warwickshire, near Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, England. Cheshire (or archaically the County of Chester) is a county in North West England. In 1998 the Tour changed its name to European Ladies' Professional Golf Association Limited and again in July 2000 to its current name, Ladies European Tour Limited. During 2008 the tour will be relocating to offices at the Buckinghamshire Golf Club, which is just outside London. [1]
Getting a women's tour established in Europe was not easy. Whereas men's tour golf in Europe developed in parallel with that in the United States, the women's tour had to compete against a well established rival in the U. S. LPGA Tour from its foundation. The LPGA, in full the Ladies Professional Golf Association, is an American organization for female professional Golfers The organization whose headquarters are In 2005 the tour dismissed its fifth chief executive in eight years as it continued to find it very difficult to compete effectively against the LPGA Tour for players and media attention, even in its home continent. However it then entered a period of growth, adding six new events in 2006 and 2007. A record 26 official money events are scheduled for the 2008 season, which will also see the introduction of a new team competition called the European Ladies' Golf Cup. Also, for the first time in several years, the LET scheduled an event opposite one of the LPGA's majors, with the ABN AMRO Open held opposite the LPGA Championship. The LPGA Championship, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the McDonald's LPGA Championship presented by Coca-Cola, is the second-longest running
Tournaments
There are 24 events that count towards the 2007 Order of Merit. The two richest events by far are the Evian Masters and the Women's British Open, which are co-sanctioned by the LPGA Tour and have prize funds of over €2. The Evian Masters is a women's professional Golf tournament which is played in Évian-les-Bains, France each July 5 million and over €1. 5 million respectively. The other events consist of five with prize funds of approximately €500,000, and seventeen with prize funds of between €165,000 and €400,000. The five half million euro events are in Australia (co-sanctioned with the ALPG Tour), Switzerland, Sweden, Wales and Dubai. The ALPG Tour is a professional Golf tour for women which is based in Australia. Total prize money in 2007 Order of Merit events exceeds €10 million.
Unlike in men's golf, the European and American tours do not share a common set of majors, although the Women's British Open is co-sanctioned by the Ladies European Tour and the LPGA Championship is recognised as a major by both organisations. The LPGA Championship, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the McDonald's LPGA Championship presented by Coca-Cola, is the second-longest running The only other event on the Ladies European Tour with "major" status is the Evian Masters, which is played in France. The Evian Masters is a women's professional Golf tournament which is played in Évian-les-Bains, France each July The Evian Masters is not recognised as a major by the LPGA, but the LPGA co-sanctions the event as part of its regular schedule. The significance of this is limited as the LPGA Tour is so dominant in global women's golf that "women's majors" usually refers to the LPGA majors, even in Europe.
2008 schedule
The table below shows the 2008 schedule. The numbers in brackets after the winners' names show the number of career wins they had on the Ladies European Tour up to and including that event. This is only shown for members of the tour.
| Dates | Tournament | Host country | Winner | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18-20 Jan | Women's World Cup of Golf |  South Africa |  Jennifer Rosalesand Dorothy Delasin (N/A) | Team event co-sanctioned by the five main women's tours; unofficial prize money |
| 31 Jan-3 Feb | Women's Australian Open |  Australia | Karrie Webb (N/A) | Co-sanctioned by the ALPG Tour |
| 7-10 Feb | ANZ Ladies Masters | Australia |  Lisa Hall (4) | Co-sanctioned by the ALPG Tour |
| 3-6 April | European Ladies Golf Cup |  Spain | Trish Johnson and Rebecca Hudson | Team event; new in 2008 |
| 17-20 April | Open De España Femenino | Spain |  Emma Zackrisson (1) | |
| 1-3 May | Ladies Scottish Open |  Scotland |  Gwladys Nocera (6) | |
| 8-11 May | Turkish Ladies Open |  Turkey | Lotta Wahlin (1) | |
| 22-25 May | Ladies Swiss Open |  Switzerland |  Suzann Pettersen (3) | |
| 29 May-1 Jun | Ladies German Open |  Germany |  Amy Yang (2) | |
| 6-8 Jun | Dutch Ladies Open |  Netherlands | Gwladys Nocera (7) | |
| 13-15 Jun | Ladies Open of Portugal |  Portugal | ||
| 19-22 Jun | Tenerife Ladies Open | Spain | ||
| 4-6 Jul | Ladies English Open | England | ||
| 11-13 Jul | Ladies Irish Open |  Ireland | ||
| 17-20 Jul | BMW Ladies Italian Open |  Italy | ||
| 24-27 Jul | Evian Masters | France | Co-sanctioned by the LPGA Tour | |
| 31 Jul-3 Aug | Women's British Open | England | Co-sanctioned by the LPGA Tour | |
| 7-10 Aug | Scandinavian TPC hosted by Annika | Sweden | ||
| 14-17 Aug | Wales Ladies Championship of Europe |  Wales | ||
| 22-24 Aug | SAS Masters | Norway | ||
| 29-31 Aug | Finnair Masters |  Finland | ||
| 5-7 Sep | Nykredit Masters |  Denmark | ||
| 11-14 Sep | Austrian Ladies Open |  Austria | ||
| 18-21 Sep | Göteborg Masters | Sweden | ||
| 25-28 Sep | Open de France Dames | France | ||
| TBA | Madrid Ladies Masters | Spain | ||
| 13-16 Nov | Korean Ladies Masters | South Korea | Co-sanctioned by the LPGA of Korea Tour | |
| 3-6 Dec | Indian Ladies Masters |  India | ||
| 11-14 Dec | Dubai Ladies Masters |  United Arab Emirates |
Major championships in bold. The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa Amateur career Rosales was born in Manila, Philippines. She won the Philippine Ladies Amateur Golf Championship five times in a row from 1994 to 1998 Dorothy Delasin (born August 26, 1980) is a Filipino - American Professional golfer on the LPGA Tour For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Amateur career Webb was born in in Ayr Queensland. She was a member of the Australian Amateur team making six international appearances from 1992-1994 including a 1994 The ALPG Tour is a professional Golf tour for women which is based in Australia. The ANZ Ladies Masters is a Golf tournament that is played in Australia and is sanctioned by the ALPG Tour and the Ladies European Tour (LET For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Lisa Hall (born 24 September 1967 is an English Golfer She competed as Lisa Hackney before she married English-born professional golfer Martin The ALPG Tour is a professional Golf tour for women which is based in Australia. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. This article refers to the golfer For the singer of a similar name see Ruder Than You. Rebecca Emma Gisela Hudson (born 13 June 1979 in Doncaster, England) is an English Professional golfer who plays on the Ladies The Open De España Femenino is a professional Golf tournament that has been part of the Ladies European Tour schedule since 2002 Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. Gwladys Nocera (born 22 May, 1975 in Moulins Allier) is a French Golfer She currently resides in Biarritz, France Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation Amateur career Pettersen was born in Oslo. She was a successful amateur golfer The Ladies German Open, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the HypoVereinsbank Ladies German Open presented by Audi is a professional Golf tournament that Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Amateur career Yang began playing golf at age 10 in her native and moved to the Gold Coast of Australia with her family at age 15 to pursue golf more seriously The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands Gwladys Nocera (born 22 May, 1975 in Moulins Allier) is a French Golfer She currently resides in Biarritz, France Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. The Tenerife Ladies Open is a women's professional Golf tournament on the Ladies European Tour that takes place on the Spanish island of Tenerife Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. The Ladies English Open is a women's professional Golf tournament on the Ladies European Tour. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Ireland ( Irish: Éire, ˈeːrʲə is a country in north-western Europe. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest The Evian Masters is a women's professional Golf tournament which is played in Évian-les-Bains, France each July This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The LPGA, in full the Ladies Professional Golf Association, is an American organization for female professional Golfers The organization whose headquarters are England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The LPGA, in full the Ladies Professional Golf Association, is an American organization for female professional Golfers The organization whose headquarters are The Scandinavian TPC hosted by Annika is a women's professional Golf tournament on the Ladies European Tour held in Sweden. "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. The Wales Ladies Championship of Europe is a women's golfing tournament held at the Machynys Peninsula Golf & Country Club in Llanelli on the south Wales Norway ( Norwegian: Norge ( Bokmål) or Noreg ( Nynorsk) officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Constitutional The Finnair Masters is the Finnish stop on golf's Ladies European Tour. Finland, officially the Republic of Finland ( is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. The Kingdom of Denmark ( ˈd̥ænmɑɡ̊ (archaic ˈd̥anmɑːɡ̊ commonly known as Denmark, is a country in the Scandinavian region of northern Europe Austria (Österreich ( officially the Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea and often referred to as Korea ( Korean: 대한민국 tɛː The LPGA of Korea Tour is a South Korean professional Golf tour for women India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country The Dubai Ladies Masters is a professional Golf tournament on the Ladies European Tour (LET that was played for the first time in October 2006
For the latest version of the tour schedule on the Ladies European Tour's website, including links to full results, click here.
Past tour schedules
It should be noted that individual LET tournaments have purses fixed in a mixture of Australian dollars, British pounds, euro and U. S. dollars, so year on year changes in the total prize fund reflect exchange rate fluctuations as well as prize fund movements in constant currencies.
| Year | Ranking tournaments | Countries[1] | Total purse [2] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 28 | 21 | €11,647,814 [3] |
| 2007 | 24 | 18 | €10,563,950 |
| 2006 | 20 | 16 | €9,674,536 |
| 2005 | 18 | 14 | €7,875,255 |
| 2004 | 15 | 10 | €7,298,245 |
| 2003 | 14 | 10 | €7,442,162 |
| 2002 | 14 | 10 | €7,626,724 |
Order of Merit and seasonal award winners
The Order of Merit is awarded to the leading money winner on the tour, though for some years in the past a points system was used. The 2007 Ladies European Tour was a series of weekly golf tournaments for elite female golfers from around the world which took place from January through December 2007 The 2006 Ladies European Tour was a series of weekly golf tournaments for elite female golfers from around the world which took place from January through October 2006 Men's professional golf Major championships 7-10 April Masters Tournament - Tiger Woods defeated fellow American Major championships April 11 - The Masters - Phil Mickelson wins the first major of his career June Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. The Player's Player of the Year award is voted by the members of the Tour for the member they believe has contributed the most to the season on the Tour. The Rookie of the Year (known as the Bill Johnson Trophy from 1999 to 2003 and now the Ryder Cup Wales Rookie of the Year) is awarded to the leading first-year player on the Order of Merit rankings.
- This list is incomplete.
| Year | Order of Merit | Player of the Year | Rookie of the Year | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Sophie Gustafson | €222,081 | Bettina Hauert | Louise Stahle |
| 2006 | Laura Davies | €471,727 | Gwladys Nocera | Nikki Garrett |
| 2005 | Iben Tinning | €204,672 | Iben Tinning | Elisa Serramia |
| 2004 | Laura Davies | 777. Professional career Sophie Gustafson turned professional in 1992 whilst studying marketing economics and law at Aranasskolan & Komvux University in Sweden Amateur career Born in Hagen, Germany, Hauert was the individual champion at the 2003 Sherry Cup Amateur career Stahle had a very successful amateur career In 2002 she won the French Open Amateur Championship was runner-up at that year's Girls British Open and was a member Amateur career As an amateur Davies was an international player for Great Britain with a notable record Gwladys Nocera (born 22 May, 1975 in Moulins Allier) is a French Golfer She currently resides in Biarritz, France Nicole Maree "Nikki" Garrett (born 8 January 1984) is an Australian professional Golfer Garrett turned professional in late 2005 Iben Tinning (born 4 February 1974 in Copenhagen) is a Danish Golfer Her first two wins on the Ladies European Tour (LET came in Iben Tinning (born 4 February 1974 in Copenhagen) is a Danish Golfer Her first two wins on the Ladies European Tour (LET came in Amateur career As an amateur Davies was an international player for Great Britain with a notable record 26 pts | Stephanie Arricau | Minea Blomqvist |
| 2003 | Sophie Gustafson | 917. Stéphanie Arricau (born 14 June 1973 in Orthez) is a French golfer Amateur career Blomqvist was a member of the Finnish National Ladies Team from 2001-2003 and played in the 2002 Espirito Santo Trophy World Amateur Golf Team Championships Professional career Sophie Gustafson turned professional in 1992 whilst studying marketing economics and law at Aranasskolan & Komvux University in Sweden 95 pts | Sophie Gustafson | Rebecca Stevenson |
| 2002 | Paula Marti | 6,589 pts | Annika Sörenstam | Kirsty S. Professional career Sophie Gustafson turned professional in 1992 whilst studying marketing economics and law at Aranasskolan & Komvux University in Sweden Paula Martí Zambrano (born in Barcelona on 29 January 1980 is a Catalan Professional golfer. Childhood and amateur career Annika Sörenstam was born in Bro near Stockholm, Sweden. Taylor |
| 2001 | Raquel Carriedo | 10,661 pts | Raquel Carriedo | Suzann Pettersen |
| 2000 | Sophie Gustafson | 8,777 pts | Sophie Gustafson | Giulia Sergas |
| 1999 | Laura Davies | £204,522 | Elaine Ratcliffe | |
| 1998 | Helen Alfredsson | £125,975 | Sophie Gustafson |  Laura Philo |
| 1997 | Alison Nicholas | £94,590 | Alison Nicholas | Anna Berg |
| 1996 | Laura Davies | £110,880 | Anne-Marie Knight | |
| 1995 | Annika Sörenstam | £130,324 | Karrie Webb | |
| 1994 | Liselotte Neumann | Tracy Hanson | ||
| 1993 | Karen Lunn | Annika Sörenstam | ||
| 1992 | Laura Davies | £66,333 | Sandrine Mendiburu | |
| 1991 | Corinne Dibnah | |||
| 1990 | Trish Johnson | £83,043 | ||
| 1989 | Marie-Laure de Lorenzi | £77,534 | Helen Alfredsson | |
| 1988 | Marie-Laure de Lorenzi | £99,360 |  Laurette Maritz | |
| 1987 | Dale Reid | £53,815 | Trish Johnson | |
| 1986 | Laura Davies | £37,500 | ||
| 1985 | Laura Davies | £21,735 | Laura Davies | |
| 1984 | Dale Reid | £28,239 | ||
| 1983 | Muriel Thomson | |||
| 1982 | Jenny Lee Smith | Val Skinner | ||
| 1981 | Jenny Lee Smith | £13,518. Raquel Carriedo-Tomas (born in Zaragoza, Spain on 8 February 1971 is a Spanish Golfer In 2000 she became the first Spaniard to play for Raquel Carriedo-Tomas (born in Zaragoza, Spain on 8 February 1971 is a Spanish Golfer In 2000 she became the first Spaniard to play for Amateur career Pettersen was born in Oslo. She was a successful amateur golfer Professional career Sophie Gustafson turned professional in 1992 whilst studying marketing economics and law at Aranasskolan & Komvux University in Sweden Professional career Sophie Gustafson turned professional in 1992 whilst studying marketing economics and law at Aranasskolan & Komvux University in Sweden Amateur career As an amateur Davies was an international player for Great Britain with a notable record Amateur career Alfredsson was born in Gothenburg, Sweden. She represented Sweden in European Junior and Senior Team championships Professional career Sophie Gustafson turned professional in 1992 whilst studying marketing economics and law at Aranasskolan & Komvux University in Sweden Laura Diaz (born April 27, 1975) is an American professional Golfer Diaz was born Laura Philo in Scotia New York. Alison Nicholas MBE (born 6 March 1962 in Gibraltar) is an English Golfer Amateur career Nicholas Alison Nicholas MBE (born 6 March 1962 in Gibraltar) is an English Golfer Amateur career Nicholas Amateur career As an amateur Davies was an international player for Great Britain with a notable record Childhood and amateur career Annika Sörenstam was born in Bro near Stockholm, Sweden. Amateur career Webb was born in in Ayr Queensland. She was a member of the Australian Amateur team making six international appearances from 1992-1994 including a 1994 Amateur career Neumann was born in Finspång, Sweden, and had a successful amateur career Karen Marie Lunn (born 21 March 1966) is an Australian golfer Childhood and amateur career Annika Sörenstam was born in Bro near Stockholm, Sweden. Amateur career As an amateur Davies was an international player for Great Britain with a notable record This article refers to the golfer For the singer of a similar name see Ruder Than You. Marie-Laure de Lorenzi (born 21 January 1961 in Biarritz) is a French Golfer She joined the Ladies European Tour in 1987 and is now Amateur career Alfredsson was born in Gothenburg, Sweden. She represented Sweden in European Junior and Senior Team championships Marie-Laure de Lorenzi (born 21 January 1961 in Biarritz) is a French Golfer She joined the Ladies European Tour in 1987 and is now Dale Reid OBE (born 20 March 1959) is a Scottish Golfer from Ladybank, Fife. This article refers to the golfer For the singer of a similar name see Ruder Than You. Amateur career As an amateur Davies was an international player for Great Britain with a notable record Amateur career As an amateur Davies was an international player for Great Britain with a notable record Amateur career As an amateur Davies was an international player for Great Britain with a notable record Dale Reid OBE (born 20 March 1959) is a Scottish Golfer from Ladybank, Fife. Jennifer Constance "Jenny" Lee Smith (born 2 December 1948) is an English golfer known for winning the inaugural Women's British Open Val Skinner (born June 24, 1960) is an American Professional golfer who plays on the LPGA Tour. Jennifer Constance "Jenny" Lee Smith (born 2 December 1948) is an English golfer known for winning the inaugural Women's British Open 75 | ||
| 1980 | Muriel Thomson | |||
| 1979 | Catherine Panton-Lewis | |||
Notes and references
- ^ Individual events counting towards the Order of Merit only. Catherine Rita Panton-Lewis (born 14 June 1955) is a Scottish Golfer from Bridge of Allan, who was a founding member of the Ladies England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland counted separately.
- ^ Individual events counting towards the Order of Merit only. Excludes team events and qualifying school.
- ^ As at 25 January. Amendments possible.
See also
- Women's World Golf Rankings
- Professional golf tours
External links
Top level professional Golf consists of a year round schedule of weekly tournaments played all around the worldDapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic