The LPGA Tour is returning to Ventura County in California.
The LPGA Mediheal Championship has been moved this fall to The Saticoy Club in Somis, the tour announced on Thursday.
The event, previously hosted by the Lake Merced Country Club in Daly City the last four years, will take place from Oct. 3-9.
The field of 120 golfers will compete for a $1.8 million purse over the four-day, 72-hole tournament, which will be televised by Golf Channel.
Matilda Castren of Finland shot a 14-under 274 to win the tournament last year.
“In the tournament’s first four years, we have established the LPGA Mediheal Championship as a world-class championship,” Hyuk je Kwon, tournament executive, said in a news release. “It is an honor for us to support women’s golf and provide a platform for the game’s best players to showcase their talents to fans all over the world.”
Danielle Kang — a graduate of Westlake High, less than 30 minutes from The Saticoy Club — finished tied for fifth in the event last year. The 2017 Women’s PGA Championship winner recently took a two-month break following the diagnosis of a tumor in her spine. She announced on social media earlier this month that she will return to the tour, beginning with the CP Women’s Open later this month at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club.
Mediheal will be the first professional tournament hosted by Saticoy Club, which has previously hosted USGA and Southern California Golf Association events.
“Saticoy Club is excited to host the world’s best female professional golfers,” Saticoy Club general manager Robert Nagelberg said. “As one of the top-rated courses in California, Saticoy will provide a championship-level test.
“We look forward to welcoming the players and fans to Saticoy in October.”
It will be the first LPGA event in Ventura County since the Los Angeles Women’s Championship was held at Wood Ranch Golf Club in Simi Valley in 2000.
“The support we have received from The Saticoy Club and Ventura County has been outstanding,” tournament director David Tucker said. “We are thrilled to bring the first-ever LPGA Tour event to Saticoy and showcase such a wonderful facility to the world.”
The Saticoy Club was founded in 1921 as Ventura County’s first private country club. The 18-hole course was designed by architect William F. Bell, refined over the years by architects Robert Muir Graves, Tom Doak and John Harbottle, and renovated in 2018 by Arnold Palmer Design.
Tickets sales and volunteer registration are open at MedihealChamp.com.
Daily general admission is $25. Weekly general admission is $40. Premium hospitality in the Stone Pine Club, an open-air deck above the ninth and 18th greens, are $275 (daily) and $1,000 (weekly).
All military and first responders are eligible to receive complimentary admission. Children are admitted free with a ticketed adult.
Joe Curley is a staff reporter for The Star. He can be reached at joe.curley@vcstar.com. Follow him @vcsjoecurley onTwitter,FacebookandInstagram.
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