Tag: Seville Golf and Country Club

2024 Ford Championship prize money payouts for each LPGA player

Korda’s career total is now $9.86 million, good for 26th all-time.

GILBERT, Ariz. — The second leg of the three-tournament West Coast swing on the LPGA is in the books with the conclusion of the inaugural Ford Championship.

Hoisting the trophy on Sunday? None other than world No. 1 Nelly Korda, who’s now won three straight starts on the LPGA.

Korda took her first outright lead of the week on the back nine Sunday and never looked back, winning for the 11th time in her LPGA career.

With Ford signed on as the title sponsor and the Thunderbirds, who run the PGA Tour’s WM Phoenix Open joining as a founding partner, the total purse and first-place money got bumped to $2.25 million and $337,500, respectively.

Korda’s career total is now $9.86 million, good for 26th all-time in 131 starts.

Prize money payouts

Pos. Golfer Score Earnings
1 Nelly Korda -20 $337,500
2 Hira Naveed -18 $206,791
T3 Mi Hyang Lee -17 $99,970
T3 Frida Kinhult -17 $99,970
T3 Lexi Thompson -17 $99,970
T3 Maja Stark -17 $99,970
T3 Carlota Ciganda -17 $99,970
T8 Lauren Coughlin -16 $46,872
T8 Jennifer Kupcho -16 $46,872
T8 Alison Lee -16 $46,872
T8 Hyo Joo Kim -16 $46,872
T8 Sarah Schmelzel -16 $46,872
T13 Kristen Gillman -15 $30,795
T13 Megan Khang -15 $30,795
T13 Ayaka Furue -15 $30,795
T13 Gabriela Ruffels -15 $30,795
T13 Narin An -15 $30,795
T13 Sei Young Kim -15 $30,795
T13 Lydia Ko -15 $30,795
T13 Yuka Saso -15 $30,795
T21 Moriya Jutanugarn -14 $23,346
T21 Polly Mack -14 $23,346
T21 Hannah Green -14 $23,346
T21 Lilia Vu -14 $23,346
T21 Emily Kristine Pedersen -14 $23,346
T26 Linn Grant -13 $19,643
T26 Ruoning Yin -13 $19,643
T26 Brooke Henderson -13 $19,643
T26 Nasa Hataoka -13 $19,643
T30 Marina Alex -12 $16,416
T30 Georgia Hall -12 $16,416
T30 Nanna Koerstz Madsen -12 $16,416
T30 Jenny Shin -12 $16,416
T30 Caroline Masson -12 $16,416
T35 Xiyu Lin -11 $12,114
T35 Paula Reto -11 $12,114
T35 Lucy Li -11 $12,114
T35 Yuna Nishimura -11 $12,114
T35 Yealimi Noh -11 $12,114
T35 Jin Hee Im -11 $12,114
T35 Isi Gabsa -11 $12,114
T35 Ashleigh Buhai -11 $12,114
T35 Celine Boutier -11 $12,114
T35 Alena Sharp -11 $12,114
T45 Lizette Salas -10 $8,620
T45 Anna Nordqvist -10 $8,620
T45 Leona Maguire -10 $8,620
T45 Pajaree Anannarukarn -10 $8,620
T45 Karis Davidson -10 $8,620
T45 Angela Stanford -10 $8,620
T45 Azahara Munoz -10 $8,620
T52 Eun-Hee Ji -9 $7,133
T52 In Kyung Kim -9 $7,133
T52 Peiyun Chien -9 $7,133
T52 Grace Kim -9 $7,133
T56 Elizabeth Szokol -8 $6,227
T56 Robyn Choi -8 $6,227
T56 Minami Katsu -8 $6,227
T56 Ally Ewing -8 $6,227
T60 Yu Jin Sung -7 $5,548
T60 Allisen Corpuz -7 $5,548
T60 Chanettee Wannasaen -7 $5,548
T63 Roberta Liti -6 $5,038
T63 Mary Liu -6 $5,038
T63 Stacy Lewis -6 $5,038
T63 Yu Liu -6 $5,038
T63 Alexa Pano -6 $5,038
T63 Jing Yan -6 $5,038
T69 Yuri Yoshida -5 $4,586
T69 Jenny Coleman -5 $4,586
T71 Pavarisa Yoktuan -4 $4,387
T71 Gina Kim -4 $4,387
T71 Mina Harigae -4 $4,387
T71 Olivia Cowan -4 $4,387
75 Maude-Aimee Leblanc -1 $4,250

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Nelly Korda wins third straight LPGA start at 2024 Ford Championship but there won’t be In-N-Out celebration this time

Korda is the fifth American to win three times before April 1 and the first since 1980.

GILBERT, Ariz. — Nelly Korda’s last win was seven days ago. Lexi Thompson’s winless streak spanned 1,696 days. Korda was looking for a third win in her last three starts. Thompson was seeking to snap a winless streak of 77 tournaments, dating back to June 2019.

Thompson’s drought will continue for at least two more weeks, as she’s skipping the next event in Las Vegas with the Chevron Championship coming in two weeks.

As for Korda, her next In-N-Out celebration for winning will have to wait as well. She said she celebrated after her win a week ago in Los Angeles with a burger and some “animal style” fries but won’t enjoy the meal after her third straight win Sunday in the 2024 Ford Championship, noting that all the In-N-Outs in the Phoenix area are closed for Easter Sunday.

So how will she celebrate victory No. 11?

“With a beautiful five hour drive to Vegas,” she quipped. “Actually, I went to a coffee shop this morning and their baked goods looked really good and I got myself an almond croissant for the road. I’m thinking about that and that’s making me very happy.”

What also makes her happy is winning and Korda has put her name in the LPGA history books with her latest victory. It’s her third win in as many starts, and she’s the first to win three LPGA starts before April 1 since Yani Tseng in 2012 and she’s the first American since 1980, and just the fifth ever, to win three times before April Fool’s day.

It was quite a week for Korda, who never held the outright lead at the Ford till the back nine Sunday. Once she did, she put it in a stranglehold, finishing at 20 under and winning by two shots. She recorded 23 birdies this week, fourth most in the field, and had just five bogeys. She hit 57 of 72 greens in regulation, tied for 15th in the field.

She has a quick turnaround to the match-play event in Vegas which starts Wednesday. She’s also being careful not to look ahead to the first major of 2024, the Chevron Championship, in less than two weeks.

“Just so one at a time,” she said. “I have been a professional golfer since 2016, and when you get ahead of yourself, it’s just never going to be positive. So I’m going to take it one tournament at a time. Stay very present. It’s worked pretty well so far. Sometimes it’s much harder than others. Your self-expectations, the expectations around you, too. I’m going to try and stay in my own little bubble and see how it goes.”

The contrast in tournament success between Korda and Thompson served as the backdrop on the back nine Sunday at Seville Country Club, with the two battling each other as well as the cold and rain, After two days of bright sunny skies, the third round saw 35 mph winds. Tournament officials on Saturday night moved tee times up two hours and golfers woke up Sunday to chilly temps and a steady downpour of spring rain.

A four-way tie for the lead at 17 under gave way to Korda holding the solo lead for the first time all week after a second straight birdie on the 13th hole. Thompson would reclaim a tie for the lead at 18 under after a birdie on the par-3 14th hole. Korda would nudge out in front once again on 16, after she almost jarred her second shot on the driveable par 4, the ball bouncing three times before rolling just over the edge of the cup. A birdie would get her to 19 under.

Hira Naveed joined the party late, as she went 4 under over a six-hole stretch from No. 12 through 17. The first LPGA player of Pakistani descent, Naveed was ranked 648th in the world coming in and finished solo second at 18 under. But it wasn’t enough to threaten the lead of Korda.

Thompson’s run, meanwhile, came to an end on the short par-4 16th. With driver in hand, she pushed her tee shot right and into a lake. She took a drop in the desert and then hit her third on the green but two-putted for bogey. She then missed a short par putt on 17 for another bogey, and she was suddenly three back of Korda with one hole to go.

2024 Ford Championship
Lexi Thompson plays her shot from the fourth tee during the final round of the 2024 Ford Championship at Seville Golf and Country Club in Gilbert, Arizona. (Photo: Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Korda closed out her day going up-and-down from just off the green on 18 for one final birdie, this one getting her to 20 under and with few pursuers left chasing, safely in the clubhouse. She said she had some soup in an effort to warm up a bit while she waited.

Korda would later hoist the trophy to make it her 11th career victory official. She’s now tied on the all-time list with Jane Geddes, Jiyai Shin and Thompson, who has four solo seconds and four ties for second and Sunday’s tie for third since her last victory.

Lydia Ko came into the week one point away from clinching a spot in the LPGA Hall of Fame. A win at the Ford would have given the 26-year-old the 27th and final point needed for entry. Ko tied for 11th at 15 under and a pair of 70s over the weekend.

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Sarah Schmelzel, tied for lead at 2024 Ford Championship, seeks first LPGA win in home state

Live final round coverage will start on Peacock at 4:30 p.m. ET and Golf Channel will come on at 6 p.m. ET.

GILBERT, Ariz. — A variety of LPGA golfers with local ties have been making noise this week at the inaugural Ford Championship in this Phoenix suburb.

On a breezy Saturday, former Arizona State golfer Carlota Ciganda made her move up the leaderboard at Seville Golf and Country Club with a 6-under 66 a round that included two eagles and nearly a third, as her chip on the par-5 18th just missed.

“Very happy with the 6 under,” she said. “The wind is really strong. Lots of side winds, and it’s just, yeah, it’s just hard. I think if you can hit greens it’s good shots. There are some holes that are playing downhill and you can take advantage, as well as the par 5s.”

Sitting at 15 under, Ciganda already has a number in mind for Sunday, a day that is expected to be 20 degrees cooler than Saturday with a 60 percent chance of rain.

“I think you still need to get to probably 21-, 22-under to win,” she said. “Try to get to that number and hopefully that’s enough.”

Ciganda has two LPGA wins but none since 2016. Local product Sarah Schmelzel, meanwhile, is seeking her first LPGA win.

She opened with a 68, followed that up with 63 and is hanging around the top of the leaderboard after a Saturday 70. She had three back-nine birdies and just missed another on 18 that would’ve given her the solo 54-hole lead.

“Today was tough,” she told Golf Channel after her round. “It was almost like the weather was a like a bit of a distraction. It was tough out there. It was a grind to just shoot under par this afternoon.”

So far this season, Schmelzel has a T-8, a solo second and a T-8 in her last three starts. And as for making the Phoenix area this week the time and place for her first LPGA win?

“It’s definitely something I have thought about since I was a little kid,” she admitted. “It’s something that’s in the back of my mind, but I gotta stay in the present and if it works out, it works out.”

The third member of the three-way tie for the lead is Hyo Joo Kim, who birdied three of her first four holes but then stalled, stringing together 14 straight pars to shoot a 3-under 69. Kim has a major among her six wins. A win this week would give her a fourth straight season with a victory.

Two are tied for fourth, a shot back: Maja Stark, who had one of the day’s better rounds with a 6-under 66, and Yuka Saso, who overcame a four-putt double bogey on the 15th hole with birdies on Nos. 16 and 18 to get to 14 under.

On a day when the winds gusted up to 35 miles per hour, Mi Hyang Lee produced the best round, an 8-under 64, which put her into a 10-way tie for sixth at 13 under, two shots back. That huge cluster of golfers at 13 under includes Lexi Thompson, Sei Young Kim, Nelly Korda and Lydia Ko.

Hira Naveed shot 7-under 65, the second-best score on Saturday. She’s tied for 16th at 12 under with Ayaka Furue and Lilia Vu.

Despite the heavy wind, only 11 of the 75 golfers who made the cut posted over-par scores, including Peiyun Chien, who shot 65 on Friday and 76 on Saturday.

There are 34 golfers at double-digits under par through 54 holes.

In anticipation of weather Sunday, the LPGA announced that for the final round, golfers will go off split tees in groups of three. The first group will start at 9:08 a.m. local time (12:08 p.m. ET) and leaders will tee off at 11:20 a.m. local time (2:20 p.m. ET).

Live final round coverage will start on Peacock at 4:30 p.m. ET and Golf Channel will come on at 6 p.m. ET.

LPGA players loving conditions (and rare courtesy vehicle perk from Ford) at Seville in Arizona

“That doesn’t happen” for LPGA players to get free courtesy vehicles.

GILBERT, Ariz. — The LPGA is no stranger to the state of Arizona. Over the last 75 or so years, the tour has visited the state close to 70 times.

This year, the tour is in the Phoenix suburb of Gilbert for the inaugural Ford Championship presented by KCC. Nine of the top 10 players in the Rolex Rankings are here as are all five tournament champs so far in 2024.

The Thunderbirds, the civic organization that runs the PGA Tour’s WM Phoenix Open, joined as a founding partner about a month ago and kicked in some extra funds, raising the total purse to $2.25 million, with the winner getting an oversized check for $337,500.

Just a few weeks before that, Ford came on as title sponsor, and that provided an unusual perk for the LPGA players.

“Shoutout to Ford for supplying every single player with a Ford vehicle this week,” said 2024 tournament director Emily Podzielinski. “We had pretty much every player take us up on that offer, which is great.

“That doesn’t happen, ever on the tour, for the players that every single person gets the opportunity to receive that.”

There were several vehicles for players to choose from.

“Some players wanted to drive trucks. Some of the Texans love driving the trucks,” said Podzielinski.

After two rounds, players said they were enjoying the set up of the golf course, too.

2024 Ford Championship
Ayaka Furue of Japan putts on the sixth green during the first round of the 2024 Ford Championship at Seville Golf and Country Club in Gilbert, Arizona. (Photo: Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Azahara Munoz, who played her college golf at nearby Arizona State, opened her week 64-68. Is there anything in particular she likes about Seville Golf and Country Club, a Gary Panks-design that opened in 2002?

“Everything, I guess,” she said. “It’s good. It sets up good. Gives you really good lines off the tee. The greens are firm, which is nice but it’s kind of forgiving, too, so you can be aggressive and make lots of birdies.”

Wide fairways, firm and fast greens and plenty of sunshine have generated low scores. The 36-hole cut came in at 5 under, tying the LPGA mark, which was last achieved in 2019.

There’s already been a 61 (Hannah Green), three 63s (Pajaree Anannarukarn, Sarah Schmelzel and Yuka Saso) and a slew of 64s by Munoz, Carlota Ciganda, Isi Gabsa, My Hyang Lee, Gabi Ruffels, Lydia Ko, Lilia Vu and Frida Kinhult.

Celine Boutier of France won the LPGA’s Drive On Championship at Superstition Mountain in nearby Gold Canyon a year ago in what turned out to be a one-year stint.

“I love coming to Arizona. I think the golf courses here are so nice, and especially this time of the year they’re always pristine condition,” she said. “Obviously a little bit sad not to be playing Superstition Mountain again but I think it’s still a great track here. Be a good test to shoot some low scores.”

After shooting 65-69 over the first two days, Boutier confirmed her initial impressions.

“It’s been good. I feel like this course is very scorable, so you get a lot of birdie chances. The par 5s are pretty reachable, so I think it’s a scorable course.”

Nelly Korda, one of the longer hitters on tour, returned to No. 1 in the world after winning last week.

“The par 3s are pretty tough out here, but all the par 5s are pretty gettable,” she said. Korda had an eagle and seven birdies with just two pars on the course’s four par 5s over her first 45 holes.

The LPGA held one-off events at the Legacy (2000), Papago (2009) and at Superstition (2023). Will Seville be a one-and-done as well, or will the tour return in 2025?

“I think we’re going to get through this one and all I know is it’s amazing having Ford on board, Ford Motor Company as the title partner,” Podzielinski said. “We want to be here in the Valley for a really long time and so we’re going to build a community-sustainable event and we’re excited to do that. This one came really really quickly and we’re happy with it. The club’s been great, the community’s been great but a lot of things have to fall into place before we start planning for 2025.”

Can a mom win on the LPGA for the first time since 2020? A local mom is in position at the Ford Championship

The last mom to win on the LPGA was Stacy Lewis at the 2020 Scottish Open.

GILBERT, Ariz. — The last mom to win on the LPGA was Stacy Lewis at the 2020 Scottish Open. This week, there are 10 mothers teeing it up in the Ford Championship, the seventh tournament on the LPGA’s 2024 schedule.

That includes Lindsey Weaver-Wright, who played high school golf in Cave Creek, Arizona, and completed her college career at the University of Arizona.

Weaver-Wright is playing in her first LPGA event since she became a mom to son Crew on Dec. 17. She opened her week with a bogey-free, 4-under 68 at Seville Golf and Country Club, which is hosting the inaugural Ford Championship

“I didn’t really know what to expect, so I just went into the whole week with very little expectation,” she said. “Got a lot going on in my mind right now. Yeah, Crew was just, it’s so funny just getting his texts from daycare, updates after the round. I just love it. My husband is updating me and he gets all the notifications, too.”

Her last shot in her last tournament before taking leave last October was a hole-out eagle.

PHOTOS: Ford Championship

Weaver-Wright trails co-leader Azahara Munoz of Spain, one of three to shoot an 8-under 64 on Thursday, along with Gabi Ruffels and Isi Gabsa.

Other moms playing this week include Sophia Popov and Caroline Masson, who played as a parent for the first time a week ago as well as Lewis, Brittany Lincicome, Paula Creamer, Cristie Kerr, Mel Reid and Hee Young Park.

Photos: LPGA’s 2024 Ford Championship at Seville Golf and Country Club

Since 1950, the LPGA has played a tournament in Arizona more than 70 times.

GILBERT, Ariz. — The Gary Panks-designed Seville Golf and Country Club opened in 2002 and 22 years later is taking centerstage as host venue for the inaugural Ford Championship. Seville is a par 72 playing 6,615 yards this week.

The LPGA has visited six different golf courses in the Phoenix area over the last 30 years. Since 1950, the LPGA has played a tournament in Arizona more than 70 times.

The field of 144 golfers features all five LPGA tournament winners so far in 2024 as well as nine of the top 10 in the Rolex Rankings, including top-ranked Nelly Korda, No. 2 Lilia Vu and No. 3 Celine Boutier

The total purse is $2.25 million with $337,500 going to the winner.

A week after missing a playoff by a shot, Gabi Ruffels posts her LPGA-low round at inaugural Ford Championship

Gabi Ruffels’ game is rounding into form in her 26th start in the big leagues.

GILBERT, Ariz. — She missed out on a playoff five days ago by a stroke. She posted her career-low round on the LPGA on Thursday.

Gabi Ruffels’ game is rounding into form in her 26th start in the big leagues.

Ruffels shot an 8-under 64 at Seville Golf and Country Club, host venue for the inaugural Ford Championship, and was tied for the lead for most of the day in the first round on a sunny day in the Phoenix suburbs. She was in a three-way tie for the lead till some in the afternoon wave went low, making it a five-way tie, but then Pajaree Anannarukarn, who finished on No. 9 buy making four-footer for birdie and the day’s lone 63.

Her bogey-free round featured a first-round high of nine birdies, including fives straight on Nos. 5 through 9 to cap her round. She hit 12 of 14 fairways and 16 of 18 greens.

As for Ruffels, she rebounded nicely from her lone bogey on No. 7 with three straight birdies on Nos. 8 through 10. Her eagle came on the par-5 fifth hole.

“I wish I knew, because I would want to take it every week with me,” the Aussie said when asked about how she’s maintaining momentum. “Just having that confidence knowing that I played well last week and everything in my game felt really well and then just doing the same things, not thinking too much about it and riding with the confidence.”

PHOTOS: Ford Championship

The 2019 U.S. Amateur champ shot a 65 last Saturday near Los Angeles but a closing 70 kept her one shot shy of a playoff with Nelly Korda and Ryann O’Toole. Korda, in the field this week and back in the No. 1 spot in the world rankings, won the event on the first playoff hole.

The West Coast swing seems to be suiting Ruffels just fine this season.

“My parents live in Palm Springs and I spend a lot of time there. It’s very similar climate-wise and the feel, that dry weather,” she said. “I’ve played probably a lot of my golf in the past five or six years in Palm Springs, so, yeah, I love Phoenix. Kind of the same feel and feels like home I guess.”

Ruffels has another professional win in Arizona. It came 11 months ago on the Epson Tour at Longbow Golf Club in neighboring Mesa.

Azahara Munoz of Spain, who played collegiately at nearby Arizona State, was the first in with a 64. She also eagled the fifth hole.

“It’s been a while,” she said of her low round. “I’ve had a few 5, 6 under, but not 8 under, which is really, really nice. Yeah, makes me happy to know that I can still do it.”

Germany’s Isi Gabsa later made it a three-way tie for the lead when she posted 64, including four straight birdies on Nos.14-18.

The afternoon wave produced two more 64s from another former Sun Devil, Carlota Ciganda, as well as world No. 2 Lilia Vu, who also had a nine-birdie, bogey-free round.

There are two golfers tied for seventh at 7 under – Celine Boutier and Hyo Joo Kim – and then swath of 11 golfers tied for ninth at 6 under. Add ’em up and that’s 19 golfers within two shots of the lead after 18 holes.

Nelly Korda, Lydia Ko back in the same LPGA field at Ford Championship for the first time since January showdown

Ko/Korda showdowns are massive for a tour in need of star power.

Nelly Korda celebrated her second playoff victory of the year with an In-N-Out burger and “animal style” fries as she drove east from Palos Verdes Estates, California, to the suburbs of Phoenix. The World No. 1 split the six-hour drive with fellow tour player Olivia Cowan after draining a 15-foot birdie putt on the first extra hole against Ryann O’Toole at the Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship four days ago.

At this week’s inaugural Ford Championship at Seville Golf and Country Club in Gilbert, Arizona, Korda faces a stacked field as she tries to become the first player since Ariya Jutanugarn to win three consecutive starts on the LPGA. Jutanugarn’s hot streak eight years ago included a Ricoh Women’s British Open title.

“First win as an auntie,” beamed Korda, whose older sister Jessica is on maternity leave. “My parents say I try to kill them every single time. I don’t purposely try to, but, yeah.”

Nine out of the top 10 players in the world are in the Ford field and all five winners from 2024. It’s the first time Korda has been in the same tournament as Lydia Ko since the two pals squared off against each other in January in Korda’s hometown of Bradenton, Florida, at the LPGA Drive On Championship in January. Korda beat Ko on the first hole of a playoff, denying her entry into the LPGA Hall of Fame. The celebratory champagne and flowers were left sitting by the 18th green.

2024 Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions
Lydia Ko smiles on the 18th green after winning the 2024 Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club. (Photo: Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)

Ko needs only one more point to reach the 27 required to enter the LPGA shrine. She went into the final round of the Blue Bay LPGA last month tied for the lead in China, but ultimately took a share of fourth as American Bailey Tardy bulldozed the field with a final-round 65 to win by four and claim her first LPGA title.

“I don’t think I fall asleep or wake up in a day thinking about the Hall of Fame,” said Ko. “I think people around me think about it more than I do. To be honest, last year I thought a lot about it, just because you’re so close.”

Ko went on to say that being in the LPGA Hall of Fame was never a big goal because she didn’t think she was capable of it. Humble words from a player who rewrote LPGA record books before she could legally drive a car.

Korda said she’s been good friends with “Lyds” for years thanks to the friendship that already existed between Ko and her older sister Jessica. Even though Ko’s time on tour predates Nelly, she still had a front-row seat to Ko’s brilliance as she followed Jessica’s career. Korda, 25, is only one year younger than Ko, who first won on the LPGA at age 15.

“I think she’s super resilient,” said Nelly. “I know in golf and sports, there are so many ups and downs, and she’s always bounced back.”

This season, Ko leads the tour in both bogey avoidance and scrambling, two statistical categories that she ranked outside of the top 50 one year ago, her worst season on tour.

The week before Korda won in front of a hometown crowd, Ko won quite literally where she lives and practices at Lake Nona Country Club at the season-opening Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions in Orlando. It was her 20th career LPGA title.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C48Zj5Up_Hy/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Ko/Korda showdowns are massive for a tour in need of star power.

Four of Korda’s 10 career titles have come in playoffs, and she’s now beaten Ko in two of them. The victory moved Korda ahead of Laura Davies on the all-time career money list to No. 28 with $9,523,989. Ko ranks fifth on that list at $17,438,722. This week’s purse of $2.25 million pays out $337,500 to the winner.

As Ko looks to become only the 35th player to enter the LPGA Hall of Fame and only the 25th to earn 27 HOF points, Korda, who took off seven weeks in between her two wins this year, said she never even thinks about making it in the HOF. She currently has 12 points.

“If I get there, then great,” said Korda, “but that’s not something that I put on my goal sheet.

“As I said, I think small goals then eventually lead to your bigger goals.”

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LPGA lands Ford as new title sponsor for 2024 Arizona stop

Last year’s Drive On Championship at Superstition Mountain Golf and Country Club didn’t have a title sponsor.

The LPGA has a new blue-chip title sponsor in Ford Motor Company, the tour announced on Tuesday. The upcoming Ford Championship will take place at Seville Golf and Country Club, March 28-31, in Gilbert, Arizona.

Last year, the LPGA stop at Superstition Mountain Golf and Country Club, called the Drive On Championship, did not have a title sponsor.

Mina Harigae is a member at Superstition and said that fellow member Tim Hovik, owner of San Tan Ford in Gilbert, had such a blast at last year’s Drive On that he called Ford’s corporate headquarters to try to get them involved.

“I can’t believe it did it,” said Harigae, “but that’s how much passion he has for this.”

While Superstition wanted to host again, she continued, the proposed dates didn’t work for the club.

“Ford’s collaboration with the LPGA Tour represents our commitment to supporting women in sports and showcasing their incredible talent on a global stage,” Lisa Materazzo, global chief marketing officer, Ford Motor Company, said in a release. “Through the Ford Championship presented by KCC, we aim to elevate the visibility of female athletes in the golfing world and inspire a new generation of fans.”

The LPGA has held an event in Arizona more than 70 times over the course of the tour’s nearly 75-year history. Celine Boutier won last year’s Drive On Championship at Superstition Mountain, the first of four titles for the Frenchwoman in 2023.

Seville Golf and Country Club, which counts tour player Alena Sharp as a member, was designed by Gary Panks and opened in 2000. Sharp said the last four holes are the best on the course, noting that the par-4 16th is drivable, the par-3 17th is an island green and the par-5 18th will be reachable in two.

“Our greens are the best greens around,” said Sharp, “they’re fast. I think the girls are really going to like it. There’s risk/reward and the course is in great shape. That’s what we like.”

A field of 144 players will compete in Gilbert for a $2 million purse. LPGA commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan said the current deal with Ford is for one year, but they’re already in talks about the future.

Marcoux Samaan also praised the fan support LPGA events receive in Arizona, noting that ticket sales is a key area of growth the tour is focused on in 2024.

“The fandom is so tremendous,” she said. “Last year, we just decided to do that event relatively late in the year and we had one of the best crowds of the year.”

Tom Mackin contributed to this story.