- LPGA Futures Tour
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The LPGA Futures Tour, previously styled in uppercase as FUTURES Tour and known for sponsorship reasons between 2006 and 2010 as the Duramed FUTURES Tour, is the official developmental golf tour of the LPGA Tour. Tour membership is open to professional women golfers and to qualified amateurs.
Contents
History
The Futures Tour was founded in Florida in 1981 as the "Tampa Bay Mini Tour". It officially became the Futures Golf Tour in 1983[1] and in 1999 become a national tour designated as the "official developmental tour" of the LPGA Tour (the U.S. based professional women's golf tour).
Grace Park, Marilyn Lovander and Audra Burks were the first players to receive automatic LPGA Tour exempt status by finishing one, two, and three on the Futures Golf Tour Money List.[1]
On July 18, 2007, the LPGA announced that it had acquired the Futures Tour effective immediately, "bringing women's professional golf now under one umbrella." Previously the Futures Tour had operated as a licensee of the LPGA.[2]
Duramed, a pharmaceutical company, was the tour's title sponsor from 2006 through the end of the 2010 season.
Promotion to LPGA
1999–2007
From 1999 through 2007 the top five leading money winners at the end of each season earned full membership in the following season's LPGA Tour. Starting with the sixth-ranked player at the end of the season, ten additional Futures Tour players who are not already members of the LPGA, automatically advanced into the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament, bypassing the sectional qualifying tournament.
2008–2010
Beginning in 2008 the process for promotion to the LPGA Tour was changed. The top ten leading money winners at the end of the season gain membership on the LPGA Tour for the next season, with those finishing in the top five positions gaining higher priority for entry into events than those finishing in positions six through ten. Finishers in positions sixth through ten still have the option to attend LPGA Qualifying School to try to improve their membership for the following season.[3]
2011–present
Beginning in 2011, the promotion process was changed slightly to allow the next 12 players, excluding current LPGA members, after the top ten qualifiers to automatic entry into Stage III of the LPGA Qualifying Tournament.[4]
Players
Players come from around the world to compete on the Futures Tour. In recent[when?] years, a particularly strong contingent of players has come from South Korea.[citation needed]
Futures Tour graduates include LPGA tournament winners Laura Davies, Meaghan Francella, Cristie Kerr, Christina Kim, Lorena Ochoa, Grace Park, Stacy Prammanasudh, Sherri Steinhauer, and Karrie Webb.
2011 Schedule and results
The number in parentheses after winners' names show the player's total number of official money, individual event wins on the Futures Tour including that event.
Dates Tournament Location Winner Notes March 25–27 Florida's Natural Charity Classic Florida Tzu-Chi Lin (1)
April 1–3 Daytona Beach Invitational Florida Haru Nomura (1)
April 8–10 Santorini Riviera Nayarit Classic Mexico Ryann O'Toole (3)
April 29–May 1 Symetra Classic Texas Lisa Ferrero (1)
June 3–5 Ladies Titan Tire Challenge Iowa Kathleen Ekey (1)
June 10–12 Teva Championship Ohio Lisa Ferrero (2)
June 16–19 Tate & Lyle Players Championship Illinois Valentine Derrey (1)
June 24–26 Island Resort Championship Michigan Stephanie Kim (1)
New tournament June 30–July 2 South Shore Championship Indiana Tiffany Joh (2)
New tournament July 15–17 ING New England Golf Classic Connecticut Brittany Johnston (1)
July 22–24 The International at Concord New Hampshire Jessica Shepley (1)
July 29–31 Alliance Bank Golf Classic New York Kathleen Ekey (2)
August 5–7 Pennsylvania Classic Pennsylvania Cathryn Bristow (1)
August 12–14 Eagle Classic Virginia Mo Martin (3)
August 26–28 Vidalia Championship Georgia Sydnee Michaels (1)
New tournament September 9–11 Price Chopper Tour Championship New York Sydnee Michaels (2)
Tournaments in bold are majors
Source: Futures Tour official website.2011 money leaders
The top ten money winners at the end of the season gain membership on the LPGA Tour for the 2012 season, with those finishing in the top five positions gaining higher priority for entry into events than those finishing in positions six through ten. The next twelve players, excluding current LPGA members earn automatic entry into Stage III of the LPGA Qualifying Tournament in the fall of 2011.[4]
Top ten official money leaders
Official as of the end of the season
Rank Change Player Country Events Prize
money ($)1 Kathleen Ekey United States
16 66,412 2 Lisa Ferrero United States
16 58,808 3 Mo Martin United States
16 58,218 4 1
Sydnee Michaels United States
15 56,232 5 1
Jane Rah United States
15 46,669 6 Tiffany Joh United States
7 37,566 7 Valentine Derrey France
15 34,572 8 1
Hanna Kang South Korea
15 32,992 9 2
Jenny Gleason United States
15 30,331 10 2
Tzu-Chi Lin Taiwan
14 29,861 Change=change from previous ranking.
Source and complete list: Futures Tour official website.Historical tour schedules and results
Year Number of
tournamentsTotal prize
money (US$)2011 Tour 16 1,765,000[5] 2010 Tour 17 1,920,000[6] 2009 Tour 17 1,795,000[7] 2008 Tour 18 1,710,000[8] 2007 Tour 19 1,585,000[9] 2006 Tour 19 1,425,000[10] Futures Tour awards
- The Player of the Year Award is given to the player who leads the money list at the end of the season.
- The Gaëlle Truet Rookie of the Year Award is awarded to the player competing in her first professional season who finishes highest on the Futures Tour Money List. Truet was a Tour member who was killed in a car accident during the 2006 season. The award was renamed in her honor beginning in 2006.
- The Trainor Award has been given each year since 1999 to an individual or group that has made a significant contribution to women’s golf. It is named in honor of the Tour’s founder and former president, Eloise Trainor.
- The Heather Wilbur Spirit Award has been given each year since 2003 to a Futures Tour player who "best exemplifies dedication, courage, perseverance, love of the game and spirit toward achieving goals as a professional golfer." It is named in memory of Heather Wilbur, a four-year Futures Tour player who died from leukemia in 2000 at age 27.
Year Player of the Year Rookie of the Year Trainor Award Heather Wilbur Spirit Award 2011 Kathleen Ekey
Sydnee Michaels
Izzy Beisiegel
2010 Cindy LaCrosse
Jennifer Song
Executive Women's Golf Association Mo Martin
2009 Mina Harigae
Mina Harigae
Renee Powell
Malinda Johnson
2008 Vicky Hurst
Vicky Hurst
Jocelyne Bourassa
Katie Fraley
2007 Emily Bastel
Violeta Retamoza
Cynthia Rihm
Jenny Hansen
2006 Song-Hee Kim
Song-Hee Kim
Sherrin Smyers
Katie Connelly
2005 Seon-Hwa Lee
Sun Young Yoo
Karrie Webb
Salimah Mussani
2004 Jimin Kang
Aram Cho
Decatur, Illinois Women's Committees
Lindsey Wright
2003 Stacy Prammanasudh
Soo Young Moon
Wilma Gilliland
Heather Wilbur
2002 Lorena Ochoa
Lorena Ochoa
Bob Hirschman and Connie Shorb
2001 Beth Bauer
Beth Bauer
Diane Lewis
2000 Heather Zakhar
Jamie Hullett
Betty Puskar
1999 Grace Park
Lew Williams
1998 Michelle Bell
1997 Marilyn Lovander
1996 Vickie Moran
1995 Patty Ehrhart
1994 Marilyn Lovander
1993 Nanci Bowen
1992 Jodi Figley
1991 Kim Williams
1990 Denise Baldwin
1989 Jennifer MacCurrach
1988 Jenny Lidback
1987 Laurel Kean
1986 Tammie Green
1985 Tammie Green
1984 Penny Hammel
The Big Break
Many of the contestants on The Golf Channel's The Big Break III: Ladies Only, which aired in the Spring of 2005, played on the Futures Tour, including Danielle Amiee, who ended up being the show's overall champion. The other players from the show that played on the Futures Tour were Jan Dowling, Valeria Ochoa, runner-up Pamela Crikelair, and LPGA veteran Cindy Miller. Show co-host Stephanie Sparks played on the Futures Tour from 1996 to 1999.
The Big Break V: Hawaii, which aired in the spring of 2006, included six additional Futures Tour competitors: Dana Lacey, Ashley Prange, Kim Lewellen, Kristina Tucker, Becky Lucidi and Jeanne Cho. Prange won the competition; Cho was runner-up.
The Big Break VI: Trump National, broadcast in the fall of 2006, included six more Futures Tour players: Rachel Bailey, the individual winner of the 2002 Sunbelt Conference Championship at New Mexico State University; Bridget Dwyer, a member of the 2004 NCAA Women's Golf Championship winning team at UCLA; Ashley Gomes, the 2004 WAC Player of the Year and individual winner of the 2004 WAC Championship while at San Jose State University; Sarah Lynn Johnston, the 2004 Southern Conference Player of the Year and individual winner of the 2004 Southern Conference Championship while at Furman University; Kristy McPherson, a three-time NCAA All-American First Team selection and two-time individual winner of the SEC Championship while at The University of South Carolina; and Briana Vega, who holds North Carolina State University's scoring records for 18-holes (68) and 54-holes (216).
Notes and references
- ^ a b Lisa D. Mickey. "Silver Anniversary Salute: FUTURES Tour Prepares For Next 25 Years". Duramed Futures Tour. http://www.duramedfuturestour.com/News/SilverAnniversarySalute.html. Retrieved 2007-04-26.
- ^ "LPGA acquires Duramed FUTURES Tour". LPGA.com. 2007-07-18. http://www.lpga.com/content_1.aspx?pid=11839&mid=4. Retrieved 2007-07-19.
- ^ "LPGA Tour Cards Award to Duramed Futures Tour Top 10". LPGA. http://www.lpga.com/content_1.aspx?pid=17028&mid=4. Retrieved 2008-08-25.
- ^ a b "Ten LPGA Futures Tour Players Earn 2012 LPGA Tour Membership". LPGA. September 11, 2011. http://www.lpga.com/content_1.aspx?pid=29991&mid=4. Retrieved September 12, 2011.
- ^ 2011 Tournament Schedule
- ^ 2010 Tournament Schedule
- ^ 2009 Tournament Schedule
- ^ 2008 Tournament Schedule
- ^ 2007 Tournament Schedule
- ^ 2006 Tournament Schedule
External links
- Official website
- Official Duramed Championship Podcasts from Game Day Communications
- Life lessons of the Future Tour ESPN.com July 14, 2006
Women's Professional Golf Tours Major tours Development tours LPGA Futures Tour · SAS Masters TourOther tours Senior tours Categories:- Professional golf tours
- Golf in the United States
- Women's golf
- LPGA Futures Tour
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