LET announces Road to Costa del Sol and LPGA partnership

LPGA Commissioner Michael Whan and LET Board Chair Marta Figueras-Dotti

The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) and the Ladies European Tour (LET) will unite in a joint venture to push women's professional golf to new heights in Europe and around the world.

LET players voted their support for the joint venture during the LET's Annual Membership Meeting in Spain on Tuesday

"Two teams, joining for one common purpose, will create opportunities we simply could not have pursued on our own," said LET Board Chair Marta Figueras-Dotti. "At its foundation, this joint venture is about creating opportunities for our members to pursue their passion, and their careers as professional athletes.

“In just the 60 days since we began working on this joint venture, we have already seen a dramatic impact on our LET Tour schedule – an impact that will be a positive result for virtually all of our LET Members."

LPGA Commissioner Michael Whan said the move was “an exciting next step for the LPGA's mission to provide more opportunities for women in this game.”

The venture will be jointly managed by the LPGA and the LET and, through their combined resources, will seek to fast track an expanded LET schedule.

This year's LET schedule currently includes 20 official events in 13 different countries, with eight of those events in Europe, including two major championships, The Evian Championship and the AIG Women's British Open.

The partnership aims to immediately increase playing opportunities for women in Europe, and to have that schedule growth lead to both increased financial opportunities and an optional pathway to the LPGA for the tour’s top performers.

The LET season ends in Spain this week with Leona Maguire teeing it up in the Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España Femenino at Aloha Golf Club in Marbella.

Thanks to the joint support of the Ministry of Tourism of the Junta de Andalucía, Turismo Costa del Sol, Acosol – Commonwealth of Municipalities of the Costa del Sol Occidental and the municipalities of Benahavís and Marbella — the tournament prize fund will double in 2020, increasing from €300,000 to €600,000.

In addition, the Ladies European Tour Order of Merit will be renamed the ‘Race to Costa del Sol’, with an additional bonus pool of €250,000, split between the top three finishers.

This means that whoever tops the ranking will receive an additional €125,000, with the second highest finisher receiving €75,000 and €50,000 for the third placed player following the season-long race.

The Race to Costa del Sol will showcase the tourism excellence of both the Costa del Sol and Andalusia whilst providing a tremendous incentive for the LET players.