Monday, March 13, 2017

Bank of Hope Founders Cup Winners and History

Founders Cup Winners

Founders Cup Winners and History

The Founders Cup was established in 2011 as a tribute to the thirteen legendary founders of the LPGA: Alice Bauer, Patty Berg, Bettye Danoff, Helen Detweiler, Marlene Bauer Hagge, Helen Hicks, Opal Hill, Betty Jameson, Sally Sessions, Marilynn Smith, Shirley Spork, Louise Suggs and Babe Didriksen Zaharias.

The tournament started amid controversy over its unique format. In 2011, the players were not paid and the entire purse went to charity. Players did receive “virtual” earnings that qualified them on the LPGA’s official money list.

It probably wasn’t the best idea. The LPGA at the time was short on both tournaments and opportunities for the players to earn income and the notion of playing for free did not sit well with many.

In 2012, the tournament expanded from three days to four and real cash payouts were begun.

In 2013, JTBC replaced R.R. Donnelley as sponsor of the LPGA’s Founder’s Cup. In 2017, the title sponsor is Bank of Hope.

Bank of Hope, headquartered in Los Angeles, bills itself as the “only super regional Korean-American bank in the U.S.” The bank, which serves “a multi-ethnic population of customers’ has 73 full-service branches across nine states.

The tournament is played at the Wildfire Golf Club at JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa in Phoenix, Arizona. The Arnold Palmer design is a 6,583 yard par 72.

A list of past Founders Cup winners follows:

 

RR Donnelley Founders Cup Past Winners
Year Champion Country Score Purse ($) Winner’s share
2016 Kim Sei-young South Korea 261 (–27) 1,500,000 225,000
2015 Kim Hyo-Joo South Korea 267 (–21) 1,500,000 225,000
2014 Karrie Webb Australia 269 (–19) 1,500,000 225,000
2013 Stacey Lewis United States 265 (–23) 1,500,000 225,000
2012 Yani Tseng  Taiwan 270 (–18) 1,500,000 225,000
2011 Karrie Webb  Australia 204 (–12) 1,000,000 200,000

The post Bank of Hope Founders Cup Winners and History appeared first on GolfBlogger Golf Blog.



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