2011 LPGA Schedule Announced

While things have already gotten started for the men in 2011, the ladies will officially get their season underway on February 17 in Thailand, as the year’s schedule was announced yesterday. There will be 25 events on tour this season, and commissioner Michael Whan will be looking to build off of some of the success of 2010, and continue to try and push the LPGA in an upward direction.

The 2010 season for the LPGA was all about unpredictability. You had one of the greatest players the tour has ever seen, Lorena Ochoa, announcing her surprising retirement. You had a weekly battle for the top spot in the Rolex Rankings, with a handful of players owning spot at some point in time throughout the season. It really was a pretty exciting season.

But that year has passed, and it’s time to see what Whan can do to keep the tour on the right track. After Carolyn Bivens completely sent the tour into a downward spiral a few years ago, we all knew this wouldn’t be an easy task for Whan. However, the number of 2011 events is similar to the number of events in 2010, so at least he has been able to maintain sponsorships and interest for the tour.

In terms of players, it will be interesting to see the type of start that Jiyai Shin has. Shin is currently number one in the Rolex Rankings, and should have another big season after playing some great golf in 2010.

And then there’s the usual suspects rounding out the top five in the current rankings. Cristie Kerr, Suzann Pettersen, Na Yeon Choi, and Yani Tseng were all huge factors on tour last season, and you would expect the same this season as well.

Tseng could be the most intriguing of the group, since she won two majors last season, and has three already in her career. And oh, just in case you didn’t know…..she’s only 21.

Of course, you can’t forget about Ai Miyazato either, who is sitting at sixth in the world rankings. She started off 2010 with a bang, by winning four of the first eight events on tour, and there’s no doubt in my mind that she’s gonna have another big season.

It should be another great year of action, and hopefully Whan can begin to turn the corner and find more ways to gain new fans for the tour.

You can check out the full schedule by clicking on the menu bar above, or by simply clicking here.

Tags: LPGA, lpga tour schedule