Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic Preview and TV Schedule
Apr 4, 2014; Rancho Mirage, CA, USA; Michelle Wie tees off on the fifth hole in the second round of the Kraft Nabisco Championship golf tournament at Mission Hills Country Club. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
The 2nd edition of the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic, co-sanctioned by the LPGA and Taiwan LPGA, gets under way this week at the Lake Merced Golf Club in San Francisco. Rolex ranked no. 1 Lydia Ko is the defending champion at one of the Tour’s most colorful events that will be contested in one of the world’s most magical cities.
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A field that includes all eight 2015 tournament winners will be competing for a share of a two million dollar purse as well as 500 Race to the CME Globe points. Going into the Swinging Skirts, Lydia Ko is leading that year-long race for the million dollar purse, but with a win this week rookie Sei Young Kim — now a two-time 2015 Tour champion — Stacy Lewis or Inbee Park could easily take the lead.
Swinging Skirts Yard Art
In addition to the ever-expanding circle of champions, the field for the 2015 Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic includes Paula Creamer, Ai Miyazato, Azahara Munoz, Anna Nordqvist, Shanshan Feng and Suzann Pettersen and Hall of Famers Laura Davies, Juli Inkster, Karrie Webb and Se Ri Pak. Morgan Pressel, So Yeon Ryu, Beatriz Recari, Ariya and Moriya Jutanugarn, Lexi Thompson, Michelle Wie and Yani Tseng will add their strength to a field that promises an extraordinarily high level of competition.
For them they’re just a golf team. When they talked about having an LPGA tournament I thought they were crazy. – Yani Tseng
For the Taiwan-based Swinging Skirts Golf Team, a non-profit organization devoted to the game of golf and promoting and supporting the development of golf in Taiwan, the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic is a dream come true.
The 2014 inaugural Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic was a vibrant, colorful event loaded with energy. The Swinging Skirts brought their kilts, their art work, their enthusiasm, and their love of the game and the City by the Bay embraced and loved them. This year promises more of the same.
Swinging Skirts Yard Art
Located in the heart of San Francisco, the par-72, 6,507 yard Lake Merced Golf Club track offers the perfect setting for the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic. Founded in 1922 — before Bobby Jones had won a major championship — the club has a long history of hosting innovative, championship competitions. The Swinging Skirts delightful and whimsical yard art has found its home-away-from-home on the club’s grounds.
Lake Merced Golf Course is unusual in that it has no water hazards. Known for its narrow, tree-lined fairways, thick rough and an abundance of bunkers — some of them quite deep — Lake Merced will favor accuracy over distance and putting skills will be at a premium on the track’s undulating greens. The Bay Area winds are also likely to come into play at this time of year.
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Whether or not LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan will again don a kilt is probably less important than the contest that will begin Thursday morning at 7:05 PDT at a tournament that is as much a celebration of art and culture as it is a golf competition.
"We are once again thrilled to showcase our Taiwanese culture to golf fans both in San Francisco and around the world on television. We welcome Lydia Ko and the best players from the LPGA to Lake Merced Golf Club and we expect another fantastic week both on and off the golf course. – Swinging Skirts Chairman Johnson Wang"
Whether Lydia Ko and Stacy Lewis again wage a battle down the back nine or new contestants emerge to claim this year’s title on Sunday, I have no doubt that the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic will deliver golf that’s worthy of the game.
The Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic will be televised by US audiences on Golf Channel Thursday, April 23 through Sunday, April 26 from 6 to 9 p.m. Eastern Time, and Fox in Taiwan.