ALPG Tour
Encyclopedia
The ALPG Tour is a professional golf
tour for women which is based in Australia
. ALPG stands for "Australian Ladies Professional Golf".
The ALPG was founded as the Ladies Professional Golf Association of Australia (LPGAA) in 1972, and switched to its current name in 1991. The first events featured twelve competitors, and the early years were a struggle. However the long term trend was of gradual expansion and by 2004 there were over one hundred and fifty members.
The season features 13 tournaments, usually played over the Australian summer between November and March. The ANZ Ladies Masters
and MFS Women's Australian Open have long been the leading events on the tour, with both being co-sanctioned with the more prestigious Ladies European Tour
(LET) which helps attract a higher quality field. In 2010 the New Zealand Women's Open
became the third tournament to be co-sanctioned by the LET. The ANZ Masters, the Australian Open and the New Zealand Open have prize funds of A$
600,000, A$500,000 and A$400,000 respectively, each higher than the prize funds of all 10 remaining events combined. The New South Wales Open and the Royal Canberra Ladies Classic have purses of A$100,000 and A$125,000 respectively, and no other event has a purse of over A$25,000. Beginning in 2012, the Women's Australian Open will also be co-sanctioned by the U.S. LPGA Tour
.
Australian Karrie Webb
, one of the leading players in global women's golf, has a background on the tour, and continues to play in its two main events each season. However Webb and other leading members of the ALPG spend most of the year competing outside Australia, principally on the LPGA Tour and the LET.
Major championships
in bold.
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
tour for women which is based in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. ALPG stands for "Australian Ladies Professional Golf".
The ALPG was founded as the Ladies Professional Golf Association of Australia (LPGAA) in 1972, and switched to its current name in 1991. The first events featured twelve competitors, and the early years were a struggle. However the long term trend was of gradual expansion and by 2004 there were over one hundred and fifty members.
The season features 13 tournaments, usually played over the Australian summer between November and March. The ANZ Ladies Masters
ANZ Ladies Masters
The ANZ Ladies Masters is a golf tournament that is played in Australia. It is one of the leading tournaments on the ALPG Tour and has been co-sanctioned by the Ladies European Tour since 2001. Between 1997 and 2000 it was an event on the LPGA Tour....
and MFS Women's Australian Open have long been the leading events on the tour, with both being co-sanctioned with the more prestigious Ladies European Tour
Ladies European Tour
The Ladies European Tour is a professional golf tour for women which was founded in 1979. It is based in England. Like many UK-based sports organisations it is a company limited by guarantee, a legal structure which enables it to focus on maximising returns to its members through prize money,...
(LET) which helps attract a higher quality field. In 2010 the New Zealand Women's Open
New Zealand Women's Open
The New Zealand Women's Open is a women's professional golf tournament on the ALPG Tour. It was founded in 2009 and became an event on the Ladies European Tour the following year.-Winners:...
became the third tournament to be co-sanctioned by the LET. The ANZ Masters, the Australian Open and the New Zealand Open have prize funds of A$
Australian dollar
The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
600,000, A$500,000 and A$400,000 respectively, each higher than the prize funds of all 10 remaining events combined. The New South Wales Open and the Royal Canberra Ladies Classic have purses of A$100,000 and A$125,000 respectively, and no other event has a purse of over A$25,000. Beginning in 2012, the Women's Australian Open will also be co-sanctioned by the U.S. LPGA Tour
LPGA
The LPGA, in full the Ladies Professional Golf Association, is an American organization for female professional golfers. The organization, whose headquarters is in Daytona Beach, Florida, is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of weekly golf tournaments for elite female golfers from...
.
Australian Karrie Webb
Karrie Webb
Karrie Ann Webb AM is Australia's most successful female professional golfer, and one of the top players in the history of global women's golf. She currently plays mainly on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour and also turns out once or twice a year on the ALPG Tour in her home country. She is a member of...
, one of the leading players in global women's golf, has a background on the tour, and continues to play in its two main events each season. However Webb and other leading members of the ALPG spend most of the year competing outside Australia, principally on the LPGA Tour and the LET.
2011 Schedule and results
The table below shows the 2011 schedule. The numbers in brackets after the winners' names show the number of career wins they had on the ALPG Tour up to and including that event. This is only shown for members of the tour.| Dates | Tournament | Location | Winner | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2-3, 2010 | St Georges Basin Country Club Pro-Am | St Georges Basin Country Club |  Joanne MillsJoanne Mills Joanne Nicole Mills is an Australian golfer, who currently plays on the Ladies' European Tour.Mills was born in Sydney, New South Wales. As an amateur, she won the 1991 New South Wales Strokeplay Championship, the 1992 Tasmanian Strokeplay Championship, and the 1993 Victoria Strokeplay Championship... (7) |
|
| Jan 8-9 | St Georges Basin Country Club | Branxton Golf Club | Rachell Bailey (2) |
|
| Jan 12 | NRE Gujurat Russell Vale Challenge Cup | Russell Vale Golf Club |  Ryann O'TooleRyann O'Toole Ryann Ashley O'Toole is an American female professional golfer currently playing on the LPGA Tour and the Futures Tour.-Amateur career:... (n/a) |
|
| Jan 13-14 | Moss Vale Golf Club Ladies Classic | Moss Vale Golf Club | Katherine Hull Katherine Hull Katherine Hull is an Australian professional golfer currently playing on the United States-based LPGA Tour and on the ALPG Tour.-Amateur career:... (4) |
|
| Jan 16-17 | Mount Broughton Classic | Mount Broughton Golf and Country Club | Katherine Hull Katherine Hull Katherine Hull is an Australian professional golfer currently playing on the United States-based LPGA Tour and on the ALPG Tour.-Amateur career:... (5) |
|
| Jan 21-23 | Bing Lee Samsung NSW Women's Open | Oatlands Golf Club |  Caroline HedwallCaroline Hedwall Caroline Hedwall is a Swedish professional golfer who plays on the Ladies European Tour and the LPGA Tour. She lives in Löddeköpinge, Sweden.... (n/a) |
|
| Jan 28-30 | ActewAGL Royal Canberra Ladies Classic | Royal Canberra Golf Club | Ashley Ona (n/a) |
|
| Feb 3-6 | Women's Australian Open | Commonwealth Golf Club |  Yani TsengYani Tseng Yani Tseng is a Taiwanese professional golfer currently playing on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour. She is the youngest player ever, male or female, to win five major championships and is currently ranked number 1 in the Women's World Golf Rankings.... (n/a) |
co-sanctioned with LET |
| Feb 10-13 | ANZ RACV Ladies Masters ANZ Ladies Masters The ANZ Ladies Masters is a golf tournament that is played in Australia. It is one of the leading tournaments on the ALPG Tour and has been co-sanctioned by the Ladies European Tour since 2001. Between 1997 and 2000 it was an event on the LPGA Tour.... |
RACV Royal Pines Resort | Yani Tseng Yani Tseng Yani Tseng is a Taiwanese professional golfer currently playing on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour. She is the youngest player ever, male or female, to win five major championships and is currently ranked number 1 in the Women's World Golf Rankings.... (n/a) |
co-sanctioned with LET |
| Feb 17-20 | Pegasus New Zealand Women's Open | Pegasus Golf and Sports Club | Kristie Smith Kristie Smith Kristie Lynn Smith is an Australian professional golfer who plays on the Futures Tour and the Ladies European Tour.Prior to turning professional, Smith was a member of the Golf Australia National Squad and travels the country, and the world, competing in amateur golf events... (2) |
co-sanctioned with LET |
| Feb 24 | Lady Anne Funerals Ryde Parramatta Pro-Am | Ryde Parramatta Golf Club | Sarah Kemp |
Major championships
Women's major golf championships
Women's golf has a set of major championships which parallels that in men's golf, but the women's system is younger and has been less stable than the men's. Many professional stroke play events for women are played over three rounds , but the majors are played over four rounds , which is the...
in bold.