Houston We Have a Golf Tournament LPGA Tour Championship Heads to H-Town

Despite a sagging economy and lack of a title sponsor, the LPGA Tour will in fact have a season-ending Tour Championship, and it will be held in Houston.

The Houstonian Golf & Country Club is the new home of the LPGA’s year-end event, which will mark first time the Houston metropolitan area has welcomed a regular season LPGA stop since 1986. In 2003, The Woodlands Country Club was the site of the Samsung World Championship.

“There was a fair amount of speculation as the year has unfolded and the financial downturn has impacted sports entertainment and sponsors throughout the industry. It feels good to make the announcement,” LPGA commissioner Carolyn Bivens said in the Houstonian clubhouse. “Houston is a premier sports city that will embrace a season finale featuring the game’s greatest stars.”

The 2009 LPGA Tour Championship, to be held November 17-22, will feature a field of 120 of the top LPGA professionals in the world, a $1,500,000 purse, and a unique format that will see a cut after 36 holes to the low 70 professionals and an additional cut after 54 holes to the low 30 pros.

The LPGA’s best will be tested by the Rees Jones-designed golf course that can stretch to more than 7,100 from the tips. The Houstonian is a classic parkland layout free of housing developments, which means fans will be treated to uninterrupted views of the action. Among its many accolades, The Houstonian Golf & Country Club was proud host of the 2006 Nationwide Tour Championship.

The golf course is meticulously maintained year-round, and is expected to be in prime shape when the Tour Championship rolls into town. The Jones design is highlighted by 50 acres of lakes and waterways along with 43 bunkers.

Tickets for the 2009 LPGA Tour Championship are on sale now and can be purchased online at www.lpgatourchampionship.org or by phone at 877-LPGA-TIX.

The LPGA Tour Championship will be broadcast on the Golf Channel from Thursday, November 19 to Sunday, November 22.