LPGA, PGA Teaming Up to Offer Major Event

According to an article in USA Today, The LPGA Championship is getting a new name, two big partners and a lot more exposure.

In what amounts to a merger announced Thursday morning, the LPGA Tour and PGA of America have become partners in the Women's PGA Championship. It will be the first women's major run by the PGA of America starting in 2015 at Westchester Country Club in New York.

KPMG will be the title sponsor and use the week to host a major conference that brings together top female executives from business, politics, sports and society.

"Of anything we've done over the last 18 months, there's nothing I'm more excited about than this," said Pete Bevacqua, the chief executive of the PGA of America. "We're excited because we feel we need to do something big, something important with the women's game. Our two key mandates are serving our members and growing the game. And so much of growing the game is getting more women involved."

The plan is to move the KPMG Women's PGA Championship around the country. The purse will increase in 2015 to $3.5 million, up from $2.25 million this year, and it will become only the second LPGA Tour event on network television, joining the U.S. Women's Open.

The LPGA Championship will be played Aug. 14-17 at Monroe Golf Club outside Rochester for the last time under its old name.

To read the full article, click here.