The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) and the Ladies European Tour (LET) today announced that they will unite in a joint venture partnership to push womenโs professional golf to new heights in Europe and around the world.
The combination of the LETโs European expertise and relationships in the region, with the LPGAโs global strength and worldwide exposure, and their shared vision for the future of womenโs professional golf and growth of the game, provides the core ingredients to ignite a tour loaded with upside potential.
LET players voted their support for the joint venture partnership on Tuesday during the LETโs Annual Membership Meeting in Spain.
โTwo teams, joining for one common purpose, will create opportunities we simply could not have pursued on our own,โ said LET Board Chair Marta Figueras-Dotti. โAt its foundation, this joint venture is about creating opportunities for our members to pursue their passion, and their careers as professional athletes. In just the 60 days since we began working on this joint venture, we have already seen a dramatic impact on our LET Tour schedule โ an impact that will be a positive result for virtually all of our LET Members.โ
🚨 BREAKING - LET🤝LPGA 🚨
โ Ladies European Tour (@LETgolf) November 26, 2019
Following the LET AGM this evening, the proposed arrangements between the LET & @LPGA in relation to the tour have been approved by a majority vote to unite in a joint venture partnership🏌🏻♀️⛳️https://t.co/o7U2PCHN8K
The LPGA and LET share a common vision to strengthen the presence of womenโs golf in Europe. A thriving Europe-based womenโs professional tour is critical to help women from the continent pursue their dreams through the game of golf, and for the overall health and growth of the game globally. Perhaps most importantly, a strong womenโs tour in Europe will expose millions of young girls to the great athletes, leaders and role models of the LET, helping to inspire the next generation of European players.
โThis is an exciting next step for the LPGAโs mission to provide more opportunities for women in this game. Over the past 10 years, the LPGA has had tremendous success partnering with other golf stakeholders, including the USGA, PGA Tour, European Tour, R&A and PGA of America, to enhance opportunities for women worldwide. We are thrilled to deepen our relationship with the Ladies European Tour in an effort to create the strongest possible womenโs tour in Europe,โ said LPGA Commissioner Michael Whan. โWe have experienced incredible growth in womenโs golf in the U.S., and this is an extraordinary opportunity to accelerate and expand the game in Europe as well. Iโm excited that this is something we will build together, with the LET.โ
The venture will be jointly managed by the LPGA and the LET and, through their combined resources, will seek to fast track an expanded LET schedule. This yearโs LET schedule currently includes 20 official events in 13 different countries, with eight of those events in Europe, including two major championships, The Evian Championship and the AIG Womenโs British Open. The partnership aims to immediately increase playing opportunities for women in Europe, and to have that schedule growth lead to both increased financial opportunities and an optional pathway to the LPGA for the tourโs top performers.