2016 LPGA slate features 34 events

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The LPGA Tour, which was struggling only five years ago, announced a 2016 schedule that includes 34 tournaments.

In 2011, the circuit included only 25 events.

“Our team’s focus has exclusively shifted from securing new events to enhancing the ones we have on the schedule,” said Commissioner Michael Whan, who has overseen the revitalization of the tour.

“Increasing purses, number of weeks on network TV and creating more exposure for our events and players are the short-term goals we have set.”

It will be an exciting year for California fans of the LPGA Tour, with four tournaments scheduled for the Golden State, including two major championships.

The ANA Inspiration, formerly the Dinah Shore, will again be the first major of the year on March 31-April 3 at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, and the U.S. Open will be played on July 7-10 at CordeValle Golf Club in San Martin.

The other three LPGA Tour majors are the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Sahalee Country Club in Sammamish, Wash., on June 9-12, the Ricoh Women’s British Open at Woburn Golf Club outside London on July 28-31, and the Evian Championship at Evian Golf Resort in Evian-les-Bains, France, on Sept. 15-18.

And of course, there will be the return of golf to the Olympic Games for the first time since 1904 in St. Louis, on Aug. 18-21 in Rio de Janeiro.

The 60-player women’s field for the Olympics will be determined by the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings. The top 15 players in the rankings will qualify, with a limit of four players from any country.

The rest of the field also will come from the rankings, with a maximum of two players from each country that does not have two or more among the top 15. The field will be determined from the rankings on July 11, 2016.

The two other California events will be the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic at Lake Merced Golf Club in Daly City, just outside San Francisco, on April 21-24, and the Kia Classic at Aviara Golf Club in Carlsbad on March 24-27.

The newest LPGA Tour event will be the LPGA Volvik Championship at Travis Pointe Country Club in Ann Arbor, Mich., on May 26-29.

The 2016 season and the Race to the CME Globe will again kick off with the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic on the Ocean Club Course at Paradise Island in the Bahamas, on Jan. 28-31, and culminate with the CME Group Tour Championship on Nov. 17-20 at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Fla.

There are 23 events on the schedule in North America and 11 throughout the rest of the world.

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