The LPGA Tour announced that it will return to Los Angeles this year for the inaugural HUGEL-JTBC Open, which will be played at famed Wilshire Country Club on April 19-22.
The tournament will feature a field of 144 players competing over four rounds for a purse of $1.5 million.
“Wilshire Country Club is a strong proponent of women’s golf and our members are honored and excited about today’s announcement,” Club President David Damus of Wilshire said.
“Hosting the LPGA at Wilshire is a great opportunity for golf enthusiasts throughout Southern California to witness the best female golfers in the world.”
The HUGEL-JTBC Open will be the first LPGA Tour event played in Los Angeles since the Office Depot Championship was held at various courses in the L.A. area from 2001 to 2005.
Wilshire hosted the 2001 tournament that was won by Hall of Famer Annika Sorenstam of Sweden.
There will be four LPGA Tour events played in California in 2018, including the ANA Inspiration in Rancho Mirage, the Kia Classic in Carlsbad and a tournament yet to be named in San Francisco.
“We’re very excited to take the LPGA back to Los Angeles and historic Wilshire Country Club, adding to the Tour’s already prominent presence in Southern California,” LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan said.
“We want to thank our good friends at HUGEL, JTBC and Eiger Marketing Group for providing us the opportunity to bring the stars of golf’s global tour to the heart of Hollywood and put on a show in one of the largest broadcast markets in the world.”
Wilshire Country Club was founded in 1919 in the historic Hancock Park area of Los Angeles, with the club’s links course designed by Norman Macbeth. Wilshire has hosted tournaments on the LPGA Tour, PGA Tour and Champions Tour.
HUGEL is a South Korean-based maker of beauty products and JTBC, is a Korean broadcasting company that is part of the JoongAng Group.
