The 2009 LPGA Tour was a series of weekly golf tournaments for elite female golfers from around the world that took place from February through November 2009. The tournaments were sanctioned by the United States-based Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA).
2009 saw a reduction in both the number of tournaments and the total prize money on the Tour. Official prize money was $47.6 million, the lowest total in since 2005. There were 28 official tournaments, the lowest number since at least 2004.
Rookie Jiyai Shin topped the money list, earning $1,807,334. In addition Shin took Rookie of the Year honors. Shin and Lorena Ochoa each won three tournaments during the season. Ochoa also won the Player of the Year trophy for the fourth consecutive year and the Vare Trophy for the lowest scoring average, also for the fourth consecutive year.
Anna Nordqvist was runner-up in the Rookie of the Year race, topping off a season that began with her having only conditional status on the LPGA Tour. She won the fifth tournament in which she played in 2009, the McDonald's LPGA Championship, a major, and also won the season-ending LPGA Tour Championship, ending the season 15th on the official money list.
The four major championships were won by: Brittany Lincicome (Kraft Nabisco Championship), Anna Nordqvist (LPGA Championship), Eun-Hee Ji (U.S. Women's Open), and Catriona Matthew (Women's British Open). All major winners were first-time major winners. Matthew won her the British Open 10 weeks after giving birth to her second child.
The LPGA experienced a turn-over in leadership in 2009, when commissioner Carolyn Bivens resigned under pressure from players in July. At the time of Bivens' resignation, the tour had only 14 events committed for the 2010 schedule, having failed to sign key long-term tournaments, notably the LPGA Corning Classic.[1] On October 28, the LPGA board of directors announced that marketing executive Michael Whan had been hired as the permanent replacement for Bivens and would assume his duties in January 2010.[2]
Tournament schedule and results
The number in parentheses after winners' names show the player's total number wins in official money individual events on the LPGA Tour, including that event.
| Date |
Tournament |
Location |
Winner |
1st prize ($)
|
| Jan 25 |
HSBC LPGA Brasil Cup* |
Brazil |
 Catriona Matthew (n/a) |
100,000
|
| Feb 14 |
SBS Open at Turtle Bay |
Hawaii |
 Angela Stanford (4) |
180,000
|
| Mar 1 |
Honda LPGA Thailand |
Thailand |
 Lorena Ochoa (25) |
217,500
|
| Mar 8 |
HSBC Women's Champions |
Singapore |
 Jiyai Shin (4) |
300,000
|
| Mar 22 |
MasterCard Classic |
Mexico |
Pat Hurst (6) |
195,000
|
| Mar 29 |
J Golf Phoenix LPGA International |
Arizona |
 Karrie Webb (36) |
225,000
|
| Apr 5 |
Kraft Nabisco Championship |
California |
Brittany Lincicome (3) |
300,000
|
| Apr 26 |
Corona Championship |
Mexico |
Lorena Ochoa (26) |
195,000
|
| May 10 |
Michelob ULTRA Open at Kingsmill |
Virginia |
Cristie Kerr (12) |
330,000
|
| May 17 |
Sybase Classic |
New Jersey |
Ji Young Oh (2) |
300,000
|
| May 24 |
LPGA Corning Classic |
New York |
 Yani Tseng (2) |
225,000
|
| Jun 7 |
LPGA State Farm Classic |
Illinois |
In-Kyung Kim (2) |
255,000
|
| Jun 14 |
McDonald's LPGA Championship |
Maryland |
 Anna Nordqvist (1) |
300,000
|
| Jun 28 |
Wegmans LPGA |
New York |
Jiyai Shin (5) |
300,000
|
| Jul 5 |
Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic |
Ohio |
Eunjung Yi (1) |
210,000
|
| Jul 12 |
U.S. Women's Open |
Pennsylvania |
Eun-Hee Ji (2) |
585,000
|
| Jul 26 |
Evian Masters |
France |
 Ai Miyazato (1) |
487,500
|
| Aug 2 |
Ricoh Women's British Open |
England |
Catriona Matthew (3) |
335,000
|
| Aug 23 |
Solheim Cup |
Illinois |
United States |
n/a
|
| Aug 30 |
Safeway Classic |
Oregon |
M. J. Hur (1) |
255,000
|
| Sep 6 |
CN Canadian Women's Open |
Alberta |
 Suzann Pettersen (6) |
412,500
|
| Sep 13 |
P&G Beauty NW Arkansas Championship |
Arkansas |
Jiyai Shin (6) |
270,000
|
| Sep 20 |
Samsung World Championship |
California |
Na Yeon Choi (1) |
250,000
|
| Sep 27 |
CVS/pharmacy LPGA Challenge |
California |
Sophie Gustafson (5) |
165,000
|
| Oct 4 |
Navistar LPGA Classic |
Alabama |
Lorena Ochoa (27) |
195,000
|
| Nov 1 |
Hana Bank-KOLON Championship |
South Korea |
Na Yeon Choi (2) |
255,000
|
| Nov 8 |
Mizuno Classic |
Japan |
Bo Bae Song (1)[N 1] |
210,000
|
| Nov 10 |
Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge* |
Nevada |
LPGA Team |
500,000
|
| Nov 15 |
Lorena Ochoa Invitational |
Mexico |
Michelle Wie (1) |
220,000
|
| Nov 23[N 2] |
LPGA Tour Championship |
Texas |
Anna Nordqvist (2) |
225,000
|
An asterisk next to a tournament name means that the event is unofficial.
Tournaments in bold are majors.
- ^ Song was not an LPGA member in 2009.
- ^ Due to inclement weather, the event was shortened to 54 holes, and the final round was delayed a day from its scheduled date of November 22.
Leaders
Money List leaders
| Rank |
Player |
Country |
Earnings ($) |
Events
|
| 1 |
Jiyai Shin |
South Korea |
1,807,334 |
25
|
| 2 |
Cristie Kerr |
United States |
1,519,722 |
25
|
| 3 |
Ai Miyazato |
Japan |
1,517,149 |
22
|
| 4 |
Lorena Ochoa |
Mexico |
1,489,395 |
22
|
| 5 |
Suzann Pettersen |
Norway |
1,369,717 |
23
|
| 6 |
Na Yeon Choi |
South Korea |
1,341,078 |
26
|
| 7 |
Yani Tseng |
Taiwan |
1,293,755 |
27
|
| 8 |
In-Kyung Kim |
South Korea |
1,238,396 |
25
|
| 9 |
Paula Creamer |
United States |
1,151,864 |
24
|
| 10 |
Angela Stanford |
United States |
1,081,916 |
21
|
Full 2009 Official Money List - navigate to "2009"
Scoring Average leaders
Full 2009 Scoring Average List - navigate to "2009", then "Scoring Average"
Award winners
The three competitive awards given out by the LPGA each year are:
- The Rolex Player of the Year is awarded based on a formula in which points are awarded for top-10 finishes and are doubled at the LPGA's four major championships. The points system is: 30 points for first; 12 points for second; nine points for third; seven points for fourth; six points for fifth; five points for sixth; four points for seventh; three points for eighth; two points for ninth and one point for 10th.
- The Vare Trophy, named for Glenna Collett-Vare, is given to the player with the lowest scoring average for the season.
- The Louis Suggs Rolex Rooke of the Year Award is awarded to the first-year player on the LPGA Tour who scores the highest in a points competition in which points are awarded at all full-field domestic events and doubled at the LPGA's four major championships. The points system is: 150 points for first; 80 points for second; 75 points for third; 70 points for fourth; and 65 points for fifth. After fifth place, points are awarded in increments of three, beginning at sixth place with 62 points. Rookies who make the cut in an event and finish below 41st each receive five points. The award is named after Louise Suggs, one of the founders of the LPGA.