Airbus LPGA Classic
The Airbus LPGA Classic was a women's professional golf tournament on the LPGA Tour, played in Mobile, Alabama from 2008 to 2014.
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Mobile, Alabama, U.S. |
| Established | 2008 |
| Course(s) | Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Magnolia Grove, Crossings Course |
| Par | 72 |
| Length | 6,532 yards (5,973 m)[1] |
| Tour(s) | LPGA Tour |
| Format | Stroke play - 72 holes |
| Prize fund | $1.3 million |
| Month played | May |
| Final year | 2014 |
| Tournament record score | |
| Aggregate | 271 Stacy Lewis (2012) |
| To par | −17 Stacy Lewis (2012) |
| Final champion | |
 Jessica Korda | |
The event debuted in September 2008 at the Magnolia Grove location on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, with total prize money of $1.4 million. Angela Stanford won the inaugural edition by one stroke over Shanshan Feng, which was televised on Golf Channel in the U.S., as well as internationally.
The tournament was not played in 2009, but was revived in 2010 and moved to mid-May.[2] Heavy rains and lightning delayed and ultimately canceled the final round, resulting in a sudden-death playoff between the three 54-hole leaders: Se Ri Pak, Brittany Lincicome, and Suzann Pettersen. Pak birdied the third playoff hole in the drizzle to win.[3] In 2011, Maria Hjorth shot consecutive rounds of 67 (−5) on the weekend to finish at 278 (−10) and win by two strokes.[4] The tournament was dropped for the 2015 season.
In 2008 and 2010, Bell Microproducts was the title sponsor; Avnet purchased Bell Micro in 2010 and was the title sponsor in 2011.[5] Without a title sponsor in 2012, the tournament purse dropped slightly, from $1.30 million to $1.25 million. In January 2014, the LPGA introduced Airbus, the European multinational aerospace and defense corporation, as the event's new title sponsor.[6] The company's new final assembly facility for its A320 aircraft is under construction in Mobile, scheduled to come online in 2015.[7][8][9]
Mobile previously hosted The Mitchell Company Tournament of Champions on the Magnolia Grove courses from 1999 to 2007.
Tournament names
2013 course layout
Crossings Course
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total[1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yards | 395 | 180 | 387 | 528 | 392 | 488 | 385 | 159 | 370 | 3,284 | 380 | 398 | 376 | 522 | 149 | 390 | 466 | 165 | 402 | 3,248 | 6,532 |
| Par | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 36 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 36 | 72 |
Winners
| Year | Dates | Champion | Country | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Purse ($) | Winner's share ($) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | May 22–25 | Jessica Korda | United States | 67-67-69-65=268 | −20 | 1 stroke | 1,300,000 | 195,000 | |
| 2013 | May 16–19 | Jennifer Johnson | United States | 67-70-65-65=267 | −21 | 1 stroke | 1,200,000 | 180,000 | |
| 2012 | Apr 26–29 | Stacy Lewis | United States | 68-67-67-68=271 | −17 | 1 stroke | 1,250,000 | 187,500 | |
| 2011 | Apr 28 – May 1 | Maria Hjorth |  Sweden | 70-74-67-67=278 | −10 | 2 strokes | 1,300,000 | 195,000 | |
| 2010 | May 13–16 | Se Ri Pak |  South Korea | 69-66-68=203 | −13 | Playoff 1 | 1,300,000 | 195,000 | |
| 2009 | No tournament | ||||||||
| 2008 | Sep 11–14 | Angela Stanford | United States | 70-67-67-73=277 | −11 | 1 stroke | 1,400,000 | 210,000 | |
1 Final round was canceled because of rain and weather delays. Third round co-leaders Pak, Brittany Lincicome, and Suzann Pettersen played a sudden-death playoff to determine the winner; Pak won on the third playoff hole.[3]
Tournament records
| Year | Player | Score | Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Anna Nordqvist | 61 (−11) | 3rd |
References
- "Mobile Bay LPGA Classic - Course Info, 2013". mobilebaylpgaclassic.com. Archived from the original on 2014-01-02. Retrieved May 14, 2013.
- "Bell Micro LPGA Classic Shifts to Spring Date". LPGA. March 18, 2009. Archived from the original on May 25, 2011.
- "Birdie lifts Pak to first win since '07". ESPN. Associated Press. May 16, 2010. Retrieved April 26, 2012.
- "Maria Hjorth surges to win Avnet crown". ESPN. Associated Press. May 2, 2011. Retrieved April 26, 2012.
- "Avnet To Acquire Bell Microproducts In Deal Valued At $594 Million". Techcrunch.com. March 29, 2010. Retrieved April 22, 2012.
- "Airbus Named Title Sponsor of LPGA Tournament in Mobile". LPGA. January 21, 2014. Retrieved January 21, 2014.
- Clark, Nicola (July 2, 2012). "EADS to build U.S. assembly line for Airbus A320". New York Times. Retrieved May 22, 2014.
- Dugan, Kelli (March 12, 2014). "Airbus celebrates 'topping out' of A320 final assembly line hangar in Mobile (updated)". AL.com. Retrieved May 22, 2014.
- "Airbus' US A320 Final Assembly Line takes shape". Airbus. (press release). April 10, 2014. Retrieved May 22, 2014.