McDonald's Championship (golf)
The McDonald's Championship was a women's professional golf tournament on the LPGA Tour from 1981 through 1993.[2][3] The first six years were hosted by White Manor Country Club in Malvern, Pennsylvania,[4][5][6] northwest of Philadelphia. In 1987, it moved a short distance south to DuPont Country Club in Wilmington, Delaware.[1][7]
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Wilmington, Delaware, U.S. |
| Established | 1981 |
| Course(s) | DuPont Country Club |
| Par | 71 |
| Length | 6,398 yards (5,850 m)[1] |
| Tour(s) | LPGA Tour |
| Format | Stroke play - 72 holes |
| Prize fund | $900,000 |
| Month played | May |
| Final year | 1993 |
| Final champion | |
 Laura Davies | |
The tournament was founded by Herb Lotman, founder and CEO of Keystone Foods. His co-founder was Frank Quinn. The 28 year old tournament is still the largest fundraiser in the history of golf donating over $47 million to charity. Herb Lotman was quoted as saying, "everything we did, we did for 'the kids'."
In its first year in 1981, the purse was $150,000 with a winner's share of $22,500, won by Sandra Post.[5] The last edition in 1993 had a purse of $900,000; Laura Davies won by a stroke and took the $135,000 winner's share.[1]
Beginning in 1994, McDonald's sponsored the next sixteen editions of the LPGA Championship, one of the tour's four major championships, and the regular tour event was retired. Play continued at DuPont Country Club in Wilmington from 1994 through 2004, then moved in 2005 to Bulle Rock Golf Course in nearby Havre de Grace, Maryland. After the 2009 edition, McDonald's ended its 29-year relationship with the LPGA Tour.[8]
Winners
- McDonald's Championship
- 1993 Laura Davies[1]
- 1992 Ayako Okamoto
- 1991 Beth Daniel (2)
- 1990 Patty Sheehan (2)
- 1989 Betsy King (2)
- 1988 Kathy Postlewait
- 1987 Betsy King[7]
- 1986 Juli Inkster[6]
- 1985 Alice Miller
- McDonald's Kids Classic
- McDonald's Classic
- McDonald's Kids Classic
References
- "Davies edges Steinhauer". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. (Florida). Associated Press. May 17, 1993. p. 4C.
- LPGA Tournament Chronology 1980-1989 Archived June 29, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- LPGA Tournament Chronology 1990-1999 Archived September 20, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- Geoghegan, Neil (July 29, 2009). "White Manor owed a debt of gratitude by LPGA". Daily Local News. (West Chester, Pennsylvania). Retrieved July 28, 2017.
- "Post rebounds to claim win". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). UPI. June 9, 1981. p. 3C.
- "Inkster holds on to win by 3". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. June 9, 1986. p. 3B.
- "King new LPGA millionaire". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. June 8, 1987. p. 2C.
- Somnambulo, El (June 11, 2009). "The Rise and Demise of the McDonald's LPGA Tournament". Delaware Liberal. Retrieved July 28, 2017.