LPGA of Korea Tour
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The LPGA of Korea Tour is a South Korean professional golf tour for women. LPGA stands for Ladies Professional Golf Association; it is the independent LPGA of Korea which runs this tour, not the American LPGA. It is one of the world's five leading women's golf tours.
Korean women's golf is exceptionally strong, with stars such as Hall of Famer Se Ri Pak, but these women play mainly on the world's leading women's golf tour, the U.S. based LPGA Tour. The richest event on the LPGA of Korea Tour, the Korea Championship, is co-sanctioned by the U.S. LPGA, and attracts a world class field. The 2006 schedule has 18 tournaments totalling US$6.4 million. The KLPGA Tour also has three mini tours for those players who don't have their playing cards for the regular tour. The Xenia-Njoy Golf Tour has eight events totalling US$240,000, Grand Tour has 4 events totalling US$120,000 and for players aged 45 and over the Akia Golf Tour has four events totalling US$120,000.
In 2007 there will be 25 individual events on the main tour, including one co-sancioned by the LPGA Tour and one co-sanctioned by the Ladies Asian Tour, plus a Korea versus Japan team match at the end of the season. The LPGA sanctioned event has a US$1.5 million prize fund and prize funds at the other individual events range from 200 million to 500 million South Korean Won (US$217,000 to US$542,000 at the March 2007 exchange rate).
Based on May 2008 exchange rates, in 2008 the main tour has total prize fund of circa USD 9.5 million for individual tournaments, plus USD 600,000 for a Korea versus Japan team tournament.
