| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Sylvania, Ohio |
| Established | 1984 |
| Course(s) | Highland Meadows Golf Club |
| Tour(s) | LPGA Tour |
| Format | Stroke play |
| Prize fund | $1,300,000 (2012) |
| Month played | August |
| Tournament record score | |
| Aggregate | 261 Se Ri Pak (1998) |
| To par | -23 Se Ri Pak (1998) |
| Current champion | |
| Na Yeon Choi (2010) | |
The Jamie Farr Toledo Classic, in full the Jamie Farr Toledo Classic Presented by Kroger, Owens Corning and O-I, is an annual golf tournament for professional female golfers on the LPGA Tour. It was founded in 1984 and has been played every July, except in 1986 and 2011, in Sylvania, Ohio, a suburb of Toledo.
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The tournament was founded after PGA Tour caddie Judd Silverman, a Toledo native, sought to bring a ladies professional golf tournament to his hometown. He contacted sponsors and actor Jamie Farr, also a Toledo native, brought his name and several of his celebrity friends to the tournament. Throughout the history of the event, children's charities in Northwest Ohio and Southern Michigan have been the charitable beneficiaries of the tournament. They have received more than $6.2 million[1] during the event's history.
From 2004 to 2010, the title sponsor was Owens Corning, the world's largest manufacturer of fiberglass and related products, headquartered in Toledo, near the site of the tournament. In 2012, they became a presenting sponsor. Kroger, one of the largest American supermarket chains, with headquarters in Cincinnati, has also been involved as a sponsor of the tournament since 1997. Owens-Illinois (O-I) will begin being a sponsor during the 2012 tournament.
From 1984 to 1988 the tournament was played at the Glengarry Country Club; it moved to the Highland Meadows Golf Club in 1989, where it is currently played.
The largest playoff in LPGA history took place at the 1999 Jamie Farr, a six-player affair involving Karrie Webb, Carin Koch, Sherri Steinhauer, Se Ri Pak, Kelli Kuehne, and Mardi Lunn. Pak won it on first hole of sudden death by making a ten-foot birdie putt.[2]
In 2007, Se Ri Pak won the Farr for the fifth time, becoming only the fourth LPGA golfer to win the same tournament on five different occasions.
The tournament was at risk of ending after 2009, due to a variety of circumstances including the slumping worldwide economy and reported dissatisfaction with LPGA Commissioner Carolyn Bivens. Late in August 2009, after Bivens had resigned under pressure, it was announced that the tournament would continue for at least one more year, albeit with a sharply reduced purse.[3]
On June 29, 2010, LPGA Commissioner Michael Whan announced the Farr Classic would return for at least three more years beginning in 2012.[4] The tournament will take a one-year hiatus in 2011, as the Toledo area will host the U.S. Senior Open, a major championship on the Champions Tour, at the Inverness Club.
On December 2, 2011, it was formally announced that the Jamie Farr Classic will have a new name and a new logo. The tournament is now known as the Jamie Farr Toledo Classic Presented by Kroger, Owens Corning and O-I.[5].
Tournament names through the years:
| Year | Dates | Champion | Country | Score | To par | Venue | Purse ($) | Winner's share ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | No tournament | |||||||
| 2010 * | Jul 1–4 | Na Yeon Choi | South Korea | 270 | -14 | Highland Meadows Golf Club | 1,000,000 | 150,000 |
| 2009 * | Jul 2–5 | Eunjung Yi | South Korea | 266 | -18 | Highland Meadows Golf Club | 1,400,000 | 210,000 |
| 2008 | Jul 10–13 | Paula Creamer | United States | 268 | -16 | Highland Meadows Golf Club | 1,300,000 | 195,000 |
| 2007 | Jul 12–15 | Se Ri Pak | South Korea | 267 | -17 | Highland Meadows Golf Club | 1,300,000 | 195,000 |
| 2006 * | Jul 13–16 | Mi Hyun Kim | South Korea | 266 | -18 | Highland Meadows Golf Club | 1,200,000 | 180,000 |
| 2005 * | Jul 7–10 | Heather Bowie | United States | 274 | -10 | Highland Meadows Golf Club | 1,200,000 | 180,000 |
| 2004 | Aug 5–8 | Meg Mallon | United States | 277 | -7 | Highland Meadows Golf Club | 1,100,000 | 165,000 |
| 2003 | Aug 14–17 | Se Ri Pak | South Korea | 271 | -13 | Highland Meadows Golf Club | 1,000,000 | 150,000 |
| 2002 | Jul 11–14 | Rachel Teske | Australia | 270 | -14 | Highland Meadows Golf Club | 1,000,000 | 150,000 |
| 2001 | Jul 5–8 | Se Ri Pak | South Korea | 271 | -13 | Highland Meadows Golf Club | 1,000,000 | 150,000 |
| 2000 * | Jul 6–9 | Annika Sörenstam | Sweden | 274 | -10 | Highland Meadows Golf Club | 1,000,000 | 150,000 |
| 1999 * | Jul 1–4 | Se Ri Pak | South Korea | 276 | -8 | Highland Meadows Golf Club | 900,000 | 135,000 |
| 1998 | Jul 9–12 | Se Ri Pak | South Korea | 261 | -23 | Highland Meadows Golf Club | 800,000 | 120,000 |
| 1997 | Jul 3–6 | Kelly Robbins | United States | 265 | -19 | Highland Meadows Golf Club | 700,000 | 105,000 |
| 1996 | Jul 5–7 | Joan Pitcock | United States | 204 | -9 | Highland Meadows Golf Club | 575,000 | 86,250 |
| 1995 | Jul 7–9 | Kathryn Marshall | Scotland | 205 | -8 | Highland Meadows Golf Club | 500,000 | 75,000 |
| 1994 * | Jul 8–10 | Kelly Robbins | United States | 204 | -9 | Highland Meadows Golf Club | 500,000 | 75,000 |
| 1993 | Jul 2–4 | Brandie Burton | United States | 201 | -12 | Highland Meadows Golf Club | 500,000 | 75,000 |
| 1992 | Jul 3–5 | Patty Sheehan | United States | 209 | -4 | Highland Meadows Golf Club | 400,000 | 60,000 |
| 1991 * | Jul 5–7 | Alice Miller | United States | 205 | -8 | Highland Meadows Golf Club | 350,000 | 52,500 |
| 1990 | Jul 6–8 | Tina Purtzer | Canada | 205 | -8 | Highland Meadows Golf Club | 325,000 | 48,750 |
| 1989 | Jul 7–9 | Penny Hammel | United States | 206 | -7 | Highland Meadows Golf Club | 275,000 | 41,250 |
| 1988 | Jun 2–5 | Laura Davies | England | 277 | -11 | Glengarry Country Club | 275,000 | 41,250 |
| 1987 | Jul 2–5 | Jane Geddes | United States | 280 | -8 | Glengarry Country Club | 225,000 | 33,750 |
| 1986 | No tournament | |||||||
| 1985 | Aug 1–4 | Penny Hammel | United States | 278 | -10 | Glengarry Country Club | 175,000 | 26,250 |
| 1984 | Jul 5–8 | Lauri Peterson | United States | 278 | -10 | Glengarry Country Club | 175,000 | 26,250 |
* Championship won in sudden-death playoff.
| Year | Player | Score | Round | Course |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Paula Creamer | 60 (-11) | 1st round | Highland Meadows Golf Club |
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