LPGA Tour Coates Golf Championship

A new event with a stunning field kicks off the 2015 LPGA Tour season

Coates Golf Championship Presented by R+L Carriers  28-31 January 2015

After two seasons in The Bahamas, the 2015 LPGA season will begin in Florida at the Coates Golf Championship Presented by R+L Carriers at Golden Ocala Golf Club.

The last time we saw the LPGA Tour in action it was a Sunday to remember as Lydia Ko, Michelle Wie and Stacy Lewis battled for the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship and inaugural Race to the CME Globe title (not to mention the $1m bonus).

With nine of the world’s top ten in action, this week could provide insight into whether Lydia Ko still holds the upper hand over her rivals.

Golden Ocala Golf Club, designed by Ron Garl, should make for fascinating viewing as eight of the eighteen are ‘tribute holes’; recreations of some of the most famous holes in the world.

These include the par-3 12^th at Augusta National, the Road Hole (17^th) at St. Andrews, the 9^th at Muirfield (recently ranked Number 1 in GM’s Top 100 Golf Courses) and Baltusrol’s ‘Famous Fourth’.

This week is also a significant one for the LPGA Tour. For the first time in almost 45 years, the LPGA has two African American players on Tour simultaneously in Cheyenne Woods and Sadena Parks, who earned Tour credentials through the Qualifying School and Symetra Tour respectively.

Inbee Park is the bookies favourite for the week, but she’ll have to earn it. The winner will have to hold off the impressive class of 2015 Tour Rookies; the 32-strong group (of which half are playing this week) combine for a total of 67 wins across eight separate international Tours.

In addition, 48 of the top 50 players on last season’s money list are playing this week. What do all these numbers mean? The 2015 LPGA Tour season should be off to an exciting start.

LPGA Tour Coates Golf Championship Presented by R+L Carriers Race to the CME Globe: 500 pts Purse: $1.5m Format: 72 holes stroke play Par: 72 Length: 6,541 Field: 120