The Ladies European Tour (LET) has announced a record-breaking 2021 schedule featuring 27 events in 19 different countries, with players competing for a total prize fund of more than €19 million. This is an increase of €2 million on the proposed pre-Covid-19 announcement for the 2020 season, and €6 million more than 2019.
A year on from the joint venture agreement between the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) and the LET and after a season disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic, the 2021 season welcomes the addition of as many as nine new fully-sanctioned tournaments. With all postponed events returning to the calendar, the season will air an unprecedented 200+ hours of ‘live’ broadcast with coverage extending to more than double the number of tournaments compared to 2020.
In a ground-breaking agreement for women’s golf, The Aramco Team Series is the latest edition to the revamped schedule, comprising of four events taking place in New York, London, Singapore and King Abdullah Economic City (near Jeddah) with each tournament carrying a €830,000 prize fund.
Of the nine new events, three include the previously announced €1 million Scandinavian Mixed Hosted by Henrik & Annika, the Creekhouse Ladies Open and the Big Green Egg Dutch Ladies Open, which will be played at the home course of Solheim Cup star and official tournament ambassador Anne van Dam.
The inaugural Skaftö Open completes the trio of Swedish tournaments while the Gant Ladies Open marks the LET’s return to Finland for the first time in 10 years.
The season gets underway with the rescheduled Investec South African Women’s Open from May 13-16 before heading to the first Aramco Team Series tournament in New York.
Europe will play host to most tournaments between June and September with 23 consecutive weeks of golf on the horizon as the LET visits Czech Republic, England, Finland, France, Spain, Scotland, Sweden and Switzerland as well as Japan for the rescheduled Olympic Games and Toledo, Ohio, USA, for the Solheim Cup.
Further afield for the final quarter of the season, the LET revisits India, Kenya and Morocco after a hiatus in 2020 as well as being provisionally set to play in Thailand and the Philippines, for the first time in LET history.
As per last season, Dubai and Saudi Arabia are back on the calendar after successfully staging the Omega Dubai Moonlight Classic and the Aramco Saudi Ladies International presented by Public Investment Fund, respectively.
The Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España will once again play host to the season-finale, with the €600,000 event deciding the season’s Race to Costa del Sol, which is back for a second year after Denmark’s Emily Kristine Pedersen topped the summit in 2020. The season-long race will offer a bonus pool of €250,000 for the top three finishers on the official rankings, with €125,000 going to the top player, €75,000 to No 2 and €50,000 to No 3.
“We are extremely excited to announce our record-breaking schedule for 2021 and thrilled to offer some good news to our membership after a difficult season last year,” said LET chief executive Alexandra Armas. “The LET is dedicated to supporting our members and growing the game of golf to new and existing markets and we are proud to confirm the return of not only all postponed events but the addition of several new and innovative tournaments, which shows just how much interest and momentum there is behind women’s sport.
“I would like to thank our sponsors, partners and all the federations that have shown their belief, vision and perseverance and we look forward to delivering an action-packed calendar for our international membership.”
For more details, visit ladieseuropeantour.com
