It is the only pairs competition on the LPGA Tour calendar. The Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational will be played from 13 to 16 July at the Midland Country Club in Midland, Michigan, where Giulia Molinaro will be present and will team up with Spain’s Luna Sobron.
Galmes.
The Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational, statements
It is an original event, which takes place with a foursome formula in the first and third rounds and with fourballs in the second and fourth, where the tension does not touch the highest levels, but in which the not yet qualified participants do not forget that they have practically the last opportunity to access the next three important events in Europe, two majors (Amundi Evian Championship, 21-24 July, and AIG Women’s Open, 4-7 August) and in between the Trust Golf Women’s Scottish Open (28-31 July).
The players themselves decide which partner to play with, but the couple of Thai sisters Ariya and Moriya Jutanugarn, who defend the title, seemed obvious. It is the M&M team, acronym taken from their nicknames on the circuit, May and Mo respectively.
The sisters Nelly and Jessica Korda (team Jelly) were no less, with the first world number three who will also be the highest ranked player in the absence of the Korean Jin Young Ko, number one, and the Australian Minjee Lee, number two.
Other teams were born from the shared experience in the Solheim Cup with those of Lizette Salas and Jennifer Kupcho, who were together at the Inverness Club in 2021, Lexi Thompson and Brittany Altomare and Brittany Lang and Gerina Piller, now Mendoza.
Two icons of world golf will also compete, the Swedish Annika Sorenstam, with her compatriot Madelene Sagstrom, and the Australian Karrie Webb with Marina Alex. Webb, whose appearances are rare, was the only one able to stand up to Sorenstam when the latter dominated the world stage for over a decade.
It will also be the first time since 2008 that two members of the World Golf Hall of Fame will compete in the same event. Both will take part in the LPGA Senior Championship next week. Other teams to follow are those of the Korean Mi Hyang Lee and the Japanese Haru Nomura, the Thai Pornanong Phatlum and Pavarisa Yoktuan, Stacy Lewis and the Mexican Maria Fassi and Cydney Clanton and the Thai Jasmine Suwannapura who won in the first of the two editions of the tournament in 2019, while in 2020 it was not played.
On the eve of the sponsor announced that it will give its support until 2029, one of the longest sponsorships for the LPGA Tour. The total prize pool is $ 2,500,000.
