LPGA Signs Two-Year Deal To Hold New Tournament In Mexico

By Jon Show, Staff Writer, SportsBusiness Journal

The LPGA has signed a two-year deal with Mexico City-based Sports Management Group to put a new event in Mexico in '10 and '11, bringing the total number of events on next year’s LPGA schedule to 14. SMG, which will own and manage the event at Tres Vidas Golf Club in Acapulco, will offer a full-field tournament with a $1.3M purse staged in the spring. It has not been determined if the event will air on Golf Channel in the U.S. Without television coverage, SMG will pay an estimated $3M annually to stage the event. SMG also manages the LPGA’s MasterCard Classic in Mexico City, but has not reached an agreement for that event to return in '10. The 14 events currently scheduled for next year is down from the 28 scheduled this year. Ten of the 14 tournaments will be played in the U.S. or Canada.