The Evian Championship has been played in September since being sanctioned as a major in '13GETTY IMAGES
Two LPGA majors -- the Evian Championship and Women's British Open -- will be played back-to-back in '19 as players were "adamant about moving the Evian Championship back to the summer" after the September event was twice cut to 54 holes due to weather, according to GOLFWEEK's Forecaddie. But the move is "reportedly a one-off, with the Scottish Open moving in between the majors the following year." Meanwhile, the LPGA's Bahamas event is off the schedule in '19, and online retailer Pure Silk "will move its title sponsorship to the popular Kingsmill Championship May 23-26 in Williamsburg, Va." The New Zealand Women’s Open was "scheduled to make a move" to early '19, but with title sponsor McKayson "backing out, officials have turned their attention" to '20. Sources said that Volvik also is "out as title sponsor" at the event in Ann Arbor after only three years. For '19, there is now a "stretch of 15 consecutive events in the summer," as the event in Dallas is "moving to the fall following the Solheim Cup." New events in Boca Raton, Las Vegas and an additional stop in Asia also are "possibilities" for '19 and beyond (GOLFWEEK.com, 10/7).
WINNER, WINNER: South Korea won the UL Int'l Crown yesterday at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club in Incheon, and GOLFWEEK's Beth Ann Nichols wrote the final day was a "feast for the masses" as fans "packed grandstands, covered the grassy mounds and filed down the first fairway and around the green" for Sung Hyun Park’s match against Ariya Jutanguarn. This is the "kind of madness we’d come to expect all week, that is until Typhoon Kong-Rey spoiled the party." At the event's conclusion, LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan "stood on the back of the 18th green as the event team rolled out the red carpet" and his "answer to involving the rest of the tour in team competition had never looked better." Whan: "There’s no reason we can’t do this on a more regular basis." Without "giving away any secrets," Whan confirmed that '20 would "feature a new host country" (GOLFWEEK.com, 10/7). Whan said that the event was a "win for women’s golf, with the world getting to see just how much Korean fans love their female players." GOLFCHANNEL.com's Randall Mell wrote for the "first time, this event began to feel like it really could rival the Solheim Cup someday" (GOLFCHANNEL.com, 10/7).
