2006 LPGA Tour

{{short description|Golf tour season}}

{{use mdy dates|date=December 2024}}

{{Infobox golf season

| year = 2006

| tour = LPGA Tour

| regular_season = {{Start date|2006|1|20}} – {{end date|2006|12|24}}

| no_of_events = 33

| most_wins = 6 {{flagicon|MEX}} Lorena Ochoa

| honor1 = Money leader

| honoree1 = {{flagicon|MEX}} Lorena Ochoa

| honor2 = Rolex Player of the Year

| honoree2 = {{flagicon|MEX}} Lorena Ochoa

| honor3 = Rookie of the Year

| honoree3 = {{flagicon|KOR}} Seon Hwa Lee

| prevseason = 2005

| nextseason = 2007

}}

The 2006 LPGA Tour was a series of weekly golf tournaments for elite female golfers from around the world, which took place from February through December 2006. The tournaments were sanctioned by the United States–based Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA). In 2006, prize money on the LPGA Tour exceeded US$50 million for the first time in the history of the LPGA Tour.

Lorena Ochoa became the first Mexican to top the money list on the LPGA Tour, or any major international golf tour, while Annika Sörenstam held her position as the top ranked player through the whole season. Multi-time major champions Karrie Webb and Se Ri Pak had comeback seasons after fallow periods, each claiming a major championship.

2006 saw a growth in the international presence on the Tour. Of the 33 events, only seven were won by Americans, with Cristie Kerr the only American to win more than once (three times). By contrast, Mexican Lorena Ochoa won six events, Australian Karrie Webb five, Swede Annika Sörenstam three, and nine different South Koreans combined to win 11 events. The season-ending LPGA Playoffs at The ADT was won by Paraguayan Julieta Granada. The other seven finalists in that event featured only two Americans (Paula Creamer and Natalie Gulbis); the others were Ochoa, Webb, Koreans Il Mi Chung and Mi Hyun Kim, and Japanese Ai Miyazato.

For details of what happened in the main tournaments of the year see 2006 in golf.

Tournament schedule and results

  • The winner of Major events automatically qualified for the LPGA Playoffs at The ADT. ADT Playoffs points were doubled at Major events.
  • The top-20 finishers in Points events earned double ADT Playoffs points.
  • The champion of Winner events automatically qualified for LPGA Playoffs at The ADT. Other top-20 finishers earned single ADT Playoffs points.
  • The Global Group (pre-determined international events) events were combined to count as one Winner event qualifier, with the player earning the most combined points in these events earning automatic entry to LPGA Playoffs at The ADT. No additional points were awarded.
  • Unofficial money Events did not count toward entry into the LPGA Playoffs at The ADT.
  • The first half of the season concluded with the final full-field domestic event (Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic) prior to the Tour traveling to Europe.
  • The second half concluded with final event (The Mitchell Company Tournament of Champions) prior to the LPGA Playoffs at The ADT.

The number in parentheses after winners' names show the player's total number of official money, individual event wins on the LPGA Tour including that event.{{cite web |url=http://www.lpga.com/content/Chronology2000-2008.pdf |title=LPGA Tournament Chronology 2000-2008 |publisher=LPGA |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110304105055/http://www.lpga.com/content/Chronology2000-2008.pdf |archive-date=March 4, 2011}}

class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%;"

! Date !! Tournament !! Location !! ADT Playoff
category !! Winner !! Purse ($) !! Winner's
share ($)

Jan 22Women's World Cup of GolfSouth Africaunofficial{{SWE}}
(Annika Sörenstam & Liselotte Neumann)
Feb 18SBS Open at Turtle BayHawaiipoints{{flagicon|KOR}} Joo Mi Kim (1)align=right|1,000,000align=right|150,000
Feb 25Fields Open in HawaiiHawaiipoints{{flagicon|KOR}} Meena Lee (2)align=right|1,100,000align=right|165,000
Mar 12MasterCard ClassicMexicopoints{{flagicon|SWE}} Annika Sörenstam (67)align=right|1,200,000align=right|180,000
Mar 19Safeway InternationalArizonapoints{{flagicon|USA}} Juli Inkster (31)align=right|1,400,000align=right|210,000
Apr 2Kraft Nabisco ChampionshipCaliforniamajor{{flagicon|AUS}} Karrie Webb (31)align=right|1,800,000align=right|270,000
Apr 15LPGA Takefuji ClassicNevadapoints{{flagicon|MEX}} Lorena Ochoa (4)align=right|1,100,000align=right|165,000
Apr 23Florida's Natural Charity ChampionshipGeorgiapoints{{flagicon|KOR}} Sung Ah Yim (1)align=right|1,400,000align=right|210,000
Apr 30Ginn Clubs & Resorts OpenFloridapoints{{flagicon|KOR}} Mi Hyun Kim (6)align=right|2,500,000align=right|375,000
May 7Franklin American Mortgage ChampionshipTennesseepoints{{flagicon|USA}} Cristie Kerr (7)align=right|1,100,000align=right|165,000
May 14Michelob ULTRA Open at KingsmillVirginiawinner{{flagicon|AUS}} Karrie Webb (32)align=right|2,200,000align=right|330,000
May 21Sybase Classic *New Yorkpoints{{flagicon|MEX}} Lorena Ochoa (5)align=right|1,300,000align=right|195,000
May 28LPGA Corning ClassicNew Yorkpoints{{flagicon|KOR}} Hee-Won Han (5)align=right|1,200,000align=right|180,000
Jun 4ShopRite LPGA ClassicNew Jerseypoints{{flagicon|KOR}} Seon Hwa Lee (1)align=right|1,500,000align=right|225,000
Jun 11McDonald's LPGA ChampionshipMarylandmajor{{flagicon|KOR}} Se Ri Pak (23)align=right|1,800,000align=right|270,000
Jun 25Wegmans LPGANew Yorkpoints{{flagicon|KOR}} Jeong Jang (2)align=right|1,800,000align=right|270,000
Jul 2U.S. Women's OpenRhode Islandmajor{{flagicon|SWE}} Annika Sörenstam (68)align=right|3,100,000align=right|560,000
Jul 9HSBC Women's World Match Play ChampionshipNew Jerseywinner{{flagicon|USA}} Brittany Lincicome (1)align=right|2,000,000align=right|500,000
Jul 16Jamie Farr Owens Corning ClassicOhiopoints{{flagicon|KOR}} Mi Hyun Kim (7)align=right|1,200,000align=right|180,000
style="background:WhiteSmoke;"

|colspan=7| Start of second half of season

Jul 29Evian MastersFrancewinner{{flagicon|AUS}} Karrie Webb (33)align=right|3,000,000align=right|450,000
Aug 6Weetabix Women's British OpenEnglandmajor{{flagicon|USA}} Sherri Steinhauer (7)align=right|1,800,000align=right|305,440
Aug 13CN Canadian Women's OpenOntariopoints{{flagicon|USA}} Cristie Kerr (8)align=right|1,700,000align=right|255,000
Aug 20Safeway ClassicOregonpoints{{flagicon|USA}} Pat Hurst (5)align=right|1,400,000align=right|210,000
Aug 27Wendy's Championship for ChildrenOhiopoints{{flagicon|MEX}} Lorena Ochoa (6)align=right|1,100,000align=right|165,000
Sep 3State Farm ClassicIllinoispoints{{flagicon|SWE}} Annika Sörenstam (69)align=right|1,300,000align=right|195,000
Sep 10John Q. Hammons Hotel ClassicOklahomapoints{{flagicon|USA}} Cristie Kerr (9)align=right|1,000,000align=right|150,000
Sep 24Longs Drugs ChallengeCaliforniapoints{{flagicon|AUS}} Karrie Webb (34)align=right|1,100,000align=right|165,000
Oct 8Corona Morelia ChampionshipMexicopoints{{flagicon|MEX}} Lorena Ochoa (7)align=right|1,000,000align=right|150,000
Oct 15Samsung World ChampionshipCaliforniawinner{{flagicon|MEX}} Lorena Ochoa (8)align=right|875,000align=right|218,750
Oct 22Honda LPGA ThailandThailandglobal group{{flagicon|KOR}} Hee-Won Han (6)align=right|1,300,000align=right|195,000
Oct 29KOLON-Hana Bank ChampionshipSouth Koreaglobal group{{flagicon|KOR}} Jin Joo Hong (1)align=right|1,350,000align=right|202,500
Nov 5Mizuno ClassicJapanglobal group{{flagicon|AUS}} Karrie Webb (35)align=right|1,200,000align=right|180,000
Nov 12The Mitchell Company Tournament of ChampionsAlabamawinner{{flagicon|MEX}} Lorena Ochoa (9)align=right|1,000,000align=right|150,000
Nov 19ADT ChampionshipFloridan/a{{flagicon|PAR}} Julieta Granada (1)align=right|1,550,000align=right|1,000,000
Dec 17Lexus CupSingaporeunofficialTeam Asiacolspan=2 align=center|n/a
Dec 24Wendy's 3-Tour ChallengeNevadaunofficialPGA Tourcolspan=2 align=center|n/a

Tournaments in bold are majors.

* tournament shortened to 54 holes because of rain.

Leaders

Money List leaders

class=wikitable style=text-align:center

!Rank!!Player!!Country!!Earnings ($)!!Events

1align=left|Lorena Ochoaalign=left|{{MEX}}align=right|2,592,87225
2align=left|Karrie Webbalign=left|{{AUS}}align=right|2,090,11321
3align=left|Annika Sörenstamalign=left|{{SWE}}align=right|1,971,74120
4align=left|Julieta Granadaalign=left|{{PAR}}align=right|1,633,58631
5align=left|Cristie Kerralign=left|{{USA}}align=right|1,578,36226
6align=left|Mi Hyun Kimalign=left|{{KOR}}align=right|1,332,27430
7align=left|Juli Inksteralign=left|{{USA}}align=right|1,326,44221
8align=left|Jang Jeongalign=left|{{KOR}}align=right|1,151,07027
9align=left|Hee-Won Hanalign=left|{{KOR}}align=right|1,147,65128
10align=left|Pat Hurstalign=left|{{USA}}align=right|1,128,66219

Source:{{cite web |url=https://www.lpga.com/stats-and-rankings/money-and-finishes#tab-list |title=Money/Finishes: Official Money – 2006 |publisher=LPGA}}

Scoring Average leaders

class=wikitable style=text-align:center

!Rank!!Player!!Country!!Average

1align=left|Lorena Ochoaalign=left|{{MEX}}69.24
2align=left|Annika Sörenstamalign=left|{{SWE}}69.82
3align=left|Cristie Kerralign=left|{{USA}}70.07
4align=left|Karrie Webbalign=left|{{AUS}}70.11
5align=left|Juli Inksteralign=left|{{USA}}70.48

Source:{{cite web |url=https://www.lpga.com/stats-and-rankings/scoring |title=Scoring: Scoring Average – 2006 |publisher=LPGA}}

Award winners

The three competitive awards given out by the LPGA each year are:

  • The Rolex Player of the Year is awarded based on a formula in which points are awarded for top-10 finishes and are doubled at the LPGA's four major championships and at the season-ending ADT Championship. The points system is: 30 points for first; 12 points for second; nine points for third; seven points for fourth; six points for fifth; five points for sixth; four points for seventh; three points for eighth; two points for ninth and one point for 10th.
  • 2006 Winner: Lorena Ochoa. Runner-up: Karrie Webb
  • The Vare Trophy, named for Glenna Collett-Vare, is given to the player with the lowest scoring average for the season.
  • 2006 Winner: Lorena Ochoa. Runner-up: Annika Sörenstam
  • The Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year Award is awarded to the first-year player on the LPGA Tour who scores the highest in a points competition in which points are awarded at all full-field domestic events and doubled at the LPGA's four major championships. The points system is: 150 points for first; 80 points for second; 75 points for third; 70 points for fourth; and 65 points for fifth. After fifth place, points are awarded in increments of three, beginning at sixth place with 62 points. Rookies who make the cut in an event and finish below 41st each receive five points. The award is named after Louise Suggs, one of the founders of the LPGA.
  • 2006 Winner: Seon Hwa Lee. Runner-up: Julieta Granada

See also

References

{{reflist}}

{{LPGA Tour seasons}}

Category:LPGA Tour seasons

LPGA Tour