McDonald's Championship (golf)

{{short description|Golf tournament formerly on the LPGA Tour}}

{{Infobox golf tournament

| name = McDonald's Championship

| image =

| location = Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.

| establishment = 1981

| course = DuPont Country Club

| par = 71

| yardage = {{convert|6398|yd}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=30QfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=d3sEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5636%2C3456491 |work=Sarasota Herald-Tribune |location=(Florida) |agency=Associated Press |title=Davies edges Steinhauer |date=May 17, 1993 |page=4C}}

| tour = LPGA Tour

| format = Stroke play - 72 holes

| purse = $900,000

| month_played = May

| final_year = 1993

| aggregate =

| to-par =

| current_champion =

| final_champion = {{flagicon|ENG}} Laura Davies

| map = USA#USA Delaware

| map_label = DuPont CC

| map_caption = Location in United States##Location in Delaware

| map_relief = yes

| coordinates = {{coord|39.789|-75.564}}

}}

The McDonald's Championship was a women's professional golf tournament on the LPGA Tour from 1981 through 1993.[http://www.lpga.com/content/Chronology80-89.pdf LPGA Tournament Chronology 1980-1989] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629095854/http://www.lpga.com/content/Chronology80-89.pdf |date=June 29, 2011 }}[http://www.lpga.com/content/Chronology90-99.pdf LPGA Tournament Chronology 1990-1999] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070920192212/http://www.lpga.com/content/Chronology90-99.pdf |date=September 20, 2007 }} The first six years were hosted by White Manor Country Club in Malvern, Pennsylvania,{{cite news |url=http://www.dailylocal.com/article/DL/20090726/SPORTS/307269976 |work=Daily Local News |location=(West Chester, Pennsylvania) |last=Geoghegan |first=Neil |title=White Manor owed a debt of gratitude by LPGA |date=July 29, 2009 |access-date=July 28, 2017}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=FPpVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=UuIDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3811%2C2163300 |work=Eugene Register-Guard |location=(Oregon) |agency=UPI |title=Post rebounds to claim win |date=June 9, 1981 |page=3C}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=9tlVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=MOEDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2774%2C2178524|work=Eugene Register-Guard |location=(Oregon) |agency=Associated Press |title=Inkster holds on to win by 3 |date=June 9, 1986 |page=3B}} northwest of Philadelphia. In 1987, it moved a short distance south to DuPont Country Club in Wilmington, Delaware.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=YOhVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=eOEDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3529%2C1760767 |work=Eugene Register-Guard |location=(Oregon) |agency=Associated Press |title=King new LPGA millionaire |date=June 8, 1987 |page=2C}}

The tournament was founded by Herb Lotman, founder and CEO of Keystone Foods. His co-founder was Frank Quinn. The 28 year old tournament is still the largest fundraiser in the history of golf donating over $47 million to charity. Herb Lotman was quoted as saying, "everything we did, we did for 'the kids'."

In its first year in 1981, the purse was $150,000 with a winner's share of $22,500, won by Sandra Post. The last edition in 1993 had a purse of $900,000; Laura Davies won by a stroke and took the $135,000 winner's share.

Beginning in 1994, McDonald's sponsored the next sixteen editions of the LPGA Championship, one of the tour's four major championships, and the regular tour event was retired. Play continued at DuPont Country Club in Wilmington from 1994 through 2004, then moved in 2005 to Bulle Rock Golf Course in nearby Havre de Grace, Maryland. After the 2009 edition, McDonald's ended its 29-year relationship with the LPGA Tour.{{cite web |url=http://www.delawareliberal.net/2009/06/11/the-rise-and-demise-of-the-mcdonalds-lpga-tournament/ |work=Delaware Liberal |last=Somnambulo |first=El |title=The Rise and Demise of the McDonald's LPGA Tournament |date=June 11, 2009 |access-date=July 28, 2017}}