Aon Risk Reward Challenge Hole: JW Marriott Desert Ridge, Wildfire Golf Club - Par 5, 15th Hole – 485 yards
For the longer hitters on Tour, this hole is a reachable par 5, but it will require precision and strategy on the part of the players to create scoring opportunities. The landing area is generous off the tee with a wide fairway, but danger lurks along the entire left side, where desert borders the hole. While the green is well protected, most players will be able to reach the green in two for a reasonable chance at birdie or eagle.
Numbers to Know
1 – American has won the event: Stacy Lewis (2013)
2 – Only Karrie Webb has won multiple Bank of Hope Founders Cup titles (2011, 2014)
5 – Countries have been represented by Founders Cup winners: Republic of Korea (2018, 2016, 2015), Sweden (2017), Australia (2014, 2011), U.S. (2013), Chinese Taipei (2012)
61 – Tournament-low score, most recently shot by Anna Nordqvist in the third round in 2017
261 – Tournament record 27-under par 72-hole score set by Sei Young Kim in 2016
About This Week's Event
Format – Players will compete in a 72-hole stroke play format for a purse of $1.5 million.
The Event – Each year, the Bank of Hope Founders Cup, which will always remember and respect the 13 women who founded the LPGA, also honors the pioneers of the LPGA - the women who have had the most significant impact on the LPGA Tour and women’s golf. These pioneers have worked hard to make the game what it is today.
This year, the event is paying tribute to one pioneer who not only excelled inside the ropes but who also helped advance the game of women’s golf as ambassadors who promoted the sport throughout her life. Laura Baugh is the 2019 honoree and is an excellent example of how an athlete can make an impact on those around them.
Baugh turned professional in 1973 at the age of 17 but had to wait six months until her 18th birthday to join the LPGA Tour due to the Tour’s age requirement. Her professional golf career spanned from 1973 through 2001, in which she earned 71 top-10s including ten runner-up finishes. She was also the 1973 Rookie of the Year.
How to Tune In – The Bank of Hope Founders Cup will air Thursday through Sunday from 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. on Golf Channel.
