CHANDLER, Ariz. — The LPGA opened its 2025 season with a pair of tournaments in Florida, then hit Thailand, Singapore and China for its spring Asian Swing.
After a two-week break, the tour returns to action in the U.S. on the outskirts of Phoenix at the Ford Championship presented by Wild Horse Pass, March 27-30.
The second-year event debuted at Seville Golf & Country Club in the suburb of Gilbert a year ago. Now it’s being held on the Cattail Course at Whirlwind Golf Club on the Gila River Indian Community.
During the LPGA’s 75 years, it has visited the Valley close to 70 times but did have a three-year stretch (2020 to 2022) where it didn’t play a tournament here. The Founders Cup was held at Superstition Mountain Golf & Country Club in 2023, so this year will mark a third different course in three years for the LPGA in Arizona.
Defending champion returning to Ford Championship
Nelly Korda earned her third of four straight LPGA victories at the Ford in 2024. Last year, she had to miss out on her celebratory In-N-Out because the restaurant was closed for Easter. In 2025, Easter doesn’t fall until April 20, so should Korda repeat, an In-N-Out burger and “animal style” fries might be on the menu and, good news, there’s a location just five miles away.
19 of top 20 ranked players are in the field
The Ford will have a strong field with 19 of the top 20 players in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings committed. Beyond Korda, that includes Celine Boutier, Ayaka Furue, Hannah Green, Jin Young Ko, Lydia Ko, Korda, Yuka Saso, Lilia Vu, Amy Yang and Ruoning Yin.
Local ties include Sarah Schmelzel, who grew up in Phoenix and made her Solheim Cup debut in 2024. The field will also feature Arizona State alums Carlota Ciganda, Linn Grant, Azahara Munoz, Anna Nordqvist and Linnea Strom.
The complete field was announced on March 18.
Who are the Monday qualifiers for the tournament?
The Monday qualifier had two spots open and the top finishers to earn a tee time in the Ford Championship were Jeongeun Lee5 and Jing Yan. Crystal Wang, Sarah White, Yana Wilson, Dana Fall, Sophia Popov and Christina Kim were among those who fell short.
Ford Championship to feature $2.5 million purse
There is a total purse of $2.25 million at the 2025 Ford Championship, with $337,500 going to the winner. The $2.25 million is more than 11 of the 33 official events in 2025.
Ford going all in for LPGA event
The 15th hole on the Cattail Course is 176-yard par 3. An ace on No. 15 will earn an LPGA golfer a 2025 Ford Expedition. One lucky fan who wins a sweepstakes will also get one of those Expeditions. The Arizona Ford Dealers are much more involved in the tournament than the SUV giveaway as every player in the field will get a 2025 Ford vehicle of her choice to use the entire week.
Speaking of cars, parking near the tournament was a challenge a year ago but Whirlwind Golf Club has a lot of open space. In 2025, there will be free parking for anyone wishing to drive their own vehicle.
“We will be able to park everyone on site and everyone’s going to be able to walk in,” said 2025 tournament director Emily Podzielinski. “Convenience is a big thing. Come on out to the event, it’s not going to be hard. It’s going to be insanely convenient.”
Whirlwind is about 28 miles south of Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport.
Admission and parking for the 2025 Ford Championship
General admission tickets for Thursday’s first round and Friday’s second round are $49 and for Saturday’s third round and Sunday’s final round it’s going to be $59. A Thursday-through-Sunday pass is $129.
Everyone 17 and under will be admitted free with a ticketed adult.
Also, all current and former U.S. military members — including Active Duty, Active Reserve, Veterans, Military Retirees, and ROTC personnel — as well as their accompanying spouse/partner or dependent will get at no charge. While the tickets are free, those interested still need to fill out a claim form.
Daily parking is $16 or $56 for a weekly pass.
Thunderbirds continuing support of LPGA in the Phoenix area
The Thunderbirds, the community organization that puts on the WM Phoenix Open, is donating funds and expertise for a second year in a row. Part of their assistance is in the free admission for the current and former U.S. military members.
Whirlwind Golf Club twice hosted Korn Ferry Tour qualifying
If the golf course sounds familiar, it might be because of the two qualifying tournaments for the then-Web.com Tour it hosted in 2017 and 2018. What might also come to mind is the extremely low scoring that occurred both years. In 2018, all 134 golfers in the field shot par or better and 105 of them finished double-digits under par or better.
The winner in 2018 was Danny Walker, who shot 27 under (67-65-66-63—261) to win by a shot over Norman Xiong. In 2017, Lee McCoy won at 28 under (65-67-63-65—260), two better than Sungjae Im.
Scottie Scheffler made two key pars, sparking his rise
The World No. 1 and 2013 U.S. Amateur champ finished tied for 34th in 2018 at the Web.com Q School thanks largely to two clutch up-and-down pars on the last two holes. That finish earned him some guaranteed starts in 2019. He would win twice that summer on the Korn Ferry Tour and was a regular on the PGA Tour starting in September that year.
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