LPGA Founders Cup
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Menlo Park, California |
| Established | 2011 |
| Course(s) | Sharon Heights Golf & Country Club |
| Tour | LPGA Tour |
| Format | Stroke play - 72 holes (54 holes in 2011) |
| Prize fund | $3 million |
| Month played | March |
| Tournament record score | |
| Aggregate | 261 Kim Sei-young (2016) |
| To par | −27 as above |
| Current champion | |
| Kim Hyo-joo | |
The LPGA Founders Cup is a women's professional golf tournament on the LPGA Tour. It debuted in February 2011 at the Wildfire Golf Club at JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort and Spa in Phoenix, Arizona. The tournament is designed as a tribute to the founders of the LPGA.
In 2011, using a unique format conducted for the first time in LPGA history, the players did not receive a cash payout. Instead, the tournament donated half of the $1 million tournament purse to charity and the other half to individual charities chosen by the top-10 finishers. All players who made the cut received a portion of the purse in the form of virtual earnings that were attributed to them for purposes of the LPGA official money list.[1]
In 2012, the tournament expanded from three days to four days, and an actual cash purse was instituted.[2]
Volvik took over sponsorships rights for the tournament in 2020, but the tournament was not played due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[3]
In August 2025, the LPGA secured a new title sponsorship deal for the event with Fortinet.[4] The tournament also moved to Sharon Heights Golf & Country Club in Menlo Park, California.
Tournament names
- 2011–2013: RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup
- 2014–2016: JTBC Founders Cup
- 2017–2019: Bank of Hope Founders Cup
- 2020: Volvik Founders Cup
- 2021–2024: Cognizant Founders Cup
- 2025: Founders Cup presented by U.S. Virgin Islands
- 2026–present: Fortinet Founders Cup
Winners
| Year | Date | Champion | Country | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory |
Purse ($)1 | Winner's share ($) |
Venue | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Mar 22 | Kim Hyo-joo (2) | South Korea | 63-70-66-73=272 | −16 | 1 stroke | 3,000,000 | 450,000 | Sharon Heights Golf & Country Club | [5] |
| 2025 | Feb 9 | Yealimi Noh | United States | 68-64-63-68=263 | −21 | 4 strokes | 2,000,000 | 300,000 | Bradenton Country Club | |
| 2024 | May 12 | Rose Zhang | United States | 63-68-67-66=264 | −24 | 2 strokes | 3,000,000 | 450,000 | Upper Montclair Country Club | |
| 2023 | May 14 | Ko Jin-young (3) | South Korea | 68-68-72-67=275 | −13 | Playoff | 3,000,000 | 450,000 | Upper Montclair Country Club | |
| 2022 | May 15 | Minjee Lee | Australia | 67-63-69-70=269 | −19 | 2 strokes | 3,000,000 | 450,000 | Upper Montclair Country Club | |
| 2021 | Oct 10 | Ko Jin-young (2) | South Korea | 63-68-69-66=266 | −18 | 4 strokes | 3,000,000 | 450,000 | Mountain Ridge Country Club | |
| 2020: Canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic[3] | ||||||||||
| 2019 | Mar 24 | Ko Jin-young | South Korea | 65-72-64-65=266 | −22 | 1 stroke | 1,500,000 | 225,000 | Wildfire Golf Club | |
| 2018 | Mar 18 | Inbee Park | South Korea | 68-71-63-67=269 | −19 | 5 strokes | 1,500,000 | 225,000 | Wildfire Golf Club | |
| 2017 | Mar 19 | Anna Nordqvist | Sweden | 67-67-61-68=263 | −25 | 2 strokes | 1,500,000 | 225,000 | Wildfire Golf Club | |
| 2016 | Mar 20 | Kim Sei-young | South Korea | 63-66-70-62=261 | −27 | 5 strokes | 1,500,000 | 225,000 | Wildfire Golf Club | |
| 2015 | Mar 22 | Kim Hyo-joo | South Korea | 65-69-66-67=267 | −21 | 3 strokes | 1,500,000 | 225,000 | Wildfire Golf Club | [1] |
| 2014 | Mar 23 | Karrie Webb (2) | Australia | 66-71-69-63=269 | −19 | 1 stroke | 1,500,000 | 225,000 | Wildfire Golf Club | [2] |
| 2013 | Mar 17 | Stacy Lewis | United States | 68-65-68-64=265 | −23 | 3 strokes | 1,500,000 | 225,000 | Wildfire Golf Club | [3] |
| 2012 | Mar 18 | Yani Tseng | Taiwan | 65-70-67-68=270 | −18 | 1 stroke | 1,500,000 | 225,000 | Wildfire Golf Club | [4] |
| 2011 | Mar 20 | Karrie Webb | Australia | 71-67-66=204 | −12 | 1 stroke | 1,000,000 | 200,000 | Wildfire Golf Club | [5] |
1 In 2011, $500,000 of the purse went LPGA-USGA Girls Golf and $500,000 went to the top-10 finishers’ designated charities.
All winnings were attributed to the players for purposes of the 2011 LPGA Official money list.
Tournament records
| Year | Player | Score | Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Anna Nordqvist | 61 (−11) | 3rd |
References
- ^ "Player Charity Donations Increased for RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup". LPGA. February 11, 2011. Retrieved March 11, 2013.
- ^ "LPGA Leaps Forward in 2012". LPGA. January 11, 2012. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
- ^ a b "For just second time since 1980, LPGA won't have event in Arizona". Golfweek. December 18, 2020. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
- ^ "LPGA's new boss Craig Kessler lands big win with new Founders Cup title sponsor". Golfweek. August 26, 2025. Retrieved August 31, 2025.
- ^ "2026 Fortinet Founders Cup Leaderboard". ESPN. Retrieved 2026-03-23.