LPGA to restart at newly created Drive On Championship as part of Ohio double

The LPGA will do a new Ohio two-step in its return to action this summer.

Much like the PGA Tour is doing next month, the women’s tour is adding a new Ohio event to give its players back-to-back starts in the state.

The LPGA announced Tuesday that it is moving the Marathon Classic in suburban Toledo back two weeks, to Aug. 6-9. This will accommodate a new event, the LPGA Drive On Championship, a 54-hole tournament scheduled for July 31-Aug. 2 at Inverness Club in Toledo.

The Drive On Championship will now host the LPGA’s restart. It will be played without spectators and without pro-ams. There’s no title sponsor with a $1 million purse being funded in part by some of the title sponsors whose events were canceled. The new event will feature a 144-player field.

Inverness is also scheduled to host the Solheim Cup next year.

“Thanks in part to the generosity of our partners who could not reschedule their events in 2020, we are adding a valuable additional playing opportunity for our LPGA tour members,” LPGA commissioner Mike Whan said. “We are so appreciative of our longtime partners, Marathon and Dana, as well as the memberships at Highland Meadows and Inverness, for adjusting their schedules and helping us create a valuable two-week stretch in the Toledo area as we work to safely return to competition. This new event will allow us to test our COVID-19 protocols before we get to welcome back our fans at the Marathon LPGA Classic presented by Dana.”

The Marathon Classic will continue to feature its $2 million purse for a field of 156 players.

Golf Channel will televise both Ohio events.