Airbus LPGA Classic
| Company type | Professional golf tournament |
|---|---|
| Industry | Sports |
| Founded | 2008 |
| Defunct | 2014 |
| Headquarters | Mobile , United States |
Area served | United States (Mobile, Alabama) |
| Products | Women's professional golf competition |
The Airbus LPGA Classic was a professional women's golf competition on the LPGA Tour, hosted in Mobile, Alabama from 2008 through 2014.
Initially launched in September 2008 at Magnolia Grove, part of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, the tournament featured a $1.4 million prize fund. The first champion, Angela Stanford, edged out Shanshan Feng by a single stroke. Coverage was provided by the Golf Channel both within the United States and internationally.
After skipping the 2009 season, the event resumed in 2010, shifting to a mid-May schedule. Severe weather, including heavy rain and lightning, led to the cancellation of the final round, prompting a sudden-death playoff among three tied leaders. Se Ri Pak emerged victorious on the third playoff hole. The following year, 2011, saw Maria Hjorth claim the title with a two-shot margin after shooting weekend rounds of 67 (−5). The tournament concluded its run following the 2014 season.
Title sponsorship underwent several changes: Bell Microproducts was the sponsor in 2008 and 2010; after Bell Micro's acquisition by Avnet in 2010, Avnet took over as title sponsor in 2011. Without a sponsor in 2012, the prize purse slightly decreased from $1.30 million to $1.25 million. In January 2014, Airbus, a major European aerospace corporation, became the title sponsor, coinciding with its development of an A320 final assembly plant in Mobile set to open in 2015.
Before this event, Mobile was home to The Mitchell Company Tournament of Champions, held on Magnolia Grove courses from 1999 until 2007.
Tournament names
- 2008–10: Bell Micro LPGA Classic
- 2011: Avnet LPGA Classic
- 2012–13: Mobile Bay LPGA Classic
- 2014: Airbus LPGA Classic Presented by JTBC
2013 course layout
Crossings Course
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yards | 395 | 180 | 387 | 528 | 392 | 488 | 385 | 159 | 370 | 3,284 | 380 | 398 | 376 | 522 | 149 | 390 | 466 | 165 | 402 | 3,248 | 6,532 |
| Par | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 36 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 36 | 72 |
Winners
| Year | Dates | Champion | Country | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Purse ($) | Winner's share ($) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | May 22–25 | Jessica Korda | Template:USA | 67-67-69-65=268 | −20 | 1 stroke | 1,300,000 | 195,000 | |
| 2013 | May 16–19 | Jennifer Johnson | Template:USA | 67-70-65-65=267 | −21 | 1 stroke | 1,200,000 | 180,000 | |
| 2012 | Apr 26–29 | Stacy Lewis | Template:USA | 68-67-67-68=271 | −17 | 1 stroke | 1,250,000 | 187,500 | |
| 2011 | Apr 28 – May 1 | Maria Hjorth | Template:SWE | 70-74-67-67=278 | −10 | 2 strokes | 1,300,000 | 195,000 | |
| 2010 | May 13–16 | Se Ri Pak | Template:KOR | 69-66-68=203 | −13 | Playoff1 | 1,300,000 | 195,000 | |
| 2009 | No tournament | ||||||||
| 2008 | Sep 11–14 | Angela Stanford | Template:USA | 70-67-67-73=277 | −11 | 1 stroke | 1,400,000 | 210,000 | |
1 The final round was called off due to adverse weather conditions; a sudden-death playoff among co-leaders Pak, Brittany Lincicome, and Suzann Pettersen decided the winner; Pak triumphed on the third playoff hole.
Tournament records
| Year | Competitor | Score | Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Anna Nordqvist | 61 (−11) | 3rd |