ANA INSPIRATION WINS GOLD DRIVER AWARD AS 2017 LPGA TOURNAMENT OF THE YEAR

The LPGA Tournament Owners Association (TOA) selected the ANA Inspiration as 2017 Tournament of the Year on Wednesday. The honor recognizes the LPGA event that “stands out among all tournaments as truly exceptional.”

The annual TOA Gold Driver Awards were hosted at the LPGA’s season-ending CME Group Tour Championship at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort in Naples.

“We are honored to accept the Gold Driver Award on behalf of our title sponsor, All Nippon Airways, and our hard-working tournament staff,” said Gabe Codding, Senior Director, ANA Inspiration. “As the event continues to evolve and improve, we look forward to welcoming the LPGA’s best back to Mission Hills in 2018.”

So Yeon Ryu defeated Lexi Thompson with a birdie on the first playoff hole to cap off the 2017 ANA Inspiration. The victory was Ryu’s second major championship.

Earlier in the week, the tournament hosted the 54-hole ANA Junior Inspiration – sanctioned for the first time by the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) – where 14-year-old winner Lucy Li earned the final spot in the major championship field. She went on to earn low amateurs honors.

The tournament also hosted the second ANA Inspiring Women in Sports conference which included appearances by tennis great Billie Jean King, three-time Olympic gold medalist Aly Raisman and former world No. 1 tennis star Maria Sharapova.

The 2018 ANA Inspiration will take place March 26 to April 1 at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California. Tickets will go on sale in early December.

The ANA Inspiration is owned and operated by IMG as part of a joint venture with the LPGA Tour.