LET announce record-breaking 2021 schedule

The Ladies European Tour has announced a remarkable record-breaking 2021 schedule featuring 27 events in 19 different countries.

A year on from the monumental joint venture between the LPGA and the LET and after a year disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 LET season welcomes the addition of as many as nine new fully sanctioned tournaments.

Players will be competing for a combined prize fund of more than €19 million. An increase of €2million on the proposed pre-COVID-19 announcement for the 2020 season and €6million on 2019.

With all postponed events returning to the calendar, the season will air over 200 hours of live broadcast, with coverage extending to more than double the number of tournaments compared to 2020.

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Of the nine new events, three include the previously announced €1million Scandinavian Mixed Hosted by Henrik and Annika, the Creekhouse Ladies Open and the Big Green Egg Dutch Ladies Open.

“We are extremely excited to announce our record-breaking schedule for 2021 and thrilled to offer some good news to our membership after a difficult season last year,” said LET CEO Alexandra Armas of the announcement.

“The LET is dedicated to supporting our members and growing the game of golf to new and existing markets and we are proud to confirm the return of not only all postponed events but the addition of several new and innovative tournaments, which shows just how much interest and momentum there is behind women’s sport.”

The season gets underway at the rescheduled Investec South African Women’s Open from May 13-16 before heading to the first Aramco Team Series tournament in New York.

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Europe will play host to most tournaments between June and September with 23 consecutive weeks of golf on the horizon as the LET visits Czech Republic, England, Finland, France, Spain, Scotland, Sweden and Switzerland as well as Japan for the rescheduled Olympic Games and Toledo, Ohio, USA, for the Solheim Cup.

“I committed myself to playing on the LET in Europe last year and unfortunately I was not able to play as much as I would have liked so I am pleased to see such a healthy schedule for me to get back out there,” said Solheim Cup Team Europe captain Catriona Matthew. 

“I have six captain’s picks for the first time this year and I am looking forward to playing with some of Europe’s best as I look to assemble my team ahead of defending our trophy in September.”

Further afield for the final quarter of the season, the LET revisits India, Kenya and Morocco after a hiatus in 2020 as well as being provisionally set to play in Thailand and the Philippines, for the first time in LET history. 

As per last season, Dubai and Saudi Arabia are back on the calendar after successfully staging the Omega Dubai Moonlight Classic and the Aramco Saudi Ladies International presented by Public Investment Fund, respectively.

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The Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España will once again play host to the season-finale, with the €600,000 event deciding the season’s Race to Costa del Sol. The ‘Race’ will offer a bonus pool of €250,000 between the top three finishers on the official rankings. The player who tops the rankings will receive an additional €125,000, with the second highest finisher receiving €75,000 and €50,000 for the third placed player following the season-long race.