Bank of Hope Founders Cup Winners and History

Founders Cup Winners and History

The Founders Cup was established in 2011 as a tribute to the thirteen legendary founders of the LPGA: Alice Bauer, Patty Berg, Bettye Danoff, Helen Detweiler, Marlene Bauer Hagge, Helen Hicks, Opal Hill, Betty Jameson, Sally Sessions, Marilynn Smith, Shirley Spork, Louise Suggs and Babe Didriksen Zaharias.

The tournament started amid controversy over its unique format. In 2011, the players were not paid and the entire purse went to charity. Players did receive “virtual” earnings that qualified them on the LPGA’s official money list.

It probably wasn’t the best idea. The LPGA at the time was short on both tournaments and opportunities for the players to earn income and the notion of playing for free did not sit well with many.

In 2012, the tournament expanded from three days to four and real cash payouts were begun.

In 2013, JTBC replaced R.R. Donnelley as sponsor of the LPGA’s Founder’s Cup. In 2017, the title sponsor is Bank of Hope.

Bank of Hope, headquartered in Los Angeles, bills itself as the “only super regional Korean-American bank in the U.S.” The bank, which serves “a multi-ethnic population of customers’ has 73 full-service branches across nine states.

The tournament is played at the Wildfire Golf Club at JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa in Phoenix, Arizona. The Arnold Palmer design is a 6,583 yard par 72.

A list of past Founders Cup winners follows:

Year	Champion	Country	Score	Purse ($)	Winner’s share
2019	Ko Jin-Young	South Korea	266 (-22)	1, 500,000	225,000
2018	Inbee Park	South Korea	269 (–19)	1,500,000	225,000
2017	Anna Nordqvist	Sweden	263 (–25)	1,500,000	225,000
2016	Kim Sei-young	South Korea	261 (–27)	1,500,000	225,000
2015	Kim Hyo-Joo	South Korea	267 (–21)	1,500,000	225,000
2014	Karrie Webb	Australia	269 (–19)	1,500,000	225,000
2013	Stacey Lewis	United States	265 (–23)	1,500,000	225,000
2012	Yani Tseng	Taiwan	270 (–18)	1,500,000	225,000
2011	Karrie Webb	Australia	204 (–12)	1,000,000	200,000