Westchester Country Club in Rye next year will host the first Women”™s PGA Championship, where players will vie for shares of a $3.5 million purse.
Sponsored by KPMG, an audit, tax and advisory firm, the major championship event will be June 8 through June 14 in 2015.
The KPMG Women”™s PGA Championship will continue the tradition of the 59-year-old LPGA Championship, which it replaces, PGA of America and LPGA officials said in an announcement Thursday. The event will be broadcast in partnership with NBC and Golf Channel.
KPMG and golf officials said the new championship will coincide with a women”™s leadership summit, the start of a new community initiative to develop, advance and empower women as leaders.
Like the LPGA Championship, the PGA event will be rotated annually among prestigious courses in major metropolitan markets. Golf officials said the championship will be operated by the PGA of America in close collaboration with the LPGA.
The LPGA Championship began in 1955, five years after the birth of the Ladies Professional Golf Association.
John Veihmeyer, global chairman of KPMG, in a press release said his firm”™s collaboration with the national golf associations and NBC “will not only bring women”™s golf to new audiences ”“ it also creates opportunities to expand women”™s leadership on and off the course, empowering today”™s women leaders and cultivating the next generation of female leaders.”
At the Westchester Country Club, a championship field of 156 players will include the top eight finishers from the previous year”™s LPGA Teaching & Club Professional National Championship.
LPGA Commissioner Michael Whan said with the new partnership, the annual championship for women golfers “will now reach even greater levels of global exposure, player opportunities and community impact.”
Molly Solomon, executive producer for Golf Channel, part of NBC Sports Group, in the announcement said NBC”™s weekend coverage of the 2015 championship will include features  “that will showcase the role golf has in the business world, the advancement of professional women and highlights from the women”™s leadership summit and community initiative associated with this championship.”
KPMG will spearhead the women”™s leadership summit at the country club in Rye during the championship week, bringing together top women leaders in business, politics, sports and society.
KPMG officials said the sponsoring firm also will manage the ongoing community initiative to give women leaders the opportunity to cultivate the next generation of female leaders and equip them with leadership skills, networks and confidence through scholarships, training, and internship and mentoring programs.
