2009 LPGA Schedule: Fewer Tourneys, Less Money

The struggling American and world economies have finally taken a toll on one of the world's major golf tours, and that tour is the LPGA. The LPGA Tour announced its 2009 schedule today, and while the news of contraction is not at all surprising - it's been known for a while the LPGA was losing certain events - it's still disappointing to see it in black and white.

The 2009 LPGA schedule has 31 tournaments, down from 34 in 2008; and its prize pool is $5 million and change less than in 2008.

The season-ending ADT Championship is gone in 2009. ADT announced earlier that it was withdrawing as a sponsor. The LPGA hopes to bring this event back in 2010, and, according to rumor, as the season-opener rather than the closer.

Other LPGA events that are gone from the 2009 schedule are the Fields Open in Hawaii, the Ginn Tribute hosed by Annika and the SemGroup Championship in Tulsa.

The tour is, however, saving the Phoenix, Ariz.-area tournament despite the fact that Safeway dropped its sponsorship. That tournament will be run by the LPGA in 2009 under the name Phoenix LPGA International.

Twenty of the 31 events on the 2009 schedule are U.S. stops; 11 are international stops.

View the 2009 LPGA schedule.