The $3 million JM Eagle LA Championship begins Thursday at the Wilshire Country Club with a field including eight of the top 10 players on the Women’s World Golf Rankings, led by top-ranked Nelly Korda.
Korda regained the No. 1 ranking for the first time since Nov. 27 after Lydia Ko, who had been first for 21 consecutive weeks, missed the cut at the Chevron Championship, the season’s first major, which concluded Sunday.
While this will be the fifth time an LPGA tournament has been played at the Wilshire Country Club since 2018 — the 2020 edition was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic — this is considered the inaugural JM Eagle LA Championship. The DIO Implant LA Open, played last year the Wilshire Country Club, was played at the Palos Verdes Golf Club March 30 to April 2.
The $3 million purse is one of the biggest on the LPGA Tour outside the majors and double what was offered at last year’s DIO Implant LA Open. The winner will receive $450,000.
The field of 144 also includes all of this season’s winners on the LPGA Tour — Brooke Henderson, Jin Young Ko, Celine Boutier, Ruoning Yin, Grace Kim, and Lilia Vu, the former UCLA star who became the first two-time winner of the season when she captured the Chevron Championship.
“It’s nostalgia, and there’s really no golf course quite like Wilshire,” said Vu, a Fountain Valley High School alum. “I don’t think you can really compare it to anything in my opinion because they’re just so different from the typical surrounding L.A. courses around here. It’s not easy. Putting is going to be difficult. I think it’s going to be difficult for everybody.”
There are five other UCLA alums in the field — Bronte Law, Alison Lee, Ryann O’Toole, Patty Tavatanakit and Mariajo Uribe — along with seven USC alums — Jennifer Chang, Allisen Corpuz, Muni He, Annie Park, Lizette Salas, Jennifer Song and Gabriella Then — and Pepperdine alum Danielle Kang.
The field will be reduced to the top 65 and ties after 36 holes.
The tournament will be televised by Golf Channel, Peacock, NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 3 to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Additional coverage will be streamed on Peacock from 3:30 to 4 p.m. Thursday and Friday.
Daily grounds tickets are $25 and weekly grounds tickets $45. Daily admission for the Sunset Lounge, an open-air, semi-private hospitality suite overlooking the 18th green is $99, which includes soft drinks, light snacks and water.
The Macbeth Pass, a premium hospitality ticket providing access to the Wilshire Country Club clubhouse with complimentary food and beverages, along with access to the Sunset Lounge hospitality suite, is $375 per day.
All military personnel — active, retired, reserve and veteran — and first responders (police, fire and emergency medical services) and their immediate family (up to four total) will receive complimentary admission to the tournament. Tickets will be available at will call by showing proper identification.
Military and first responders also will have complimentary access to the SERVPRO Hero Outpost, an exclusive hospitality suite overlooking the 18th green. Complimentary Hero Outpost tickets are available at www.jmeaglelachampionship.com.
Children under 18 will be admitted free into the tournament with a paid adult.