Only 10 tournaments remain until the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship in Naples, Florida in November. This week the LPGA Tour makes its annual stop in Portland, Oregon, for the Cambia Portland Classic at Columbia Edgewater Country Club.
A star-studded field of the world’s best female golfers will make the trek from Eastern Canada to the West Coast of the United States, including four of the world’s top 10 players on the current Rolex Rankings list.
HISTORY
The first Cambia Portland Classic was played in 1972 at Portland Golf Club in Raleigh Hills as the Portland Ladies Classic. For the next twenty years or so it rotated between Portland GC, Columbia Edgewater Country Club, and Riverside Golf & Country Club.
From 1977 through 1982 the tournament was played as a team event, sponsored by Ping, and was essentially a precursor to the Solheim Cup.
In 1990, Columbia Edgewater became the site for the next 18 editions, until 2009 when Pumpkin Ridge hosted the next four editions. Columbia Edgewater returned as tournament host in 2013.
In 2015, then 17-year-old Brooke Henderson Monday-qualified and won the event by eight shots, the largest victory margin on tour since 2012, and became the tour’s third-youngest winner.
NAME CHANGES
The tournament was first known as the Portland Ladies Classic. In 1978, Ping became the first title sponsor. Cellular One and AT&T Wireless Services were title sponsors from 1986 to 1995.
In 1996 Safeway took over as the sole title sponsor. Safeway dropped its sponsorship after 2013, and Portland-based Cambia Health Solutions became the presenting sponsor.
- 1972: Portland Ladies Classic
- 1973: Portland Ladies Open
- 1974–75: Portland Ladies Classic
- 1976: Portland Classic
- 1977: LPGA National Team Championship
- 1978: Ping Classic Team Championship
- 1979-82: Portland Ping Team Championship
- 1983-85: Portland Ping Championship
- 1986-89: Cellular One-Ping Golf Championship
- 1990: Ping-Cellular One Golf Championship
- 1991-94: Ping-Cellular One LPGA Golf Championship
- 1995: Ping-AT&T Wireless Services LPGA Golf Championship
- 1996-2000: Safeway LPGA Golf Championship
- 2001-02: Safeway Classic
- 2003-08: Safeway Classic Presented by Pepsi
- 2009-13: Safeway Classic Presented by Coca-Cola
- 2014: Portland Classic Presented by Cambia Health Solutions
- 2015: Cambia Portland Classic
- 2016-Present: Cambia Portland Classic Presented by JTBC
THE COURSE
Columbia Edgewater Country Club is a private golf course in the northwest United States, located in Portland, Oregon.
Opened over 94 years ago, in 1925, the club has hosted a number of tour events on the PGA Tour and LPGA Tour. It is located immediately west of the Portland International Airport.
The course was designed by A.V. Macan in 1924, just south of the Columbia River. It hosted the PGA Tour’s Portland Open Invitational four times in the 1960s, and has been the longtime host of the LPGA Tour’s Portland Classic over thirty times.
THE FIELD: BY THE NUMBERS
The field is headlined by World No. 1 So Yeon Ryu, as well as Lexi Thompson (No. 2), No. 6 In Gee Chun, and defending champion Brooke Henderson (No. 10).
ROLEX TOP 10
There are four players in the field who are currently ranked in the world top 10.
- So Yeon Ryu (No. 1)
- Lexi Thompson (No. 2)
- In Gee Chun (No. 6)
- Brooke Henderson (No. 10)
2017 LPGA WINNERS
There are six players in the field who have wins on tour this season.
- Amy Yang (Honda LPGA Thailand)
- Mirim Lee (Kia Classic)
- So Yeon Ryu (ANA Inspiration, Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G)
- Lexi Thompson (Kingsmill Championship)
- Brooke Henderson (Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give)
- Katherine Kirk (Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic)
FORMER CHAMPIONS
There are four (4) past Cambia Portland Classic winners in the field.
- Brooke Henderson (2016, 2015)
- Austin Ernst (2014)
- Mika Miyazato (2012)
- Ai Miyazato (2010)
THE SKINNY
Tournament: Cambia Portland Classic
Managed By: LPGA Tour
Title Sponsor: Cambia Health Solutions
Dates: August 31 – September 3, 2017
Course: Columbia Edgewater Country Club
Where: Portland, Oregon
Vitals: par-72, 6,476 yards
Architect: A.V. Macan (1925)
Money: Purse: $1,300,000 | Winning Share: $195,500
Defending Champion: Brooke Henderson (2015, 2016)
Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
GOLF CHANNEL COVERAGE
Round 1: Thursday 7:00-10:00 PM
Round 2: Friday 6:30-8:30 PM
Round 3: Saturday 6:30-8:30 PM
Round 4: Sunday 5:00-7:00 PM
Sources/Credits: LPGA Tour Communications, Getty Images
