Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club in Florida lands The Legends Tour's first major golf championship

If you’ve ever wondered what happened to some of the big names from the LPGA in the 1970s and ’80s, many of them are playing on the Legends Tour, which stages a handful of events per year.

This year, the official senior tour of the LPGA will stage its first major, and it’s going to be in Florida at Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club Nov. 20-29. The Legends Tour Open Championship will be contested on Innisbrook’s Island Course from Nov. 20-22 and feature a $300,000 purse.

The announcement came recently at a press conference at Innisbrook with several of the tour’s bigger names in attendance. The group included Legends Tour CEO Jane Blalock, LPGA Acting Commissioner Marty Evans, Innisbrook owner Sheila C. Johnson and several of the Legends Tour players, including past champion Rosie Jones, Dale Eggeling, Colleen Walker, Renée Powell and Pat Bradley.

The Legends Tour has over 100 members, including nine LPGA and World Golf Hall of Fame members, and its players have more than 600 LPGA Tour victories and 55 major championships.

“Because of the championship venue, a committed field and the support of the local community, we felt it was time to host our tour’s first major tournament,” said Blalock. “The Legends Tour Open Championship is guaranteed to be the pinnacle event on our calendar, thanks to the generous support of Dr. Haruhisa Handa and Innisbrook Resort. We look forward to competing at Innisbrook for many years.”

The event will be 36 holes and feature a pro-am and community outreach programs like children’s and women’s golf clinics.

The Legends Tour Championship had previously been played in Japan and Australia, and now it’s been elevated to “major” status. It’s sponsored by the International Sports Promotion Society, an organization created by Handa,

Innisbrook, recently underwent an extensive renovation and currently hosts the PGA Tour’s Transitions Championship event in March on its Copperhead Course.