McDonald's Championship (golf)
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Wilmington, Delaware, U.S. |
| Established | 1981 |
| Course(s) | DuPont Country Club |
| Par | 71 |
| Length | 6,398 yards (5,850 m) |
| Tour(s) | LPGA Tour |
| Format | Stroke play - 72 holes |
| Prize fund | $900,000 |
| Month played | May |
| Final year | 1993 |
| Final champion | |
| Laura Davies | |
| Location map | |
Location in Delaware | |
The McDonald's Championship was a women's professional golf tournament on the LPGA Tour from 1981 through 1993. The first six years were hosted by White Manor Country Club in Malvern, Pennsylvania, northwest of Philadelphia. In 1987, it moved a short distance south to DuPont Country Club in Wilmington, Delaware.
The tournament was founded by Herb Lotman, founder and CEO of Keystone Foods. His co-founder was Frank Quinn. The 28 year old tournament is still the largest fundraiser in the history of golf donating over $47 million to charity. Herb Lotman was quoted as saying, "everything we did, we did for 'the kids'."
In its first year in 1981, the purse was $150,000 with a winner's share of $22,500, won by Sandra Post. The last edition in 1993 had a purse of $900,000; Laura Davies won by a stroke and took the $135,000 winner's share.
Beginning in 1994, McDonald's sponsored the next sixteen editions of the LPGA Championship, one of the tour's four major championships, and the regular tour event was retired. Play continued at DuPont Country Club in Wilmington from 1994 through 2004, then moved in 2005 to Bulle Rock Golf Course in nearby Havre de Grace, Maryland. After the 2009 edition, McDonald's ended its 29-year relationship with the LPGA Tour.