•Gaby López confirmed to compete in the tournament •A total purse of $2.5 million •It will take place from May 22-25
QUINTANA ROO, Mexico, Jan. 22, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The Riviera Maya Open at Mayakoba, on the El Camaleón golf course, will host a field of 144 players from May 22 to 25, 2025. The best golf on the LPGA tour will return to Mexico after an eight-year absence, distributing a purse of 2.5 million dollars in prizes, and will have a presence of the best players in the world. There will be two tournament exemptions.
A few months ago, the return of women's golf to Mexico was announced, which generated great excitement among players and fans. The event will take place in one of the largest tourist destinations in the country: an 18-hole, par 72 course designed by the legendary Greg Norman.
The tournament presentation involved former number one in the world and greatest in the history of Mexican golf, Lorena Ochoa, who is now retired, and Gaby López, the current face of national golf. The latter, one of the best players from Latin America, confirmed her participation in the tournament and will be one of the favorites to fight for victory.
Lorena Ochoa held the top spot in the LPGA ranking from April 23, 2007, to April 26, 2010. She won 27 titles in her career, including two Majors (British Open 2007 and Kraft Nabisco Championship 2008) and had 109 top 10 finishes.
On September 27, 2017, she was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame, becoming the first Mexican and Latin American golfer, as well as the youngest woman, to be honored as a member.
"I am very excited to have the best players in the world back," Ochoa said. "This LPGA tournament will be an important event for the growth of golf in our country with standout representatives like Gaby López and numerous Mexican players. I am happy to be able to support them in every way possible."
Gaby López joined the LPGA Tour in 2016, where she won the Rookie Award of the Year. Her first tournament victory came in 2018 at the Blue Bay Winner in China. In 2020, she won the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions, and in 2022, the Dana Open. López was the flag bearer of the Mexican delegation at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 (2021). She is currently the 76th-ranked women's golfer in the world.
The Riviera Maya Open will be one of the 33 events that the LPGA will have in the 2025 season, distributing more than 131 million dollars in prize money, a historical record. The calendar includes stops in 14 states in the United States and 11 countries. The last time the LPGA tour was in Mexico was the Lorena Ochoa Invitational Tournament in 2017.
Casey Ceman, LPGA representative and tour vice president of business affairs, expressed his contentment with the return of the tour to Mexico, in a season where the LPGA will celebrate its 75th anniversary. "The LPGA Tour is excited to return to Mexico for the first time since 2017, and to build an incredible history here," he said. "We have always prided ourselves on being a global tour and adding another international stop on the calendar – with the help and support of incredible champions of the LPGA of Mexico like Gaby López and Lorena Ochoa – strengthens that message. We are very grateful to have partners like GS Sports Management and a great venue in Mayakoba to help make this event great."
For the presentation of the LPGA Riviera Maya Open at Mayakoba, Andrés Martínez, general director of the Quintana Roo Tourism Promotion Council, said: "The arrival of the LPGA Tour to Quintana Roo consolidates our position as a premier destination for international sports tourism. This tournament reflects our commitment to high-level sport, in addition to offering an unforgettable experience in an exceptional setting like Mayakoba. We are proud to welcome the best golfers in the world and to showcase our natural and cultural wealth."
Luis Durán, CEO of Mayakoba's ownership group, RLH Properties, said, "The return of the LPGA to Mexico is a great achievement for our country and underscores Mayakoba's position as a great pioneer of golf in Mexico, which has hosted a significant number of professional events throughout its more than 20 years of history. Mayakoba has been the favorite destination of many international professional players thanks to our world-class course "El Camaleón," in addition to our hospitality, and the extraordinary luxury experience that our destination offers through our award-winning hotels: Andaz Mayakoba, Banyan Tree Mayakoba, Fairmont Mayakoba, and Rosewood Mayakoba."
Gustavo Santoscoy Arriaga, chairman of GS Sports Management, thanked those who made this achievement possible: "After so many years, the LPGA Tour is back in Mexico. It fills us with great joy, especially because today, we have Gaby López on the tour – we know that it is a very demanding and competitive tour, but we are convinced that she will continue to represent us well. Rest assured that the international figures will also have the treatment they deserve, so that they will get the best impression of this first LPGA Riviera Maya Open at Mayakoba."
The tournament will be broadcast on the Golf Channel on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. On Sunday, the tournament will air on CBS in the United States.
CALENDAR
Tournament activities will launch on May 17th, with the arrival of the players, registration, and first rounds of practices. On the 19th, starting at 7:00, the LPGA qualifier (48 players) will begin.
On Tuesday the 20th, the inauguration and the Future Stars Tournament will be held, followed by the opening ceremony. The Pro-Am tournament will be held the following day.
The competition begins on Thursday the 22nd, with the first round kicking off at 6:30 a.m. On Friday, play also begins at 6:30 a.m., while on Saturday and Sunday, the tournament will start at 7:30 a.m. Access to the public will open at 7:00 a.m. There will be hospitality venues and a fan zone from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. for attendees.
Incorporated into the schedule will be the Future Stars tournament, a great novelty for girls aged 12 and 14, which the Organizing Committee encourages the future stars of this sport, as it already does in its tournaments tennis with a positive response.
As an extra attraction for attendees – on Saturday the 24th – the group BACILOS (whose hits include "Caraluna", "My First Million," and "Tabaco y Chanel," among others) will perform on-site.
The LPGA Tour, founded in 1950, is the largest American organization in women's golf. Its calendar covers tournaments from January to November of each year, in Asia, Europe, and North America.
GS SPORTS MANAGEMENT
GS Sports Management is a 100% Mexican company dedicated to the organization of large professional sporting events, including tennis, paddle tennis, and golf. It has licenses for the WTA, LPGA, UTS, Octagon, and the Patrick Mouratoglou Academy, which has made it into an event leader in Latin America. Beyond organizing events in sports, the company creates valuable content for brand communication, by combining top-notch hospitality and a genuine passion for your work.
MAYAKOBA
Located in Mexico's Riviera Maya, Mayakoba is a 240-hectare resort and residential destination surrounded by the natural beauty of lagoons, jungles, calm waters and a white sand beach. Four luxury hotels can be found: Andaz, Banyan Tree, Fairmont, and Rosewood; each with distinct personalities and amenities that complement each other, and collections of private residences including Fairmont Heritage Place Mayakoba and Rosewood Residences Mayakoba. Within the exclusive destination are a host of lifestyle experiences including four award-winning spas, more than 35 restaurants and culinary options with eclectic cuisines and El Pueblito, a town square inspired by historic colonial Mexican plazas, which doubles as an event space. In addition, guests and homeowners have access to a three-mile-long nature trail, a variety of recreational experiences through Mayakoba Experiences, the Dive and Water Activities Center and Dive School, and a spectacular 18-hole professional golf course, El Camaleón, designed by renowned architect and golf legend Greg Norman and home to multiple world-class sporting events and world-class entertainment. For more information, visit www.mayakoba.com.
Media Contact
C&R PR, Mayakoba, 52 (984) 206-4653, [email protected]
SOURCE Mayakoba
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