LPGA season tees off at Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions

LAKE NONA, Fla. - The LPGA season tees off this week in Lake Nona with the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions. 

Former Florida football and Jags head coach Urban Meyer, MLB player Whit Merrifield, and LPGA stars Nelly Korda and Annika Sorenstam are just a few of the big names we caught with our FOX 35 camera during Wednesday’s pro-am at the Lake Nona Golf Course.

This is year number 10 for the celebrity golf tournament and the third time the Tournament of Champions has taken place at Lake Nona.

"This is their opportunity to come out, have a week of celebration, a week of enjoyment, a week of fun, and still compete for a great purse, which is up to $1.75 million," Tournament of Champions Founder Mike Flaskey said.

The field is made up of LPGA stars who’ve won on the tour in the past two seasons. They’ll compete in a four-day, 72-hole, stroke-play event. While the celebrities will play with a modified scoring format.

"I’ve been knocking on the door. But I haven’t really been able to put four great rounds together. That’s what I would love to do and wherever that takes me we’ll see," 10-time LPGA Major Champion Annika Sorenstam said.

This week is a celebration of women’s golf. It brings out fans who normally might not attend a women’s sporting event. The tournament’s founder, Mike Flaskey, is hopeful this tournament’s fusion of celebrities and LPGA golfers will continue to drive growth and interest in the sport.

"The vision from the beginning was to help the LPGA and help the ladies to grow the game. By the PGA Tour and the LIV Golf standards, these ladies are not rich. But they are out here, and they’re incredible athletes," Flaskey said. "I think we’re going to see women’s golf on a great trajectory."

The first round of the tournament begins on Thursday.