The 50th edition of the ANA Inspiration, the first LPGA Major of the year, will take place April 1 – 4 at Rancho Mirage’s Mission Hills Country Club. The field of this historic Major, which has had 38 different champions over its 49-year history, will feature defending champion, Mirim Lee, and 2020 Women’s British Amateur Champion, Aline Krautner, in addition to what organizers hope will be a full field of the world’s best professional women golfers.
As with last year’s tournament, rescheduled from April to September, and the recent The America Express PGA Golf Tournament in January in La Quinta, this year’s special 50th Anniversary edition will be held without spectators due to Covid-19 related restrictions. Tournament organizers have taken this unique opportunity to play the famous 18th island green surrounded by the famous Poppie’s Pond in its purest state. As far as the records show, the world’s best golfers will be approaching the 18th green just as the competitors would have encountered it in its inaugural edition in 1972, clear of any hospitality units or branding.
For you trivia buffs out there, the ANA Inspiration is one of the five Major championships of professional women’s golf on the LPGA Tour and is held yearly at the Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California.
The official name of the trophy is “The Dinah Shore Trophy,” named in honor of the late television, film and recording star Dinah Shore. Probably the single greatest influence in helping the Ladies Professional Golf Association achieve the prestige it enjoys today, Dinah Shore is the first and to date the only honorary member to be inducted into the prestigious LPGA Hall of Fame. The trophy was designed and crafted in the early 1980’s by English firm Greene Silversmiths, under the direction of then Tournament Director, Dave Marr. The trophy took approximately six months to create and cost more than $25,000. The trophy was presented to the winner of the tournament each year by Dinah Shore herself, until her death in 1994. Made of 100 percent sterling silver, the trophy is approximately 18 inches high and weighs roughly 25 pounds. The trophy is displayed in the clubhouse at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California, and an exact miniature replica is crafted and presented to the winner each year. It takes about 30-45 days to create the replica.
The Tournament has been named the ANA Inspiration since ANA (All Nippon Airways) became the lead sponsor in 2015. Prior to that, the tournament was known as the Colgate Dinah Shore from 1972 to 1981, the Nabisco Dinah Shore from 1982 to 1999, the Nabisco Championship from 2000 to 2001 and the Kraft Nabisco Championship from 2002 to 2014.
Fans will be able to watch the ANA Inspiration around the world, including on Golf Channel and Sky Sports, and follow along for enhanced content on social @ANAinspiration and the tournament website: ANAinspiration.com
To read more: please read the release on the ANA Inspiration website at: https://www.anainspiration.com/news/first-major-of-2021-celebrates-50th-anniversary/?utm_source=ANAInspiration&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=celebrate50
