This Week: Cambia Portland Classic Turns 50 — Sport Oregon Voices
Photo Credit: Jose Maria Saiz Vasconcelos
Sport Oregon Voices: Longstanding LPGA tour event begins Thursday at Oregon Golf Club
When the 144-player LPGA field hits the links this Thursday for the Cambia Portland Classic, the tour event marks a significant milestone. This year – as the longest-running, non-major event on the LPGA tour – the event celebrates 50 years.
Over the years, the tournament has been lauded for producing some of the most memorable and emotional moments on tour, with soon-to-be stars capitalizing on the event as a breakout for future success, and dramatic storylines capturing the hearts of golf fans near and far.
In 2015, 17-year-old Brooke Henderson had to fight her way through Monday qualifying to make the field. She not only qualified, but she won the Cambia Portland Classic by a whopping eight shots and went on to defend her title the following year. The tournament notably was the setting for “Stacy’s Gift,” courtesy of Stacy Lewis, a two-time major winner on tour. With her last tour victory coming in 2014, Lewis, a resident of Houston, Texas, pledged to donate all of her earnings to the area’s hurricane relief during the 2017 Cambia Portland Classic. She went on to an emotional one-stroke victory in that edition of the tournament, donating her $195,000 in winnings to the relief efforts.
This year’s field features a host of the sport’s top players, including Jin Young Ko, currently ranked No. 2 in the world, and tour veteran Laura Davies. Henderson, currently ranked ninth in the world, returns as a two-time winner of the tournament, while past Cambia Portland Classic champions Marina Alex (2018), Austin Ernst (2014), Hannah Green (2019) and Mi Jung Hur (2009) also are scheduled to compete. The 2021 edition features a scenic new backdrop, as it will be played at the Oregon Golf Club in West Linn, Ore., for the first time. The four-day, 72-hole tournament that concludes Sunday features a $1.4 million purse, with 500 points going towards the season standings for the winner.
While the caliber of golf and scenic Oregon landscapes have certainly set the stage for memorable tournaments over the years, the tournament has a long history of giving back to the local community as well. Backed by the volunteer support of local business leaders and individuals that make up the Tournament Golf Foundation, the event also has been an indelible mark on the area, with over $18 million raised for local organizations since its inception in the early 1970s.
“We are absolutely thrilled to bring some of the best golfers in the world and thousands of golf fans to the Portland area this week as we celebrate 50 years of the Cambia Portland Classic,” said Susan Etzel, tournament director. “There is an incredible amount of energy and excitement surrounding this year’s event, and we’re looking forward to another spectacular tournament.”
Golf Channel will feature live coverage of all four rounds, starting with first-round coverage at 12 p.m. PT on Thursday. Tickets for the Cambia Portland Classic are available at www.portlandclassic.com, with daily and weekly ticket options available. Weekly general admission, that includes all four days of the tournament, starts at $25 for adults, or $15 for seniors. Kids 17 and under receive free admission with complimentary tickets available on the website.
If You’re Going
Weekly and daily general admission tickets – starting as low as $5 for seniors and $10 for adults – are available for purchase in advance on the Cambia Portland Classic website. Active military, veterans and kids 17 and under are admitted free of charge but require a ticket, available online, to be scanned for admission. Daily and weekly parking passes also are available on the site.
If You Can’t Make It
Live coverage of the Cambia Portland Classic begins Thursday at 12 p.m. PT on Golf Channel, which will carry all four days of the tournament from 12-3 p.m. each day.