Chicago’s Rich LPGA History: Will the World’s Best Women Golfers Ever Return

The LPGA Tour has announced its 2027 schedule, and once again, Chicago is missing. From Babe Zaharias and the legendary Tam O’Shanter tournaments to major championships and international team competitions, the Chicago area has a distinguished history in women’s professional golf.

The LPGA Tour’s newly announced 2027 schedule features tournaments around the world. But one of America’s largest metropolitan areas is conspicuously absent: Chicago.

For Chicago golf fans, the announcement extends a lengthy absence from the LPGA’s regular tournament calendar. That’s particularly disappointing considering the area’s history of hosting some of the most important competitions in women’s golf.

Tam O’Shanter and the Golden Age of Women’s Golf

Chicago’s connection to women’s professional golf stretches back to the years before the LPGA Tour was formally established in 1950.

At the center of that history was Tam O’Shanter Country Club in Niles, where flamboyant promoter George S. May helped transform tournament golf into a major spectator attraction.

May’s All American Open and World Championship of Women’s Golf brought leading female professionals to Chicago’s northern suburbs, offering prize money and public exposure at a time when opportunities for women in professional sports were limited.

Among the biggest stars was Babe Didrikson Zaharias, one of the greatest multisport athletes in American history and a founding member of the LPGA.

In 1950, Zaharias captured both the women’s All American Open and the World Championship at Tam O’Shanter. Her victories helped establish Chicago as an important stop during the formative years of women’s professional golf.

Other pioneering stars, including Patty Berg, competed in the Chicago tournaments, creating a foundation for the modern women’s professional game.

The original Tam O’Shanter Country Club no longer exists in its historic form, but part of the property survives as the municipal Tam O’Shanter Golf Course in Niles.

The U.S. Women’s Open Comes to the Chicago Suburbs

One of Chicago’s most significant moments in women’s golf occurred in 2000, when Merit Club in Libertyville hosted the U.S. Women’s Open.

Australian superstar Karrie Webb captured the championship, adding another major title to a remarkable career that would eventually include seven major victories.

The tournament demonstrated that Chicago-area clubs could successfully host women’s golf at the highest level.

Merit Club, designed by Bob Lohmann and Ed Oldfield, opened in 1992. Its expansive prairie-style layout offered a different championship test from many of Chicago’s traditional tree-lined courses.

Sixteen years later, the venue would again welcome some of the world’s leading women golfers.

2016: The International Crown at Merit Club

2016 International Crown at Merit Club

In July 2016, the LPGA returned to Merit Club for the UL International Crown, an international team competition featuring eight countries.

Unlike a traditional stroke-play tournament, the International Crown emphasized national pride, team strategy and match play.

The event brought a different atmosphere to Chicago-area professional golf, with players competing for their countries rather than individual titles.

The United States emerged victorious, giving American fans a memorable championship on home soil.

Although the International Crown was not a regular individual LPGA tournament, it reinforced Chicago’s ability to host a significant international women’s golf competition.

2017–2018: Back-to-Back Women’s Major Championships

Chicago enjoyed a remarkable two-year stretch when the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship visited two prominent suburban golf clubs.

2017: Olympia Fields Country Club

Danielle Kang – 2017 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship

In 2017, Olympia Fields Country Club hosted the championship on its historic North Course. Danielle Kang earned her first LPGA Tour victory, finishing 13-under-par and defeating Brooke Henderson by one stroke.

Kang’s victory was particularly memorable because her first professional win came in a major championship. Her performance included four consecutive back-nine birdies during Sunday’s final round.

2018: Kemper Lakes Golf Club

The following year, the championship moved north to Kemper Lakes Golf Club in the Long Grove/Kildeer area.

The 2018 tournament produced another dramatic finish as Sung Hyun Park defeated So Yeon Ryu in a playoff. Park, Ryu and Nasa Hataoka had all finished regulation at 10-under-par.

The consecutive championships were significant for Chicago golf. Few metropolitan areas have the opportunity to host the same women’s major championship in successive years at two different venues.

They also provided an opportunity for local golf fans, particularly young female players, to watch the world’s best compete in person.

A Timeline of Major LPGA Events in Chicagoland

The Forgotten LPGA Tournaments of the 1970s and 1990s

Chicago’s LPGA history includes several other noteworthy tournaments.

La Grange Country Club hosted the U.S. Women’s Open in both 1974 and 1981, with Sandra Haynie and Pat Bradley claiming the respective championships.

In 1973, Betty Burfeindt won the Child & Family Services Open at Midlane Country Club in Wadsworth.

The LPGA also maintained a regular Chicago-area presence during the early 1990s through the Chicago Challenge.

The tournament debuted in 1991 at Oak Brook Golf Club, where Martha Nause won with a remarkable birdie-birdie-eagle finish. It subsequently moved to White Eagle Golf Club in Naperville for three editions, concluding in 1994.

Dottie Mochrie (later Dottie Pepper), Cindy Schreyer and Jane Geddes won the 1992, 1993 and 1994 events, respectively.

The Chicago area also hosted the Women’s Western Open numerous times. The championship was considered a women’s major during its 1930–1967 history, with Chicago-area courses serving as hosts on multiple occasions.

These tournaments demonstrate that Chicago was once much more than an occasional destination for women’s professional golf.

When Will the PGA Tour Return to Chicago?

The absence of an LPGA event in 2027 reflects a broader challenge for Chicago-area golf fans: the region no longer has a guaranteed annual stop on either major professional tour.

The last PGA Tour FedExCup tournament contested locally was the 2023 BMW Championship at Olympia Fields, won by Viktor Hovland.

The BMW Championship will be played August 16–22, 2027, at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, New Jersey.

As of October 2026, there is no confirmed date or venue for the next PGA Tour tournament in Chicagoland.

However, 2028 remains a possibility.

In a 2025 interview with Chicago District Golfer, Western Golf Association President and CEO John Kaczkowski indicated that the BMW Championship was expected to return to the Chicago area after the 2026 Presidents Cup at Medinah.

A 2028 return would represent an important opportunity, but it should not be considered official until a venue and date are announced.

Could the LPGA Return to Chicago?

Chicago possesses many of the ingredients necessary to host another successful LPGA tournament: championship-caliber golf courses, a substantial corporate community, a large population of golfers and a history of supporting major sporting events.

The challenge may be less about finding a suitable venue and more about assembling the sponsorship, financial commitments and operational support necessary to sustain a tournament.

The LPGA’s expanding schedule demonstrates that professional women’s golf continues to attract investment and interest.

For Chicago, the opportunity is clear. Rather than waiting for another major championship to rotate through the region, a recurring LPGA tournament could give local fans a consistent connection to the world’s best female golfers.

From Babe Zaharias at Tam O’Shanter to Danielle Kang at Olympia Fields and Sung Hyun Park at Kemper Lakes, Chicago has played an important role in women’s professional golf.

The question now is when the next chapter will begin.