The LPGA Founders Cup has a new sponsor that's elevating the tournament's financial stature to match its place in honoring the history of the most successful women's sports league in American history.
Cognizant, a digital solutions company, is the new title sponsor of the event that will be renamed the Cognizant Founders Cup. With Cognizant's involvement in a multi-year agreement, the tournament purse will double to $3 million, giving it the highest purse of any LPGA event outside the five majors and season-ending CME Group Tour Championship.
It's a big boost to the Founders Cup, which was first played in 2011. The event honors the 13 founders of the LPGA, which started in 1950.
Along with the LPGA announcement, Cognizant has also become a global partner of the PGA Tour-owned Presidents Cup through 2026.
“In our effort to increase the stature of the Cognizant brand and demonstrate our company as the preeminent technology services partner to clients globally, there is significant value in engaging directly with current and prospective clients at the C-Suite level," said Cognizant CEO Brian Humphries in a release.
"Golf is the premier sport for these business decision-makers, and partnering with the PGA Tour and LPGA Tour provides us with the most distinguished golf platform to create a compelling experience for clients.”
The 2021 Cognizant Founders Cup will be played Oct. 7-10 at Mountain Ridge Country Club in West Caldwell, N.J.