The LPGA Tour returns to Virginia this week for the Pure Silk Championship, and thanks to a new BetMGM VA partnership, you can wager on the tournament.
The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) and its tour are in their 72nd year of competition.
On Thursday, the tour returns to Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg, Virginia, for a four-day tournament. It runs Thursday-Sunday, May 19-23.
The 2021 Pure Silk Championship features some notable names. The list includes former standout golfers from the University of Virginia. The field also includes former U.S. Women’s Open champion Paula Creamer, who returns to LPGA Tour competition for the first time since 2019.
LPGA and BetMGM focus on engagement
LPGA and BetMGM officials recently announced their multiyear agreement, though the financial terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. However, as part of the agreement, BetMGM becomes the official betting operator and partner of the LPGA Tour.
With the deal, BetMGM will feature LPGA alongside the PGA Tour and PGA European Tour with a diverse betting menu. BetMGM will also have the rights to use the Official Tour Partner logo for the advertising and promotion of its sports betting products and services.
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Many major sports organizations have signed similar deals in recent months. As with other smaller-league deals, like the NASCAR-BetMGM and UFC-DraftKings, the LPGA-BetMGM partnership is geared heavily around fan engagement.
Brian Carroll, the LPGA’s senior vice president of global media distribution, stated:
“As a leading sports and entertainment company and already a supporter of women’s golf, BetMGM is uniquely positioned to join the LPGA family as an official betting operator. Sports betting and digital gaming are key elements of the future of sports, and BetMGM is on the forefront of both opportunities. We are happy to partner with them as we look to provide more opportunities for our fans to interact with the LPGA and learn about our incredible athletes.”
Through its partnership with MGM Resorts, BetMGM has access to existing sponsor relationships with many LPGA Tour notables, including Michelle Wie West, Natalie Gulbis and Danielle Kang.
The 2021 LPGA Tour season runs from Jan. 21 to Nov. 21. All online sportsbooks in VA offer golf betting, and most usually have LPGA Tour options available before the start of each tournament.
This week’s Pure Silk Championship is the 10th of 34 events currently scheduled for this year. In addition to the US, they take place in Singapore, Thailand, France, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Canada, China, South Korea, Taiwan and Japan.
2021 Pure Silk Championship odds to win
This year’s Pure Silk Championship takes place on the par-71 River Course at Kingsmill Resort.
The tournament, founded in 2013, succeeded the Michelob ULTRA Open (1981-2002) at the course, which Anheuser-Busch founded in the 1970s.
Bronte Law is the Pure Silk Championship defending champion. The English golfer nabbed her first LPGA Tour title with a two-stroke victory in 2019.
Now, after a year off in 2020 due to the COVID-19, the Pure Silk Championship returns this year with a star-studded field.
BetMGM has already posted Pure Silk Championship odds. And the favorite is Sei Young Kim, who has +600 odds (bet $10 to net $60 in profit). The 28-year-old Korean golfer and 2020 LPGA Tour Player of the Year is currently ninth in the 2021 LPGA Tour season standings.
Other favorites include +700 Brooke M. Henderson (seventh in the standings), +700 Nelly Korda (second) and her sister, +1100 Jessica Korda (fifth).
Former Virginia Cavaliers golfers in the field include:
- +5000 Brittany Altomare (49th)
- +20000 Lauren Coughlin (124th)
- +40000 Elizabeth Szokol (116th)
Law (66th), the defending tourney champ, is available at +15000.
Creamer, meanwhile, returns to competition while saying she’s pain-free for the first time in years. Despite her recent inactivity, the oddsmakers have the fan favorite available at a modest +40000.
