LPGA "Corning Classic" Tournament
The LPGA Corning Classic was an annual golf tournament for professional female golfers on the LPGA Tour. It took place every year from 1979 through 2009 at the Corning Country Club in Corning, New York.
It was one of the longest running tournaments on the LPGA Tour and the longest with a single sponsor. The title sponsor since the beginning was Corning Incorporated, an American manufacturer of glass, ceramics and related materials, primarily for industrial and scientific applications.
Production and operation of the tournament was a large community effort by the citizens of Corning. As with most tournaments on the LPGA Tour, proceeds went to charity. Beneficiaries of the Corning Classic were local hospitals and camps for disabled children. Net charitable proceeds since 1979 exceeded $5 million.
While this famous LPGA tournament is no longer held, proceeds for the LPGA Corning Classic exceeded 3.8 million dollars since it's debut at the Corning Country Club in 1979.
An exciting note from the history of the LPGA is that from 1985 to 1988 four players won their second career tournament right here at the Corning Country Club. They were Patti Rizo, Laurie Rinker-Graham, Cindi Rarick, and Sherri Turner.
