The LPGA Tour pros are ready to team up and tee off! The fifth edition of the Dow Championship (formerly known as the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational) will kick off on June 27 until the 30th at the Midland Country Club in Michigan. While the LPGA pros play against each other all year round, this tournament gives the female golfers to compete in teams of two for the purse of $3 million.
The team event will feature a field of 144 players, including the team of Lexi Thompson and Brooke Henderson, who are reuniting this year after missing the cut last year. The pair of Lydia Ko and Danielle Kang are also reuniting at this year’s Dow Championship for the first time since 2021. Although the tickets for the battle of duos are available, you can watch the unique team battle live on your screens!
Two main streamers are available for the Dow Championship
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If you are ready to witness the magic of the first round of the championship, you just need to turn on your TV with your favorite snack on the table. What are the timings and which channel should you tune in to? You have two choices: the Golf Channel and Peacock. The Golf Channel will air the Thursday round live from 10 am to 12 pm EST, and Peacock will do the same from 10 am to 1 pm EST.
Fast forward to Friday, the second round of the Dow Championship. For this round, the broadcast schedule is the same as the first round. To watch the penultimate round, you’ll still have the same choices in terms of channels. The Golf Channel will air the round from 5 pm to 7 pm EST and Peacock will broadcast it from 4 pm to 7 pm EST.
Now, to watch the final round on Sunday, you will have to adopt a different approach. From 12 pm to 1 pm EST, you will have to rely on the NBC Sports app, and for the rest of the game (from 1 pm to 3 pm EST), you will have to tune in to the CBS network. The Dow Championship definitely stands out in the LPGA calendar for its format, but does it follow the same approach as other regular tournaments when it comes to the cut?
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Is there going to be a cut in the Michigan-based based-tournament?
72 teams will be competing for the trophy. But, will there be a cut? or will each team be a part of the last two rounds? Well, just like the other LPGA events, this one will also have a cut. After two rounds of competition at the Dow Championship, the field will be trimmed down. The last 35 teams at the conclusion of the second round, including those tied for the 35th position, will have to pack their bags.
Moreover, in case of a tie for the winner’s spot, the tied teams will appear in a playoff using the same foursome format which will be followed during the whole game.
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What is this four-some format? In the rules of Golf, the 22nd rule, which is about the alternate shot or foursomes format says, “a form of match play or stroke play where you and a partner compete as a side by playing one ball in alternating order on each hole. You and your partner must alternate in teeing off to start each hole.”
The game will also follow the four-ball (best ball) format. The best ball format, according to rule 23 of golf, “is a form of play (in either match play or stroke play) involving partners where you and your partner compete together as a side, with each of you playing your own ball, and your side’s score for a hole is the lower score of the two of you on that hole.” Last year the team of Elizabeth Szokol and Cheyenne Knight emerged victorious. Who do you think will win this time?