Safeway Classic
| Location | Portland, Oregon, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Established | 1972, 45 years ago |
| Course(s) | Columbia Edgewater Country Club |
| Par | 72 |
| Length | 6,476 yards (5,922 m) (in 2014) |
| Tour(s) | LPGA Tour |
| Format | Stroke play – 72 holes |
| Prize fund | $1.3 million |
| Month played | June-July (in 2016) |
| Aggregate | 199 Annika Sörenstam (2002) - 54 holes 267 Brooke Henderson (2015) - 72 holes |
| To par | −17 Annika Sörenstam (2002) - 54 holes −21 Brooke Henderson (2015) - 72 holes |
 Brooke Henderson
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The Portland Classic is a women's professional golf tournament in Oregon on the LPGA Tour. Founded 45 years ago in 1972, the annual event in the Portland area is the oldest continuous event on the LPGA Tour. Tournament Golf Foundation has managed the tournament since its beginning and also managed the Safeway International tournament on the LPGA Tour. It became a 72-hole event in 2013, after decades at 54 holes.
Proceeds from the tournament are donated to local children's charities; over $15 million has been donated since 1972. The tournament has had a variety of sponsors during its history.
The event began as the Portland Ladies Classic in 1972, played at the Portland Golf Club (PGC) in Raleigh Hills for its first two editions. It moved to the Columbia Edgewater Country Club, west of the airport, then returned to PGC in 1975. From 1977 to 1982, the tournament was a team event and its prize money was unofficial. It returned to Columbia Edgewater in 1977, then went to the adjacent Riverside Golf & Country Club in 1980. The three courses rotated as hosts for the tournament until 1990, when Columbia Edgewater became the site for the next 18 editions. In 1978, Ping became a title sponsor. From 1986 to 1995, Cellular One and AT&T Wireless Services also were title sponsors, and in 1996 Safeway took over as the sole title sponsor. The event was moved up on the schedule in 2005, from September to August, and the purse reached $1.7 million in 2007.
In 2009, the tournament moved to the Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club near North Plains, and drew a tournament record crowd of 87,800 at the Ghost Creek Course. In 2009 and 2010, the course par was increased to 72 for the tournament, as the ninth hole was modified to a par-5; the result was three consecutive reachable par-5's (8,9, & 10) which slowed the pace of play. In 2011, the eighth hole was lengthened and the ninth was returned to a par-4, resulting in a par-71 course (same as public play). The ninth hole was returned to a par-5 in 2012 for a par-72 layout.
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