Marathon Classic presented by Dana (LPGA Tournament)

Lydia Ko of New Zealand watches her drive on the 18th hole during the third round of the 2016 Marathon Classic
Lydia Ko tees off during the 2016 LPGA Marathon Classic, which she won. Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
by Brent Kelley
Brent Kelley is an award-winning sports journalist and golf expert with over 30 years in print and online journalism.
Updated May 24, 2019

The Marathon Classic presented by Dana is the tournament played in the Toledo, Ohio, area that, until 2013, was always associated with the actor Jamie Farr. From its founding in 1984, the tournament was called some version of "Jamie Farr Toledo Classic" or "Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic" until, in 2013, Marathon Oil entered as the title sponsor. At that point, Farr's association with the event ended.

The Marathon Classic is a 72-hole tournament on the LPGA Tour schedule, played during the summer months.

2019 Tournament

  • When: July 11-14, 2019
  • Where: Highland Meadows Golf Club in Sylvania, Ohio

2018 Marathon Classic
Thidapa Suwannapura of Thailand defeated major championship winner Brittany Lincicome in a playoff to claim the trophy. Suwannapura rallied in the final round with a 65, tying Lincicome at 14-under 270. On the first extra hole, Suwannapura won it with a birdie to Lincicome's par. It was the first career win on the LPGA for Suwannapura.

2017 Tournament
In-Kyung Kim fired a final-round 63 and cruised to a 4-stroke victory. Kim finished at 21-under 263, four strokes better than runner-up Lexi Thompson. Third-round leader Nelly Korda, an LPGA rookie, shot 74 in the final round and finished tied for eighth. For Kim, it was her second win of the 2017 LPGA season and her sixth career LPGA victory.

Marathon Classic Records:

Note that during the tournament's time as a 54-hole event, the best 54-hole winning total was Brandie Burton's 201 in 1993.

Marathon Classic Golf Courses:

The event is played at Highland Meadows Golf Club in Sylvania, Ohio, on the northwestern edge of Toledo. Highland Meadows has been the tourney site since 1989. Prior to 1989, the first four tournaments were played at Glengarry Country Club in Toledo, a track now known as Stone Oak Country Club.

Marathon Classic Trivia and Notes:

  • Se Ri Pak is the queen of the Marathon Classic, winning the tournament five times.
  • Pak's first victory here was in 1998, her rookie year on the LPGA Tour. It was the third win of her LPGA career, following major championship victories at the LPGA Championship and U.S. Women's Open. Pak's winning score in 1998 of 261 was, at that time, a tour record for lowest 72-hole stroke total (that record has since been surpassed).
  • Pak's five victories at this tournament ties the LPGA record for most wins in the same tournament. Mickey Wright (Sea Island Open) and Annika Sorenstam (Samsung World Championship and Mizuno Classic) also won the same tournament five times (twice in Annika's case).
  • The tournament has skipped two years in its history since debuting in 1984. No tournament was played in 1986 or 2011. In 2011, the Jamie Farr Toledo Classic was skipped so that the tournament staff could focus on the U.S. Senior Open that was played in Toledo on dates close to this event's dates.
  • The Farr began as a 72-hole tournament, switched to 54 holes from 1989-1996, went back to 72 holes in 1997 and has remained 72 holes since.
  • Aside from Pak's five wins, the other multiple winners here are Lydia Ko, Penny Hammel and Kelly Robbins, each with two victories.
  • Paula Creamer won the 2008 Jamie Farr Toledo Classic after opening with a first-round 60. Only Sorenstam's 59 at the 2001 Standard Register Ping is a lower round in LPGA history. On one of her nines during that round of 60, Creamer carded a 27, which ties the LPGA record for lowest nine holes.
  • The last of Meg Mallon's 18 LPGA victories happened at the 2004 Farr.
  • So Yeon Ryu's 2012 victory was highlighted by the 62 she shot in the final round. That score tied the LPGA record for lowest final round by a winner, shared by Juli Inkster, Annika Sorenstam, Mickey Wright and Kathy Whitworth.
  • The tournament name changed to Marathon Classic beginning in 2013. Actor Jamie Farr, a Toledo native, was a tournament booster throughout its history up to that point, and had his name in the title in previous years. Farr played the role of Klinger on the hit television series M*A*S*H in the 1970s and 1980s, and served as tournament host until retiring from those duties prior to the 2013 event.

    LPGA Marathon Classic Winners:
    (p-won playoff)

    Marathon Classic
    2018 - Thidapa Suwannapura-p, 270
    2017 - In-Kyung Kim, 263
    2016 - Lydia Ko-p, 270
    2015 - Chella Choi-p, 270
    2014 - Lydia Ko, 269
    2013 - Beatriz Recari, 267

    Jamie Farr Toledo Classic
    2012 - So Yeon Ryu, 264
    2011 - No Tournament
    2010 - Na Yeon Choi, 270
    2009 - Eunjun Yi, 266
    2008 - Paula Creamer, 268
    2007 - Se Ri Pak, 267
    2006 - Mi Hyun Kim, 266
    2005 - Heather Bowie Young, 274
    2004 - Meg Mallon, 277
    2003 - Se Ri Pak, 271
    2002 - Rachel Hetherington, 270
    2001 - Se Ri Pak, 269
    2000 - Annika Sorenstam, 274
    1999 - Se Ri Pak, 276
    1998 - Se Ri Pak, 261
    1997 - Kelly Robbins, 265
    1996 - Joan Pitcock, 204
    1995 - Kathryn Imrie, 205
    1994 - Kelly Robbins, 204
    1993 - Brandie Burton, 201
    1992 - Patty Sheehan, 209
    1991 - Alice Miller, 205
    1990 - Tina Purtzer, 205
    1989 - Penny Hammel, 206
    1988 - Laura Davies, 277
    1987 - Jane Geddes, 280
    1986 - No Tournament
    1985 - Penny Hammel, 278
    1984 - Lauri Peterson, 278