Six tournaments in Spain and Denmark, dedicated prize funds and a DKK 25,000 bonus for the overall ranking winner. From 2027, ECCO Tour will introduce a brand-new tournament series open to both female professionals and elite amateurs. Three of Denmark’s leading female golfers will serve as ambassadors, while the Danish Golf Union has welcomed the initiative as an important step forward for women’s golf.
It marks one of the most significant developments in ECCO Tour’s history.
From 2027, ECCO Tour will expand its platform with the launch of ECCO Tour Ladies League – a new tournament series designed to create more competitive opportunities and a stronger development environment for female professional golfers and elite amateurs.
The inaugural season will feature six tournaments across Spain and Denmark.
Ladies League will operate as a separate “tournament within a tournament” at six selected ECCO Tour events. The women will compete alongside the men, but in their own competition, with a dedicated leaderboard, prize fund and season-long ranking.
The ambition is to build on the established ECCO Tour platform to create a stronger, more visible and sustainable pathway for female golfers across Denmark and the Nordic region.
Open to Both Amateurs and Professionals – With Dedicated Prize Funds
ECCO Tour Ladies League will be open to both female professionals and elite amateurs, giving them the opportunity to compete against each other in a professional tournament environment.
Each of the six tournaments will have its own prize fund, with the amount depending on the number of participants.
The ambition for the inaugural season is to offer prize funds ranging from €5,000 to €10,000 per tournament.
In addition, a dedicated Ladies League Ranking will be established, with players accumulating ranking points throughout the six-event season.
The winner of the overall Ladies League Ranking will receive a DKK 25,000 bonus, subject to applicable amateur status regulations.
Unlike the men’s ECCO Tour, Ladies League will not offer promotion to higher-level women’s tours.
Instead, its primary purpose is to provide more competitive opportunities, valuable tournament experience and a stronger development environment for female golfers.
We Are Taking a Long-Term Approach
This is not the first time GolfPromote and ECCO Tour have explored the possibility of establishing a women’s tournament series.
The idea was considered in both 2017 and 2021, but on both occasions the conclusion was that the potential player base was not yet large enough.
Now the plans are being revived – this time with a clear commitment to giving the project the time it needs to succeed.
“We have previously explored the possibility of including women on ECCO Tour, but both in 2017 and again in 2021, we concluded that there simply weren’t enough potential participants. Now we’re revisiting the idea and giving it our full commitment,” says GolfPromote CEO Flemming Astrup.
“We know it will take a lot of work. But we are taking a long-term approach and will do everything we can to make it successful – even if we initially only have nine, twelve or eighteen players competing in some of the tournaments.”
Starting with relatively small fields does not concern the organisation behind ECCO Tour.
“When we launched the men’s tour back in 2003, we also struggled to fill the fields. That changed over time, and we’re ready to take on the same challenge again. The most important thing initially is to create a strong and professional competitive environment that players genuinely want to be part of. From there, we can continue to build,” says Astrup.
Three Danish Golf Stars Become Ambassadors
The new ECCO Tour Ladies League will be supported by three of Denmark’s most prominent female golfers.
Emily K. Pedersen, Nanna Koerstz Madsen and Nicole Broch Estrup will serve as ambassadors for the new initiative.
With their extensive experience from the highest levels of international golf, they will help raise awareness of Ladies League and inspire the next generation of female golfers.
Their involvement also underlines the ambition to establish a long-term development platform capable of strengthening the pathway towards international women’s professional golf.
Danish Golf Union: An Important Step Forward for Women’s Golf
The launch of Ladies League has also been warmly welcomed by the Danish Golf Union (DGU), which sees the initiative as an important opportunity to strengthen the development environment and create more competitive opportunities for Denmark’s leading female talents.
According to DGU, Ladies League addresses a significant gap in the existing tournament calendar and could have a major long-term impact on the development of Danish women’s golf.
Christian Bindslev, Director of Sport at the Danish Golf Union, says:
“With the introduction of this new series on ECCO Tour for both female professionals and amateurs, we are filling a significant gap in the women’s tournament calendar.
It provides our players with a much more consistent season and more valuable competitive rounds – both at home and internationally.
Our clear hope is that this series can eventually help elevate Danish women’s golf in the same way that ECCO Tour has played such an important role in developing Danish men’s golf over the years.
We are also extremely pleased to see the strong commitment and tremendous support from ECCO Tour in helping our female players take the next step.”
Six Tournaments – One Shared Ambition
The inaugural season will consist of three tournaments in Spain and three in Denmark.
The new series will allow female players to compete in a professional environment on an established tour, with tournament operations, golf courses, live scoring and other facilities already in place.
This means Ladies League can benefit from more than two decades of experience in organising professional golf tournaments from day one.
The objective is not simply to create six additional competitive opportunities, but to establish a sustainable platform that can grow alongside the player base and the interest of commercial partners and sponsors.
Tomorrow: The Full 2027 Calendar Revealed
Tomorrow, Danish Golf will officially unveil its complete tournament calendar for 2027.
The announcement will include the exact dates and venues for all six ECCO Tour Ladies League events, together with the full ECCO Tour schedule for the upcoming season.
At the same time, Danish Golf will launch its new Danish Golf Partner & Pro-Am Magazine 2027, featuring the HotelPlanner Tour event in Denmark, the exciting new international golf concept THE VIKING, and a wide range of opportunities for companies looking to support the development of Danish and Nordic golf.
Stay tuned to Danish.Golf tomorrow as we reveal the complete 2027 programme.