Denmark adds a women's competition pathway
On 21 October 2026, the organisers of Denmark's ECCO Tour announced a new ECCO Tour Ladies League for 2027. The plan is a genuine six-event series, not a one-off exhibition: three tournaments in Denmark and three in Spain will welcome female professionals alongside leading amateur players. Each event is designed to run alongside a selected ECCO Tour tournament, taking advantage of the existing event-management and scoring infrastructure.
The women will have their own competition, leaderboard, prize money and season-long ranking. Sharing a tournament venue with the established men's series does not mean the women's results will be merged into the men's standings.
A prize-money ambition, not a guarantee
Organiser GolfPromote aims for a prize fund of €5,000–€10,000 per event, with the actual amount dependent on entry numbers. That distinction matters: the announced range is an ambition for the first season, rather than a confirmed purse at every stop.
The overall ranking winner is to receive a DKK 25,000 bonus, subject to the rules governing amateur status. The organisers also stress what the new league does not provide: unlike the established men's ECCO Tour/Nordic Golf League pathway, it does not award automatic promotion to a higher women's tour. Nor has it been presented as part of the LET Access Series. The immediate goal is consistent, high-quality tournament experience.
A confirmed Danish venue: Smørum
A report published by local newspaper EgedalPosten on 24 October identifies Smørum Golfklub as host of a Ladies League stop connected with an event scheduled for 7–11 June 2027. This grounds the Danish part of the calendar in a real club. The detailed schedule of women's competitive rounds should still be checked against the organiser's final event programme.
Three leading Danish golfers — Emily K. Pedersen, Nanna Koerstz Madsen and Nicole Broch Estrup — have been named ambassadors. Their role is to promote the project and inspire younger players; the announcement should not be read as confirmation that all three will contest the six events.
Why the Danish federation supports the initiative
Christian Bindslev, sports director at Dansk Golf Union (DGU), describes a gap in the women's tournament calendar that a regular series could help fill. More events at home and abroad would give elite amateurs and emerging professionals additional competitive rounds instead of relying solely on training or isolated starts.
GolfPromote chief executive Flemming Astrup said the idea had already been examined in 2017 and 2021, when organisers judged the available player pool too small. This time they intend to take a long-term approach even if some early fields contain relatively few entrants.
The underlying question is how to make the transition from amateur promise to professional competition more workable. Regular events provide a place to test routines, compete for ranking points, travel and perform under tournament pressure.
What remains open
As of 26 October 2026, this is an announced 2027 programme, not a series that has already taken place. Entry lists, final prize funds and results are not yet available. Its impact will become clearer once the first events have been staged.
Sources: ECCO Tour's official announcement, 21 October; independent report by 19hul.dk, 22 October; EgedalPosten on Smørum, 24 October.
Illustration: archival image of a woman playing golf in Thailand in December 2024, not a Ladies League participant. PattayaPatrol / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0; image dimensions retained.
