LPGA Tour event will return to Lake Merced in April

Recommended Video:

The LPGA Tour is returning to the Bay Area.

After a one-year absence, the tour event at Lake Merced Golf Club in Daly City will return to next year’s schedule, two sources said Monday. The contract between the club, the LPGA and a new Korean sponsor is expected to be finalized this week.

The tournament will be held in late April, as was the case in its previous incarnation as the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic. That event was played at Lake Merced for three years (2014-16), but Swinging Skirts — a Taiwan-based nonprofit organization — decided not to return as title sponsor.

“I know I can speak on behalf of the player body when we say the LPGA is so thrilled to be returning to NorCal, and especially somewhere as special as Lake Merced,” said tour pro and San Jose native Christina Kim.

“It truly is one of the greatest tests of golf out there, and the Bay Area is at the top of the vast majority of players’ lists of places to visit. ”

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - APRIL 23: Lydia Ko of New Zealand makes a tee shot on the fourth hole during round one of the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic presented by CTBC at the Lake Merced Golf Club on April 23, 2015 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images) less SAN FRANCISCO, CA - APRIL 23: Lydia Ko of New Zealand makes a tee shot on the fourth hole during round one of the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic presented by CTBC at the Lake Merced Golf Club on April 23, 2015 ... more Photo: Robert Laberge / Getty Images Photo: Robert Laberge / Getty Images Image 1 of / 4 Caption Close LPGA Tour event will return to Lake Merced in April 1 / 4 Back to Gallery

Ron Kroichick is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rkroichick@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ronkroichick