Top State Amateur, First African-American in Four Years To compete on the LPGA
REUNION, FL, March 8, 2006 – Andia Winslow, the first African-American to compete in the Ivy League and for Yale University, and the first African-American to compete on the LPGA in four years, has accepted a sponsor’s exemption to the inaugural Ginn Clubs & Resorts Open at the Reunion Resort & Club, April 24-30.
Winslow will compete against the prominent 144-player field, which is also expected to include No.1-ranked LPGA player Annika Sorenstam. The field will be squaring off for one of the richest purses in the history of the LPGA at $2.5 million.
Winslow is the first African-American since LaRee Pearl Sugg in 2001 to compete on the LPGA. The Orlando-area resident is honored to have the chance to play in this prestigious event. Winslow was also the first scholarship recipient for a full-ride at Yale University from the Jackie Robinson Foundation.
"I’m delighted and pleased about the chance to play in the Ginn Open," Winslow said. "The city of Orlando is embracing the event, I am working hard on my game and I’m excited about the whole experience."
"Andia is a wonderful addition to the premiere field we have at the Ginn Clubs and Resorts Open," said Bobby Ginn, president and CEO of Ginn Clubs & Resorts. "She is a trailblazer being the first African-American to play at Yale, and shows great determination as she perseveres to be on the LPGA some day. We look forward to watching the Orlando-based players please the hometown crowd."
Winslow of Winter Garden, Fla., is the first African American to play varsity golf for Yale University (2000-03). A native of Seattle, Wash., she is a freelance writer and a documentary filmmaker. Her uncle is Pro Football Hall of Famer Kellen Winslow. She was the 1999 National Minority Junior Golfer of the Year, and she is the first ever African American, man or woman, to compete in the Ivy League.
Winslow, who is currently playing amateur tournaments with hopes of eventually qualifying for the LPGA, won the Golfweek Orlando State Championship in 2005. She currently works at the Walt Disney World Golf Resort and previously was the Assistant Director of Golf at the Yale University Golf Course in 2004.
Tickets will be priced at $10 for each of the practice rounds and pro-am days and $30 for general admission for each of the four rounds. Parking is complimentary and included with each ticket. Weekly badges are available for $80 which allows guests access to all of the tournament events as well as the two evenings of music on Friday and Saturday night with concerts by the Pointer Sisters and Brooks & Dunn, to name a few. Practice rounds will be held on Monday, April 24 and Tuesday, April 25. The Pro-Am will be held on Wednesday, April 26 and the 72-hole competition will begin Thursday, April 27 and run through April 30.
Seniors will be admitted to Thursday’s first round of play for $15 and all military will be admitted to the final round on Sunday for $15. Fans interested in group sales and sponsorship information can call the tournament office at 877-GINNTIX.
The inaugural Ginn Clubs & Resorts Open will be played at Reunion Resort & Club on a composite layout of two of the resort’s courses, the Legacy Course designed by Arnold Palmer and the Independence Course by Tom Watson. CBS Sports and The Golf Channel will televise the event nationally.
Reunion is home to some of the greatest golf in Central Florida. The 7,154-yard Independence Course, Watson’s first Florida design, has garnered many accolades since opening in February 2005. Equally beautiful and challenging is the 6,916-yard Legacy Course, designed by the legendary Palmer. Reunion’s third course, the Tradition Course, a Jack Nicklaus Signature design, is scheduled to open in early 2007.
The four-year agreement between Ginn Clubs & Resorts, tournament organizer Pantheon International and the LPGA, ensures that women’s professional championship golf will be prominently featured at a first-class Florida venue for years to come.
About Ginn Clubs & Resorts
The Ginn Company is a privately held resort development and management firm which specializes in exclusive leisure lifestyle and vacation destination communities across the U.S. From private residential communities to resort destinations offering unparalleled ownership and vacation opportunities, the common denominator throughout every Ginn Club & Resort is service. The company’s principals have more than three decades of experience in creating extraordinary large-scale, recreation-oriented communities. Current Ginn Clubs & Resorts communities include Cobblestone Park in Columbia, S.C. as well as Belvidere Club & Resort, which encompasses RiverTowne Country Club, The Cottages on Charleston Harbor and Patriot’s Point Golf Course in the Charleston area. The company also owns and operates Hammock Beach, The Conservatory at Hammock Beach and Yacht Harbor Village near St. Augustine, Fla., Reunion Resort & Club of Orlando, Bella Collina north of Orlando and Tesoro and Tesoro Preserve in Port St. Lucie on Florida’s historic "Treasure Coast." The company also owns and operates Mahogany Run Golf Course in St. Thomas and has several projects under development in North Carolina, Vermont, Colorado and in the Bahamas.
About Pantheon International
Pantheon International is a privately held, Westport, CT-based sports marketing & event management firm that own event properties in California, Indiana, New York and Florida. Pantheon specializes in providing unique corporate marketing platforms through its high profile sports events. The company is a niche leader at originating and producing marquee live sports entertainment that create powerful bonds between corporations and the passionate affinity groups that permeate sports. The company’s core properties include the prestigious John R. Wooden Classic and John R. Wooden Tradition college basketball invitational events, held in honor of the Hall of Fame coaching legend.
About Reunion Resort & Club of Orlando
Located on 2,300 gently rolling acres in Osceola County, the Resort is 25 minutes south of Orlando, Fla., immediately south of Disney’s Town of Celebration, 15 minutes from Walt Disney World and 25 minutes from Orlando International Airport. In addition to championship golf, planned amenities include a five-acre, multi-pool water and swim pavilion, a first-class tennis complex, stables and riding trails, a state-of-the-art spa and fitness center, walking and biking trails, and terrific boutique shopping and dining in Reunion Square. More information about Reunion Resort & Club is available at (888) 418-9611 and www.reunionresort.com.
Contact:
Steve Brener/Dana von Louda
Brener Zwikel & Associates, Inc.
818-344-6195, ext. 103/107
Ryan Julison
Ginn Clubs & Resorts
321-939-4705
