LAKELAND, Fla., July 23, 2007 – The Golf Channel will air a special presentation of the Duramed FUTURES Tour highlights from first half of the season on Wednesday, July 25 at 3:00 p.m., EDT. Titled "The Road the LPGA: The 2007 Duramed FUTURES Tour," the highlight show will feature tournament action, player interviews and profiles. This marks the first time in the Tour’s 27-year history that one of its highlight shows will be broadcast on national cable television.
The Duramed FUTURES Tour is the official developmental tour of the LPGA. With 19 tournaments in 14 states and purses totaling $1.58 million, the journey for the players’ culminates at the last tournament of the year in Albany, N.Y. At that time, the top five players on the Duramed FUTURES Tour Money List will be awarded 2008 LPGA Tour Cards.
"Our Tour is the Road to the LPGA for the players," said Zayra Calderon, President and CEO, Duramed FUTURES Tour. "The Tour prepares the players for a successful career on the LPGA Tour by giving them an opportunity to sharpen their skills while experiencing the demands of life as a professional. Our goal with this highlight package is to offer all of our fans the opportunity to see the high level of talent on the Duramed FUTURES Tour."
Four Duramed FUTURES Tour events are highlighted during the broadcast: Aurora Health Care Championship in Lake Geneva, Wis.; United State Steel Golf Classic in Hammond, Ind.; Michelob ULTRA Duramed FUTURES Players Championship in Decatur, Ill.; and The Duramed Championship in Cincinnati, Ohio.
The show is designed to give viewers a front row seat to all the action from the first half of the season and introduce viewers to some of the players and personalities competing on Tour. The players featured include two-time winner and former Big Break V Hawaii winner Ashley Prange, rookie Caroline Larsson, currently ranked #6 on the Money List; and Perry Swenson, a third-year player from the University of Texas who is one of the few women to ever have a hole in one at Augusta National Golf Club.
"Our players are talented, charismatic and approachable. This broadcast will allow our viewers to come to recognize the players for their talents on the golf course, as well as off," added Calderon.
A follow-up episode also on The Golf Channel is scheduled for Wednesday, October 3, at 2:30 p.m. EDT. This show will recap the second half of the season, include extensive coverage of the ILOVENY Championship and the final awards ceremony featuring the recipients of the five LPGA Tour cards.
About The Duramed FUTURES Tour
Now in its 27th season, the Duramed FUTURES Tour remains committed to preparing the world’s best young women professional golfers for a career on the LPGA Tour. At season’s end each year, the top five players on the Tour’s money list earn automatic LPGA Tour exemptions for the following year. The official developmental tour of the LPGA has grown into the largest international developmental tour and the world’s second-largest women’s golf tour with more than 300 players from 31 nations. Nearly 300 alumnae are LPGA Tour members, with former Duramed FUTURES Tour players owning a total of 314 LPGA titles and 33 major championships. The Duramed FUTURES Tour currently conducts 19 tournaments in 14 states and since 1989, has raised more than $4 million for charitable organizations. For more information, please visit duramedfuturestour.com.
Contact:
Jackie Beck, Duramed FUTURES Tour, 860.304.3643, jackie@duramedfuturestour.com.
