DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., September 17, 2008 – The Duramed FUTURES Tour, along with the Brownville Convention and Visitors Bureau, announced today the addition of a new tournament in Brownsville, Texas. The Historic Brownsville Open will hold its inaugural event April 20-26, 2009. The tournament has signed on for three years, from 2009, 2010 and 2011.
“We think it will be a win-win situation for the City of Brownsville and the Duramed FUTURES Tour,” said Mariano “Bean” Ayala, president and CEO of the Brownsville Convention and Visitors Bureau. “I have wanted to bring the Tour here to the largest city in the Rio Grande Valley for two years, so when the opportunity came along, Voila! We made it happen.”
Zayra F. Calderon, CEO of the Duramed FUTURES Tour added, “The Duramed FUTURES Tour brought professional women’s golf to the Rio Grande Valley four years ago and we have had a very successful event with great fan support in this region for nearly half a decade. We’re very happy to remain in the region and look forward to building a broader fan base in Brownsville and its surrounding areas.”
The 54-hole tournament will feature a purse of $110,000 for the next two years, elevating to $130,000 in 2011. The Brownsville tournament will join a strong lineup of events set for the Tour’s 2009 tournament season. The event will be staged at Rancho Viejo Country Club, a 1,400-acre golf community carved through citrus groves. The club is nestled on historic land dating back to the Espiritu Land Grant by the King of Spain in 1771, and is 30 minutes from the beaches of South Padre Island. Ayala says it is Brownville’s intention to showcase its community as a backdrop for the “lifetime sport of golf.”
The tournament field will bring 144 professionals from a membership of 30 nations to the South Texas region. The top 10 money winners at the end of the season will automatically “graduate” and gain LPGA membership for the following year.
About the Duramed FUTURES Tour
The LPGA’s Developmental Tour, the Duramed FUTURES Tour, has become the world’s largest international women’s developmental tour. In its 28th competitive season this year, the Tour has remained committed to developing LPGA stars of tomorrow and creating viable role models for youth today. The top-10 money winners each season earn LPGA membership for the following year. With more than 300 alumnae as current members of the LPGA, through 2007, former Duramed FUTURES Tour players have won a total of 330 LPGA titles, including 35 major championships. Duramed FUTURES Tour events have contributed more than $4 million to charitable organizations throughout the nation since 1989. For more information, visit www.duramedfuturestour.com.
Contact:
Lisa D. Mickey, Duramed FUTURES Tour, (386) 274-6216, lisa@duramedfuturestour.com
