DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., Oct. 29, 2008 – The Duramed FUTURES Tour announced today the addition of a new tournament site in Central Florida to kick off the 2009 season. The Tour will now open its competitive schedule in Winter Haven, Fla. The inaugural Florida’s Natural Growers® Charity Classic will be held March 20-22, 2009.
“We are pleased to be associated with the Duramed FUTURES Tour and all of the work that it does,” said Walt Lincer, Florida’s Natural Growers® Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “We are also ecstatic to announce the formation of the Florida’s Natural Growers’ Foundation in conjunction with this effort. The Florida’s Natural brand has always been involved in our local communities, so the foundation is just one more opportunity for us to show our commitment to the Central Florida area.”
The 54-hole tournament will feature a purse of $100,000 and will be the first of two events staged in Central Florida – the second being in Daytona Beach, April 3-5, 2009. The new Winter Haven tournament will be staged at Lake Region Yacht & Country Club, a par-72 David Wallace design, opened in 1950. The course sits on 290 acres nestled on the shores of Lake Hamilton in Winter Haven, the former spring training home of the Cleveland Indians.
For 15 years over a 22-year period, the Duramed FUTURES Tour has staged a tournament in Polk County, first at Imperial Lakes Country Club in Mulberry (from 1986-1988), then at The Club at Eaglebrooke in Lakeland (from 1997-2003), and finally at Lakeland’s city-owned Cleveland Heights Golf Course (from 2004-2008).
The inaugural event in Winter Haven will bring 144 professionals from a membership of 30 or more nationsto Central Florida. The top 10 money winners at the end of the season will automatically “graduate” to the LPGA Tour.
“The Duramed FUTURES Tour has been part of Polk County’s calendar of sporting events for the last 15 years and has provided citizens with the opportunity to watch the LPGA’s future stars,” said Zayra F. Calderon, CEO of the Duramed FUTURES Tour. “We are delighted to partner with a great local company, and Florida’s Natural Growers® helps us to continue what is already a great tradition in these communities. We look forward to working together with all the local businesses, government entities and volunteers to make this event a centerpiece for charitable giving in Winter Haven.”
About Florida’s Natural Growers®
First formed in 1933, the growers’ cooperative was named Florida Citrus Canners Cooperative, as its main function was canning grapefruit sections and juice for its grower members. After the development of frozen concentrated juices in the 1940’s, the Cooperative invested in the necessary infrastructure and became one of the largest juice processors in the state. In 1969, the Canners Cooperative eventually changed its name to Citrus World, Inc. to better reflect its diverse product line. Today, the majority of the Cooperative’s sales are derived from the Florida’s Natural® Brand, now the second largest selling premium NOT From Concentrate brand in the United States. The cooperative now uses Florida’s Natural Growers® as its name. Unlike other national brands, Florida’s Natural®Brand uses oranges From Florida and Only Florida in its orange juice.
Florida’s Natural Growers® is comprised of twelve grower organizations representing almost 1,000 individual growers who own nearly 50,000 acres of citrus in Florida. Florida’s Natural Growers® operates its processing plant in Lake Wales, Florida, with a juice packaging plant in Umatilla, Florida. The Lake Wales facility employs 850 employees and can extract over nine million pounds of fruit every twenty-four hours in peak season. Brands product in Lake Wales include Florida’s Natural®, Florida’s Natural Growers Pride®, Donald Duck®, and Bluebird®, Earth’s Own Organics®.
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. Entering its 29th competitive season in 2009, 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 automatic membership on the LPGA Tour. With more than 300 alumnae as current members of the LPGA, 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 millionto charitable organizations throughout the nation since 1989. For more information, visit www.duramedfuturestour.com.
Contact:
Lisa D. Mickey, 386-274-6216 and lisa@duramedfuturestour.com.
