Sweetgrass Golf Club plays host to Symetra Tour players competing for LPGA status
(HARRIS, Mich.) – An intriguing field of Symetra Tour “Road to the LPGA” players will descend on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula June 27-29 for the 4th annual Island Resort Championship at Sweetgrass Golf Club.
The 54-hole stroke-play tournament will draw professional golfers from six continents, vying for a $125,000 purse. The event is also part of the inaugural Potawatomi Cup, which awards cash bonuses to players who finish in the top-5 at three other Potawatomi nations’ casino tournaments along the Symetra Tour.
“Over the past three years this event has grown in prestige as golfers who perform well at Sweetgrass regularly move on to the LPGA,” says Susan Harris, co-chair and marketing director for the Island Resort & Casino, host site of the tournament. “We’re excited to see who separates themselves from the pack out of this year’s diverse and talented group.”
The Island Resort Championship will be the 13th tournament of the 2014 Symetra Tour season. Players are competing for a top-10 spot on the money list, which earns automatic entry to the LPGA Tour.
Island Resort Championship: Players to Watch
Among the favorites to win is current Symetra Tour money-leader Min Seo Kwak. A strong contender for LPGA status next year, Kwak sits atop the Potawatomi Cup standings after winning the Firekeepers Casino Hotel Championship earlier this month.
Other challengers scheduled to participate include Marissa Steen, second in total earnings this season, and last year’s runner-up, Mitsuki Katahira, who fell in a playoff to eventual winner Kim Kaufman, now an LPGA rookie.
Another noteworthy prospect is Cheyenne Woods, the niece of Tiger Woods. Still a Symetra Tour rookie, Woods made the cut in her first nine Symetra Tour starts.
Locals will cheer for University of Wisconsin grad Carly Werwie, who has climbed the leaderboard in each of her three years on tour and recently visited the Island Resort Casino to preview the event.
She will be joined by Marquette, MI native Avery Rochester. A freshman at Columbia College, Rochester was granted amateur exemption by the Symetra Tour in order to compete in her home state.
Also teeing it up thanks to a professional exemption is Cheryl Mitchell, a member of the Potawatomi nation and the first North American Indian to play in an LPGA sanctioned event. Mitchell also competed in the 2011 Island Resort Championship.
“The talent pool of this year’s tournament, especially the local players, is impressive,” said Sweetgrass Director of Golf Dave Douglas. “The level of competition will satisfy both casual and devoted golf fans alike.”
Three-day tournament passes cost $10 and include entry into daily prize drawings. American Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, Pinecrest Medical Care Facility and several area schools are among the groups selling tickets, keeping 100 percent of the profits. A complete list of participating organizations can be found at sweetgrassgolfclub.com.
Tickets can also be purchased through The Island Ticket Office (877-ISL-SHOW). Kids 17 and under enter free with a paying adult.
For more information: www.sweetgrassgolfclub.com, 877-ISL-GREEN.
About the Championship
Welcoming the world’s brightest new talent in women’s professional golf, the Island Resort Championship at Sweetgrass is a Symetra Tour – Road to the LPGA event held at Sweetgrass Golf Club in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The 54-hole stroke-play event will be held June 27-29, 2014. Located in Harris, Michigan, Sweetgrass Golf Club was designed by Michigander Paul Albanese and is situated at the Island Resort & Casino. Both course and resort are owned/operated by the Hannahville Indian Community of the Potawatomi Nation.
About the Symetra Tour
The Symetra Tour – Road to the LPGA, is the official Qualifying Tour for the LPGA and enters its 34th competitive season in 2014. With the continued support of its umbrella sponsor, Symetra, the Tour’s mission is to prepare the world’s best young women professional golfers for a successful career on the LPGA Tour. Top-10 money winners receive full, equal status for the following season on the LPGA Tour.
The 2014 schedule includes 20 tournaments with stops in 12 U.S. states and a total purse of $2 million. Symetra Tour events have contributed more than $5 million to charitable organizations throughout the nation since 1989.
For more information: www.SymetraTour.com.
Contact:
Gary Trask, 978.228.0314
Buffalo Communications
gtrask@billycaspergolf.com
Dan Shepherd, 703.403.5317
Buffalo Communications
dshepherd@billycaspergolf.com
