Symetra Tour’s Donald Ross Classic Returns to French Lick, July 11 – 13

FRENCH LICK, IN – Women’s professional golf returns to the historic French Lick Resort as future stars of the LPGA Tour compete in the Symetra Tour’s third annual Donald Ross Classic July 11-13, 2019.

The acclaimed Donald Ross Course at French Lick Resort will host 150 of the top rising talents in women’s golf as they compete for a share of the 54-hole stroke-play tournament’s $225,000 prize purse (The winner’s share is $33,750). After 36 holes of championship play, the top 60 players and ties will compete for a share of the third-highest purse on the 2019 Symetra Tour schedule.

The three-round tournament is the signature event of a week-long celebration of women’s golf hosted by Resort Charities, the charitable foundation of French Lick Resort, with proceeds from the festivities benefiting the Orange County Habitat for Humanity. The week kicks off with a pairings party Tuesday, July 10 followed by the popular Symetra Tour Pro-Am on Wednesday July 11.

Two young players with local ties received special exemption into the field. Second-year professional Taylor Howerton, a standout player at Indiana University and the University of Southern Indiana and 18-year-old Duke University golf commit Erica Shepard, the 2017 US Girl’s Junior Champion and 2019 US Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Champion will be vying for top prize and a step closer to playing on the LPGA Tour. Defending champion Stephanie Kono (Honolulu, Hawaii) will not be in this year’s field, having earned Priority List Category 14 status for this LPGA Tour season.

“It’s exciting when Symetra Tour and its field of talented players comes to French Lick, continuing the rich legacy of women’s golf which began with the LPGA’s 1958 French Lick Open,” says French Lick’s director of golf Dave Harner. “To be able to celebrate women’s golf and support an outstanding organization like Habitat for Humanity that will impact so many families in our region is a huge honor for our staff and all involved.”
The Orange County Habitat for Humanity provides a major impact on the French Lick community and the surrounding region by providing home ownership opportunities to low income families through the building of new single-family dwellings using donated materials and labor. Since 1992, the organization has developed and constructed 27 new homes for Orange County residents.

Mark your calendar and join Indiana’s premier resort destination for an exciting event that will have a major impact on the community. Below is the schedule of events.

• Tuesday, July 9 – Symetra Tour Pro-Am Pairings Party
• Tuesday, July 9 – Donald Ross Classic Youth Clinic – Valley Links Course
• Wednesday, July 10 – Symetra Tour Pro-Am – Donald Ross Course
• Thursday, July 11 – Championship Round 1 – Symetra Tour Donald Ross Classic
• Friday, July 12 – Championship Round 2 – Symetra Tour Donald Ross Classic
• Saturday, July 13 – Championship Final Round – Symetra Tour Donald Ross Classic

Pro-Am and Sponsorship opportunities are available. For more information email or call:

Tyler Jordan: tjordan@frenchlick.com           (812) 788-1550

Dave Harner: dharner@frenchlick.com        (812) 639-6857

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ABOUT FRENCH LICK RESORT

French Lick Resort is a Midwest travel destination that includes West Baden Springs Hotel, French Lick Springs Hotel and the French Lick Casino. Restored to its historic glory after a $560 million renovation, this resort in the rolling hills of Southern Indiana features 686 guest rooms and suites; a 51,000-square-foot casino; meeting and event space totaling 163,000 square feet; 45 holes of golf, including two of the state’s top-rated public courses in The Pete Dye Course at French Lick and The Donald Ross Course at French Lick; two full-service spas with a combined 36 treatment rooms; and an array of fine dining and family-friendly entertainment and recreation options. Visitwww.frenchlick.com.

ABOUT THE SYMETRA TOUR

The Symetra Tour — Road to the LPGA is the official developmental tour of the LPGA and concluded its 36th competitive season in 2016. With the support of its umbrella partner, Symetra, the Tour’s mission is
to prepare the world’s best young women professional golfers for a successful career on the LPGA Tour. Since Symetra’s inaugural sponsorship year in 2012, the Symetra Tour has grown from 16 tournaments and $1.7M in prize money to $3.5M in prize money awarded over the course of 23 tournaments — the most events since 1988. With more than 600 alumnae moving on to the LPGA, former Symetra Tour players have won a total of 418 LPGA titles. Follow the Symetra Tour on the web at www.SymetraTour.com, Facebook.com/RoadtotheLPGA, Twitter.com/Road2LPGA, and YouTube.com/Road2LPGA.

Media Contacts:

Dyan Duncan, Public Relations Manager, French Lick Resort, dduncan@frenchlick.com, 812-936-5926

Kevin Frisch, Kevin Frisch PR, kevin@kevinfrischpr.com989-614-0241.