ZIMMER BIOMET CHAMPIONSHIP HOSTED BY NANCY LOPEZ PREVIEW
OPELIKA, Ala. — The eighth stop on the 2019 “Road to the LPGA” takes the Symetra Tour to the Lake Course at Grand National on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail in the Heart of Dixie for the inaugural Zimmer Biomet Championship hosted by Nancy Lopez from May 23-26.
Greeting the 144-player field in Opelika, Ala. is a total purse of $300,000, the highest in Symetra Tour history. Individuals are set to compete in a 72-hole stroke play format with a cut to the low 60 players and ties after 36 holes. The winner’s share for the event is $45,000.
“A truly historic and groundbreaking week for the Symetra Tour is approaching and we are thrilled that Nancy Lopez and the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail will be part of the festivities,” said Mike Nichols, the Chief Business Officer of the Symetra Tour. “This now sets the precedent for what our future looks like, as well as how sponsors can get involved in continuing to grow and evolve the game. The bar has been raised and we will continue to advance to new heights because of it.”
This is the 23rd consecutive year professional golf has been played along the RTJ Golf Trail, as the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail Championship on the Web.com Tour was contested on the Senator Course at Capitol Hill last month. Meanwhile, the official qualifying tour of the LPGA Tour returns to the same course in Prattville for the third annual Guardian Championship in September.
“We are delighted to bring professional golf back to the Auburn and Opelika area, welcoming a second Symetra Tour tournament to the Trail in 2019," said John Cannon, president of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. “The Zimmer Biomet Championship hosted by Nancy Lopez will have several familiar faces from Alabama and Georgia regions. As a free event, this is a great opportunity for families to come out to a spectacular setting, watch professional golf and get to know the next wave of LPGA Tour stars.”
In addition, the tournament has some star power behind it with LPGA Tour and World Golf Hall of Fame member Nancy Lopez leaving her footprint on the Symetra Tour. A 48-time LPGA Tour winner including three major championships, Lopez continues to help grow the game by hosting the Zimmer Biomet Championship.
"I want to thank Zimmer Biomet for stepping up to the plate and presenting this great tournament to the future of the LPGA Tour and women’s professional golf,” Lopez said. "It will be one of the best events on the Symetra Tour and contested at a true championship venue."
First and second round action gets underway at 7:00 a.m. ET off No. 1 and No. 10 tees. Meanwhile, the third and fourth rounds will start at 7:30 a.m. with all groups heading off No. 1 tee in twosomes.
ABOUT SYMETRA TOUR
"I want to thank Zimmer Biomet for stepping up to the plate and presenting this great tournament to the future of the LPGA Tour and women’s professional golf,” Lopez said. "It will be one of the best events on the Symetra Tour and contested at a true championship venue."
First and second round action gets underway at 7:00 a.m. ET off No. 1 and No. 10 tees. Meanwhile, the third and fourth rounds will start at 7:30 a.m. with all groups heading off No. 1 tee in twosomes.
ABOUT SYMETRA TOUR
The Symetra Tour is the official qualifying tour of the LPGA Tour and enters its 39th competitive season in 2019. With the support of its entitlement 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 $1.7 million in prize money to $4.0 million in prize money awarded over the course of 24 events. With more than 600 alumnae moving on to the LPGA, former Symetra Tour players have won a total of 437 LPGA titles. Follow the Symetra Tour on the web at www.SymetraTour.com, Facebook.com/Road2LPGA, Twitter.com/Road2LPGA, and YouTube.com/Road2LPGA.
ABOUT SYMETRA
Symetra Life Insurance Company is a subsidiary of Symetra Financial Corporation, a diversified financial services company based in Bellevue, Washington. In business since 1957, Symetra provides employee benefits, annuities and life insurance through a national network of benefit consultants, financial institutions and independent agents and advisors. Symetra began its partnership with the Road to the LPGA in 2010 as the title sponsor of the Symetra Classic. It secured naming rights for the Symetra Tour in November 2011. In addition to its title sponsorship of the Tour, which runs through 2021, Symetra sponsors two events on the tournament schedule—the Symetra Classic and the season-ending Symetra Tour Championship. For more information about Symetra, visit www.symetra.com.
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