Tuesday, June 4, 2019

THE FORSYTH CLASSIC PRESENTED BY DECATUR PARK DISTRICT PREVIEW

DECATUR, Ill. — The 11th stop on the 2019 “Road to the LPGA” takes the Symetra Tour to Hickory Point Golf Club in the Land of Lincoln for the 35th annual Forsyth Classic presented by Decatur Park District from June 14-16, also the final installment of the tournament.

“So much of what we know now as the Symetra Tour did not even exist in 1985, and to see how great the outreach for this event has become is truly spectacular,” said Mike Nichols, the Chief Business Officer of the Symetra Tour. “The motto ‘Act Like a Founder’ is painted upon the walls of LPGA Tour headquarters, serving as a daily reminder to staff and players to leave the LPGA better than you found it. I can’t think of a better message that summarizes what Decatur has meant to the Symetra Tour. The community here welcomed us back at a time when not many places would.”

 
Greeting the 144-player field in Decatur, Ill. is a total purse of $200,000. Individuals are set to compete in a 54-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 $30,000. 

“For everyone involved, the 35th Forsyth Classic will be bittersweet,” said tournament director Cindy Deadrick-Wolfer. “Although we will have the largest purse in tournament history, we know come June 16 that it will be a goodbye to a great event. We hope for nice weather, great golf and a historic finish.”

Defending champion Isi Gabsa (Munich, Germany) is not among the competitors, as she was a 2018 Symetra Tour graduate. One of seven top-15 performances for Gabsa on the season, the win helped land her at No. 9 in the Volvik Race for the Card.

“Of course winning is always special and we fight for that special feeling every week,” Gabsa said. “At the end of last season, my victory in Decatur was part of a yearlong grind and it really gave me the push I needed to secure a spot on the LPGA Tour. It is difficult to maintain a steady mix of high energy and consistent play at every stop of a long road, but the community and outcome made it very well worth it. I wish everyone a great tournament and can’t wait to play with the graduates next year on the LPGA.”

Action gets underway at 7:30 a.m. CT all three days with play starting off No. 1 and No. 10 tees in the first and second round. Meanwhile, all groups will head off No. 1 tee in twosomes for the final round with a trophy presentation to follow on No. 18 green.

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.comFacebook.com/Road2LPGATwitter.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.

No comments: