LPGA NEWS

Symetra Extends Title Sponsorship for

‘Symetra Tour — Road to the LPGA’ through 2021

Purse subsidy program projected to increase average purses by 25% in 2016

— Symetra Tour Chief Business Officer Mike Nichols and Symetra Assistant Vice President of Brand Development Kathryn Riley today announced that Symetra has committed to a four-year extension as the exclusive title sponsor of the Symetra Tour — Road to the LPGA. The Bellevue, Washington-based life insurance company will continue its role as the umbrella sponsor of the Symetra Tour and two events on the tournament schedule — the Symetra Classic held in Charlotte, North Carolina, and the season-ending Symetra Tour Championship Presented by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida. 

“We’re pleased to extend our role as the Symetra Tour’s title sponsor through 2021, and we’re delighted to be affiliated with the rising stars of women’s golf,” said Kathryn Riley. “Over the last few years, we’ve watched our brand take flight along with the careers of many talented young golfers — and the response from our business partners and employees alike has been extraordinarily positive.”

In addition to its sponsorship extension, which will run through the 2021 season and represent a decade of partnership, Symetra also has pledged incremental dollars to a purse subsidy fund that provides a financial match to tournaments that raise their purses starting in 2016. As part of this program, the 2016 purses of the Symetra Classic and Symetra Tour Championship will increase to $150,000 and $200,000, respectively; the latter to a level that would have made it the second-highest purse on the 2015 schedule.

“Symetra has been a committed partner for the past four years, but challenged us to find a way they could contribute to raising purses across the schedule,” said Nichols. “As the Symetra Tour continues its growth, we are proud to have in Symetra a partner that both sees the value of the Tour in helping build their brand and is fully invested in the future of women’s golf and the livelihood of our members.”

Symetra began its partnership with the Road to the LPGA in 2010 as the title sponsor of the Symetra Classic in San Antonio, Texas — an event that moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, in 2012. The company then secured naming rights for the Symetra Tour in November 2011. Formally known as the LPGA Futures Tour, the Symetra Tour has served as the LPGA’s official developmental tour since 1999. 

About the Symetra Tour
The Symetra Tour — Road to the LPGA is the official developmental tour of the LPGA and just completed its 35th competitive season in 2015. 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 $2.8M in prize money awarded over the course of 23 tournaments — the most events in 27 years (1988). With more than 500 alumnae moving on to the LPGA, former Symetra Tour players have won a total of 371 LPGA titles, including 40 major championships. Follow the Symetra Tour on the web at www.SymetraTour.com, Facebook.com/RoadtotheLPGA, Twitter.com/Road2LPGA, and YouTube.com/Road2LPGA.