SYMETRA TOUR SET FOR A RETURN TO PLAY
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Symetra Tour announced today that it will resume the 2020 season with the seventh annual FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship at Battle Creek Country Club in Battle Creek, Mich. from July 24-26.
This event will mark the first tournament to be played by the LPGA Tour family following a three-month hiatus. It is also the first of nine tournaments on the remaining 2020 Symetra Tour schedule, making an even 10 tournaments for the 2020 campaign.
“We are extremely grateful to our partners and host venues for continued flexibility and support,” said Mike Nichols, Chief Business Officer of the Symetra Tour. “They have worked tirelessly to keep all hopes and dreams alive for the next generation of LPGA Tour stars. In addition to Symetra Tour sponsors, the ANNIKA Foundation recently showcased an unparalleled form of generosity with their Crisis Relief Fund providing $50,000 in grants to Symetra Tour players financially affected by the coronavirus.”
Two Symetra Tour events have changed dates, including the Founders Tribute in Mesa, Ariz., at Longbow Golf Club, a recent addition to the schedule. Originally set for Aug. 27-29, it will now lead the West Coast swing from Aug. 14-16, followed by the IOA Championship presented by Morongo Casino Resort & Spa from Aug. 21-23. Meanwhile, the Four Winds Invitational at Blackthorn Golf Club in South Bend, Ind., will now be played Sept. 4-6 instead of July 31 through Aug. 2.
The Symetra Tour will conclude the season in the southeastern United States, starting Sept. 18-20 with the Guardian Championship in Prattville, Ala., at the Capitol Hill Senator Course on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. The Tour will then head to Florida for two weeks, competing at the IOA Classic brought to you by RP Funding from Sept. 25-27 in Longwood at Alaqua Country Club, followed by the Symetra Classic from Oct. 1-4 on the Jones Course at LPGA International in Daytona Beach. The 2020 season will then conclude with two weeks in North Carolina, with the Carolina Golf Classic from Oct. 28-31 at Pinehurst No. 9 in Pinehurst and the season-ending Symetra Tour Championship from Nov. 3-6 in Davidson at River Run Country Club.
Purses are still being finalized, but players on the Symetra Tour will be competing for greater than $1.5 million during the season. Additionally, the Symetra Tour will once again award LPGA Tour Membership to the top players on the Volvik Race for the Card money list at the end of the year. However, five cards will be available instead of the 10 that have been distributed each year since 2008.
Below is a revised look at the 2020 Symetra Tour schedule, as of June 17:
| July 24-26 | FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship Battle Creek Country Club; Battle Creek, Michigan |
| Aug. 14-16 | Founders Tribute Longbow Golf Club; Mesa, Arizona |
| Aug. 21-23 | IOA Championship presented by Morongo Casino Resort & Spa Morongo Golf Club at Tukwet Canyon; Beaumont, California |
| Sept. 4-6 | Four Winds Invitational Blackthorn Golf Club; South Bend, Indiana |
| Sept. 18-20 | Guardian Championship Senator Course at Capitol Hill (RTJ Golf Trail); Prattville, Alabama |
| Sept. 25-27 | IOA Classic brought to you by RP Funding Alaqua Country Club; Longwood, Florida |
| Oct. 1-4 | Symetra Classic Jones Course at LPGA International; Daytona Beach, Florida |
| Oct. 28-31 | Carolina Golf Classic Pinehurst No. 9; Pinehurst, North Carolina |
| Nov. 3-6 | Symetra Tour Championship River Run Country Club; Davidson, North Carolina |
ABOUT THE SYMETRA TOUR
The Symetra Tour is the official qualifying tour of the LPGA Tour and enters its 40th competitive season in 2020. 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 a record $4.0 million in prize money awarded in 2019. With more than 600 alumnae moving on to the LPGA, former Symetra Tour players have won a total of 445 LPGA titles. Follow the Symetra Tour on the web at www.SymetraTour.com, as well as Facebook.com/Road2LPGA, Twitter.com/Road2LPGA and Instagram @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.
