NEWLY NAMED EPSON TOUR ANNOUNCES RECORD-BREAKING 2022 SCHEDULE
Pictures from Epson Tour launch on Wednesday, January 26 (Credit: José María Sáiz Vasconcelos):
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/huck2ptrfpwb1gn/AAAWMNq_YahQp5bj3V8puhXMa?dl=0
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 8, 2022) – Less than two weeks after announcing Epson as the new title sponsor of the “Road to the LPGA,” today the Epson Tour unveiled its 2022 schedule featuring record-setting total purses and average purse size, as well as the largest single-event prize in Tour history.
The 21-tournament schedule will take the Epson Tour to 13 states and offer $4.41 million in total prize money, for an average purse size of $210,000. Both figures eclipse the previous all-time records for total prize money ($4 million) and average purse size ($194,000) set in 2019 and 2021, respectively. The season begins March 4-6 with the Florida’s Natural Charity Classic in Winter Haven, Fla., at the Country Club of Winter Haven.
“We’re grateful for tournament partners and host venues that continue to invest in Epson Tour athletes,” said Mike Nichols, the Chief Business Officer of LPGA Qualifying Tours. “Five years ago, fewer than 1 in 5 tournaments were playing for a $200,000 purse. Now this mark is the new minimum threshold for every event, opening new doors for all individuals chasing their dream of one day playing on the LPGA Tour.”
“To see the Epson Tour continue to elevate since I graduated in 2016 is great for the game of golf,” said Ally Ewing, the newest Player Director on the LPGA Board. “I earned just over $110,000 when purse sizes averaged roughly $139,000, so a 50% growth over such a short span is both encouraging and essential to creating a financially viable path for these future LPGA Tour members.”
Another monumental milestone on the 2022 Epson Tour schedule is the largest purse in Tour history of $335,000 belonging to the French Lick Resort Charity Championship contested on the Pete Dye Course at French Lick Resort, which has hosted the Epson Tour since 2017 and previously on its Donald Ross Course. The $50,000 winner’s check from the tournament will amount to more than the season earnings ($47,283) of P.K. Kongkraphan in 2013, the No. 1 player in the Race for the Card that year.
“French Lick Resort has enjoyed hosting the Epson Tour, and we are proud to lead the way in elevating this tournament and Tour in support of these aspiring LPGA Tour players,” said Dave Harner, Director of Golf at French Lick Resort.
The Epson Tour welcomes three new events to the family in 2022: one to be named at Ol’ Colony Golf Course in Tuscaloosa, Ala., the Wildhorse Ladies Classic at Wildhorse Golf Course in Pendleton, Ore., and Ann Arbor's Road to the LPGA powered by the A2 Sports Commission in Ann Arbor, Mich. at Travis Pointe Country Club, which hosted the LPGA Tour’s Volvik Championship from 2016-18. Additionally, the Carolina Golf Classic presented by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina will visit a new city for a third straight year when it stops at Kinston Country Club in Kinston, N.C. from June 8-12.
“We strive to bring new, first-class venues to the schedule, and that sometimes includes returning to top sites like Travis Pointe, which hosted the LPGA Tour for three years,” said Nichols. “It is important that Epson Tour athletes compete on LPGA-caliber courses, so finding the best facilities for competition is a top priority when building our annual schedule.”
The 2022 season will conclude with the Epson Tour Championship from Oct. 6-9 in Daytona Beach, Fla., at LPGA International. The top 10 on the Race for the Card money list at the tournament’s completion will receive LPGA Tour membership for 2023 and the chance to serve as an Epson Tour Ambassador, a new program initiated by Epson upon the launch of their sponsorship. The 10 individuals will be offered $10,000 apiece to jumpstart their LPGA career and in turn, wear the Epson Tour logo on their sleeve.
“I thought it was incredible that a global brand like Epson was putting the money into the Tour, and not only just saying, ‘Here's some money. Now you're on the Tour, go on with your life.’ They are actually supporting us, supporting women's golf,” said Fatima Fernandez Cano, an Epson Tour graduate in 2020 and 2021, and the first representative of the Epson Tour Ambassador Program. “You graduate, you get the option for a sponsorship, that's huge for any of us. Somebody like me, I'm new to the Tour. There's many expenses, everything is new, and for them to support me not just through the Epson Tour but also on to the next level, that's just huge.”
FEATURED QUOTES FROM NEW TOURNAMENT HOSTS
Ann Arbor’s Road to the LPGA powered by the A2 Sports Commission in Ann Arbor, Michigan:
"We are excited to play a role in returning professional women's golf to Ann Arbor and Travis Pointe Country Club. This is the first time the Sports Commission has taken on an event of this magnitude, and we are excited to make it a great event."
- Mike Malach, Executive Director of the A2 Sports Commission
Wildhorse Ladies Classic in Pendleton, Oregon:
“Wildhorse Resort & Casino and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation are excited to showcase and welcome some of the most talented young professional golfers from around the world to our Tribal and local communities in the Northwest. More importantly, this event aligns with the Tribes’ efforts to provide meaningful opportunities for Tribal youth and grow the game in our region.”
- Gary E. George, CEO of Wildhorse Resort and Casino
Ol’ Colony Golf Course in Tuscaloosa, Alabama:
“Tuscaloosa County Park & Recreation Authority and Ol’ Colony Golf are thrilled to bring the Epson Tour and the professionalism it represents in women’s golf to our community. Our mission to provide quality recreational experiences integrates perfectly with the game of golf’s character building that supports and shapes lives and encourages players to be their best, both on the course and in life.”
- Gary Minor, Executive Director for the Tuscaloosa County Park & Recreation Authority
EPSON TOUR BY THE NUMBERS
2013: 15 tournaments, $1.60 million in total purses; $108,000 average purse; $150,000 highest purse
2017: 22 tournaments, $2.95 million in total purses; $134,000 average purse; $210,000 highest purse
2022: 21 tournaments, $4.41 million in total purses; $210,000 average purse; $335,000 highest purse
2022 EPSON TOUR SCHEDULE
Date Tournament & Location Purse
March 4-6 Florida’s Natural Charity Classic
Country Club of Winter Haven; Winter Haven, Florida $200,000
March 17-20 Carlisle Arizona Women’s Golf Classic
Longbow Golf Club; Mesa, Arizona $200,000
March 25-27 IOA Championship pres. by Morongo Casino Resort & Spa
Morongo Golf Club at Tukwet Canyon, Champions Course; Beaumont, Calif. $200,000
March 31-April 3 Casino Del Sol Golf Classic
Sewailo Golf Club; Tucson, Arizona $200,000
April 21-23 Copper Rock Championship
Copper Rock Golf Course; Hurricane, Utah $200,000
April 29-May 1 Garden City Charity Classic
Buffalo Dunes Golf Club; Garden City, Kansas $200,000
May 20-22 IOA Golf Classic pres. by RP Funding
Alaqua Country Club; Longwood, Florida $200,000
May 27-29 Inova Mission Inn Championship
Mission Inn Resort, El Campeon Golf Course; Howey-In-The-Hills, Florida $200,000
June 8-12 Carolina Golf Classic pres. by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of N.C.
Kinston Country Club; Kinston, North Carolina $200,000
June 16-18 Ann Arbor’s Road to the LPGA powered by the A2 Sports Commission
Travis Pointe Country Club; Ann Arbor, Michigan $200,000
June 24-26 Island Resort Championship
Sweetgrass Golf Club; Harris, Michigan $225,000
July 8-10 Twin Bridges Championship
Pinehaven Country Club; Guilderland, New York $200,000
July 29-31 FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship
Battle Creek Country Club; Battle Creek, Michigan $200,000
Aug. 4-7 French Lick Resort Charity Championship
The Pete Dye Course at French Lick Resort; French Lick, Indiana $335,000
Aug. 12-14 Four Winds Invitational
South Bend Country Club; South Bend, Indiana $200,000
Aug. 26-28 Circling Raven Championship
Circling Raven Golf Club; Worley, Idaho $200,000
Sept. 2-4 Wildhorse Ladies Classic
Wildhorse Golf Course; Pendleton, Oregon $200,000
Sept. 16-18 Guardian Championship
RTJ Golf Trail at Capitol Hill, Senator Course; Prattville, Alabama $200,000
Sept. 23-25 Murphy USA El Dorado Shootout
Mystic Creek Golf Club; El Dorado, Arkansas $225,000
Sept. 29-Oct. 2 TBA
Ol’ Colony Golf Course; Tuscaloosa, Alabama $200,000
Oct. 6-9 Epson Tour Championship
LPGA International, Jones Course; Daytona Beach, Florida $250,000
ABOUT EPSON TOUR
The Epson Tour (formerly the Symetra Tour) is the official qualifying tour of the LPGA Tour and enters its 42nd competitive season in 2022. With the support of entitlement partner Seiko Epson Corporation, the Tour’s mission is to prepare the world’s best female professional golfers for a successful career on the LPGA Tour. In the last decade, the Epson Tour has grown from 15 tournaments and $1.6 million in prize money to $4.41 million awarded across 20+ events in 2022. With more than 600 graduates and alumnae moving on to the LPGA Tour, former Epson Tour players have won 459 LPGA titles.
Follow the Epson Tour at www.epsontour.com, as well as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
ABOUT EPSON
Epson is a global technology leader dedicated to co-creating sustainability and enriching communities by leveraging its efficient, compact, and precision technologies and digital technologies to connect people, things, and information. The company is focused on solving societal issues through innovations in home and office printing, commercial and industrial printing, manufacturing, visual and lifestyle. Epson’s goal is to become carbon negative and eliminate use of exhaustible underground resources such as oil and metal by 2050.
Led by the Japan-based Seiko Epson Corporation, the worldwide Epson Group generates annual sales of around JPY 1 trillion. Epson America, Inc., based in Los Alamitos, Calif., is Epson’s regional headquarters for the U.S., Canada, and Latin America. To learn more about Epson, please visit: epson.com. You may also connect with Epson America on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.
ABOUT THE LPGA
The LPGA is the world’s leading professional golf organization for women, with a goal to change the face of golf by making the sport more accessible and inclusive.
Created in 1950 by 13 Founders, the Association celebrates a diverse and storied history. The LPGA Tour competes across the globe, reaching television audiences in more than 220 countries. The Epson Tour (formerly the Symetra Tour), the LPGA’s official qualifying tour, consistently produces a pipeline of talent ready for the world stage. The LPGA also holds a joint-venture collaboration with the Ladies European Tour (LET), increasing playing opportunities for female golfers in Europe. Across the three Tours, the LPGA represents players in more than 60 countries.
Additionally, the LPGA Foundation has empowered and supported girls and women since 1991, most notably through LPGA*USGA Girls Golf, the only national program of its kind, which annually engages with nearly 100,000 girls. The LPGA Amateur Golf Association and LPGA Women’s Network provide virtual and in-person connections to female golfers around the world, while LPGA Professionals are educators, business leaders and gamechangers dedicated to growing the game of golf for everyone.
Follow the LPGA on its U.S. television home, Golf Channel, online at www.LPGA.com and on its mobile apps. Join the social conversation on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
MEDIA CONTACT
Zach Sepanik, Senior Tour Media Official
zachary.sepanik@lpga.com, (386) 795-0594
