DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., Nov. 3, 2010 The LPGA Futures Tour announced today the Island Resort Championship at Sweetgrass. The $110,000 international tournament will be held June 20-26 at the Island Resort & Casino's Sweetgrass Golf Club, bringing 144 professional women golfers to Michigan's pristine Upper Peninsula.
We are thrilled to add the Island Resort Championship at Sweetgrass to our official 2011 schedule and to provide many of the most talented young women professionals in the world a chance to experience this challenging test of golf, said Zayra F. Calderon, CEO of the LPGA Futures Tour.
Golf fans of Michigans Upper Peninsula will enjoy watching the players attempt to earn spots on the global 2012 LPGA Tour through their performance at each 2011 LPGA Futures Tour event, added Calderon. With more than 500 players moving from this tour to the LPGA Tour including recent No. 1 Lorena Ochoa and defending LPGA Championship winner Cristie Kerr its quite possible the LPGAs next superstar will come from the Futures Tours 2011 class.
Sweetgrass Golf Club is situated on the grounds of the Island Resort & Casino and operated by the Hannahville Band of the Potawatomi Nation. The 7,275-yard, par-72 layout was added to GOLF Magazines Best Courses Near You ranking in September, listing Sweetgrass among the 20 best public courses in the golf-rich state. Opened in 2008, the course complements the Casinos complete offering of year-round gaming, 275 hotel rooms, dining, live entertainment and conference center.
"Sweetgrass is ideally situated for championship play, particularly for the variety of challenges it offers from tee to green, said Island Resort & Casino General Manager Tom McChesney, who operates the course. We look forward to hosting the brightest stars of the Tour as theyre tested on this links-style layout. The Upper Peninsula, the Hannahville Band of the Potawatomi Nation, and the Casino share in the excitement of this announcement.
The 54-hole Island Resort Championship at Sweetgrass marks the return of women's professional golf to Michigan. The LPGA Futures Tour hosted a tournament in Ann Arbor in 2005.
The full 2011 LPGA Futures Tour schedule will be announced in December.
