×

Sweetgrass tourney lands Evian boost

HARRIS — The Island Resort Championship at Sweetgrass has officially received a cherished spot in the women’s golf ranks.

As reported in July by The Daily Press, the LPGA Tour has confirmed the 2019 tournament at Sweetgrass Golf Club will serve as an official United States qualifier for the Evian Championship. Two qualifying spots will be available at the Evian.

Regarded as the LPGA’s fifth major, that event began Thursday in France.

“We are truly honored to be distinguished in this way and welcome some of the best players in the world to our venue for a chance to make it into an LPGA major,” said Tony Mancilla, general manager for Island Resort Casino & Hotel.

The Symetra Tour event returns to Sweetgrass June 21-23 for its ninth appearance. Next year the Evian tourney will be held July 25-28 in France.

It will be the fourth straight year a Symetra tournament has sent two players to an LPGA major. The PHC Classic in Milwaukee sent two qualifiers to Evian the past two years and the Firekeepers Casino Hotel Championship in South Bend, Ind. had that distinction in 2016.

It is expected the Sweetgrass tourney field will be increased to handle the extra attention the qualifier will carry among LPGA players. The PHC increased its field from 144 to 156 last season to meet that demand.

In addition to the prestigious Evian connection, the Sweetgrass purse will be increased to a record $200,000 in 2019, a boost from $150,000.

The Evian is the only golf major in continental Europe and this year offers a purse of $3,850,000.

The Symetra Tour’s mission is to give young women an opportunity to qualify for the LPGA Tour. The top 10 finishers each year earn an LPGA card, and many of them have played at the Sweetgrass tournament over the past eight years.

The Symetra, which enters its 38th season, has expanded from 16 to 22 tournaments and overall prize money has risen from $1.7 million to $3 million.

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today