Safeway Classic Amateur Open Will Provide Guaranteed Spot in LPGA Tournament to Winner
Portland, Oregon, June 16, 2010 - Tournament Golf Foundation (TGF), the organizers of the Safeway Classic Presented by Coca-Cola (Safeway Classic), will host a one day amateur-only event that guarantees the winner a spot in the LPGA tour's oldest non-major tournament.
The Safeway Classic Amateur Open will be held at Langdon Farms Golf Club in Aurora, OR (fifteen minutes south of Portland) on Monday, July 19, beginning at 8:00 AM. Any woman amateur golfer with an established USGA handicap of 2.0 or less is eligible to compete.
The winner of the event will earn a guaranteed spot in the 54-hole Safeway Classic tournament proper to be held August 20-22, at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club, in North Plains, OR. The second and third place finishers will earn spots in the tournament's Monday qualifier to be held on Monday, August 16. The two low scores from the qualifier will also earn entry into the Safeway Classic.
According to Tom Maletis, President of Tournament Golf Foundation, "TGF has been a supporter of women's golf in the Northwest over our 38 year history. With this event, we have begun to establish a tradition of offering amateurs a chance to play with the world's best pros. One great round and the winner gets to play in the Safeway Classic."
Last year, Washington State graduate Amy Eneroth won the Safeway Classic Amateur Open in a one-hole playoff. The Safeway Classic Amateur Open will have a $95 entry fee and players can get an application by calling the Tournament Golf Foundation office at 503-626-2711 or by visiting the news section of the tournament web site, www.safewayclassic.com. Entry deadline for the event will be July 16, 2010.
The Safeway Classic is the oldest non-major championship on the LPGA Tour, and 2009 will mark the 39th year the tournament has been brought to Portland by TGF. The event, originally called the Portland Classic, has now donated over $14 million to local children's charities since its inception in 1972, with $11 million coming in the past 14 years with Safeway as title sponsor. In 2009 alone, the tournament and the Safeway Foundation contributed $1 million in tournament proceeds to Oregon charities.
The 2010 edition of the The Safeway Classic will be held for the second consecutive year on the Ghost Creek course at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club in North Plains, OR. The purse for the event will be $1.5 million. The tournament will be broadcast on The Golf Channel
LPGA rookie M.J. Hur won the 2009 Safeway Classic in a playoff with Suzann Pettersen and Michele Redman at Pumpkin Ridge's 17th hole.
Tournament Golf Foundation is a local Portland area group of volunteers who donate their time and provide the primary operations for the annual event. Begun in 1972, the group is now comprised of 40 local individuals and couples.
For more information on the Safeway Classic and Tournament Golf Foundation, visit www.safewayclassic.com or call 503-626-2711. For more information on Langdon Farms Golf Club or for practice rounds, visit www.langdonfarms.com or call 503-678-4653.
)
)
)
)
