Top six finishers to play in 2014 Wegmans LPGA Championship
DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA, September 16, 2013 – The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Teaching and Club Professionals (T&CP) returns to an “old friend” to play the 26th annual LPGA T&CP National Championship, Sept. 21-25, 2013. Château Élan, an Atlanta, Ga., resort, previously hosted the annual tournament from 1996-1999.
The 54-hole, stroke-play Championship will be conducted on the Château Course, which Zagat Survey calls, “a real find north of Atlanta…a solid challenge for any skill level." A number of T&CP members who live in Georgia will compete in this year’s Championship, including Jessica Pecora of Milton, Heidi Mitchell of Snellville, Ruth Anderson and Joyce Wilcox, both of Kennesaw, and Betty Rahal of Decatur.
"We are very excited to bring the event back to Château Élan,” said Nancy Henderson, Executive Director of the Teaching and Club Professional Membership. "It’s a great resort, with a spa and winery as well as two championship courses. Our members will get to enjoy all these amenities while competing for those spots in the 2014 LPGA Championship.”
The top six finishers of the Championship division will go on to represent the LPGA T&CP in the 2014 Wegmans LPGA Championship, a major tour event in Rochester, N.Y. Defending champion Jean Bartholomew, an LPGA Teaching Professional at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., will headline the field, competing for one of the six coveted exemptions. Bartholomew also won the Championship in 2009.
“I’m trying to get ready to defend the Championship by practicing and playing in qualifiers and Pro-Ams,” said Bartholomew. “The two times I won, I hadn’t really played much. You never know how your game is until you tee it up!”
Notable players in the field include past T&CP National Championship winners Karen Davies (2006, 2010) of Carefree, Ariz., Laura Shanahan Rowe (2008) of Hampton, N.H., and Lisa DePaulo (2007) of Austin, Tex. Senior Division winners who will be returning to try their hand at repeating a victory include Carolyn Hill of St. Petersburg, Fla., and Dede Cusimano of Basalt, Colo. Cusimano has taken the Senior title twice—in 2009 and 2010. She also won the Championship title in 2003 and is the only LPGA T&CP member to date to hold titles in both divisions.
In addition, two past winners of the T&CP Championship when it was held at Château Élan in the 1990s will be returning. Christa Teno (1998) of Mims, Fla., and Debra Pinnell (1999) of Bella Vista, Ark., will compete in the Senior Division of this year’s tournament.
The LPGA National Championship was created in 1983 to provide additional playing opportunities for LPGA Teaching and Club Professionals. The three-day event has since grown to become recognized as the premier tournament for women golf professionals in the world. The tournament features three divisions: Championship (6,300-6,500 yards), Challenge (5,900-6,200 yards) and Senior (50+; 5,600-5,800 yards). Each division will be cut to the Top 70 and ties after 36-holes.
In addition, family and friends have the opportunity to join event functions by participating in the Titleist and FootJoy Pro-Am competition and the Junior Clinic presented by SNAG in the two days preceding the Championship.
Professionals, amateurs and the general public will also have the opportunity to discover new products, test golf club equipment supplied by tournament sponsor-partners and meet with company representatives during the on-site Demo Days, Sept. 21-22. Participating companies include: Titleist, FootJoy, Rolex, NikeGolf, Nancy Lopez Golf, Callaway Golf, Mirassou Wine, White Tiger Systems, Inc., SNAG, SanSoleil, Scoreboardwhiz.com, Adams Golf, Sparking ICE and others.
For more information about the LPGA T&CP National Championship, contact Chelsea Harris at Chelsea.harris@lpga.com or 386-274-6207.
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