Casino Del Sol’s Sewailo Golf Club to Host “Road to the LPGA” Tournament
The award-winning Sewailo Golf Club at Casino Del Sol is the newest addition to the 2021 Symetra Tour schedule and will host an inaugural “Road to the LPGA” tournament from April 15-18.
A 144-player field will compete in a 72-hole stroke play format with a cut to the low 60 players and ties after 36 holes. The purse is set at $200,000, including a winner’s share of $30,000.
“When we add new venues to the schedule, our goal is to provide high-caliber courses comparable to what the players will see when they ultimately graduate to the LPGA Tour,” said Mike Nichols, chief business officer of LPGA Qualifying Tours. “Sewailo has a great tradition of hosting first-class tournaments, and we are proud to partner with Casino Del Sol to afford these female athletes the opportunity to compete.”
Blending the natural Sonoran Desert landscape of Tucson with picturesque lakes and streams, Sewailo measures over 7,400 yards from the championship tees. Designed by Ty Butler, as well as Native American and former PGA TOUR professional Notah Begay III, Sewailo means “land where flowers grow” in the Pascua Yaqui language. The course exudes this sentiment with more than 30,000 native flowers, plants and cacti scattered throughout its 200 acres.
“We can’t wait to welcome this incredible group of professional women golfers to compete in Southern Arizona this year,” said Kimberly Van Amburg, CEO of Casino Del Sol. “This tour is a display of talented athletes achieving their aspirations, and we are honored to play host.”
Sewailo is recognized as one of the top golf experiences in Arizona, public or private, and is home to the University of Arizona men’s and women’s golf teams. Symetra Tour member and Wildcats alumna Krystal Quihuis knows the course well and uses the facilities during the offseason.
“As flowers bloom into beauty, golfers also bloom beautifully. The tour continues to grow the schedule to allow us to have the opportunity to do just that. I am beyond excited that the newest competition they have added to the schedule is close to home for me,” said Quihuis. “From countless hours as a collegiate athlete to the offseason grind now as a professional, I think the players will love the challenge it brings. Can’t wait to get the season started.”
The top-10 on the Symetra Tour season-ending money list will earn full LPGA Tour membership for 2022. Three cards were awarded from 1999-2002, then from 2003-07 that number increased to five before 10 were distributed starting in 2008-2019. Including the five individuals that graduated in 2020, a total of 162 players have moved on to the big stage.
Recent Symetra Tour graduates who have won in the past two years on the LPGA Tour include Ally Ewing (McDonald) at the 2020 LPGA Drive On Championship—Reynolds Lake Oconee, Madelene Sagstrom at the 2020 Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio, Celine Boutier at the 2019 ISPS Handa Vic Open, Hannah Green at the 2019 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, and three-time champion Nelly Korda. Other past graduates of the Symetra Tour include a pair of former Rolex Rankings No. 1 and World Golf Hall of Fame members in Lorena Ochoa and Inbee Park.
The Pro-Am event will take place at Sewailo Golf Club on Wednesday, April 14.
