Symetra Tour continues alliance with IMG Junior Golf Tour

The Symetra Tour, the LPGA’s developmental tour, will for the second season offer an event exemption to a female player within the IMG Junior Golf Tour. The top female from the 15-18 division, by way of points accumulated across 13 qualifying events (an increase from 6 the previous year), will earn an exemption to compete as an amateur in the Sara Bay Classic, to be held April 2013. The points chase began with the Kickoff at Sara Bay, held at the Sara Bay Country Club in Sarasota, Fla., Sept. 22-23. 

“We are thrilled to continue this rewarding relationship between the Symetra Tour and the IMG Junior Golf Tour,” said Mike Nichols, Chief Business Officer of the Symetra Tour. “At the end of our season, the top Symetra Tour players earn LPGA Tour cards, so it’s exciting to give junior players the opportunity to compete against the next generation of great women golfers.”  

Thirteen-year-old Michelle Yan played up in the Girls 15-18 at the Kickoff at Sara Bay, recording a 75-74=149 (+5) to claim the title and become the early points leader. Last season, IMG Academy’s Natalia Pérez earned the first LPGA Symetra Tour exemption through the IMG Junior Golf Tour. Pérez achieved the feat by scoring her first-ever victory in March at the Golf Club at North Hampton over China’s Yvonne Zheng, who sat atop the points-race for many weeks. Pérez’s exemption gave her a chance to compete against some of the world’s top up-and-coming professional players in the Symetra Tour’s Sara Bay Classic.

“We are excited to continue offering our players such a unique opportunity to play their way into a professional event so early in their careers,” said Andrew Parr, Tournament Director, IMG Junior Golf Tour. “We are committed to providing our members with these types of high-quality playing opportunities to prepare them for reaching their future goals in the game.”

Earlier this year, the IMG Junior Golf Tour announced an expansion of its Tour schedule, which previously focused on the Southeast U.S. This season the Tour will also make stops in the Northeast U.S. at Heron Glen Golf Club, Oct, 13-14, in Ringoes, N.J., followed by the Club Champion Open, Oct. 27-28, at Wyncote Golf Club in Oxford, Pa.

About the Symetra Tour
The Symetra Tour – Road to the LPGA, is the official developmental tour of the LPGA and enters its 32nd competitive season in 2012. With the support of its new umbrella sponsor, Symetra, the Tour’s mission is to prepare the world’s best young women professional golfers for a successful career on the LPGA Tour. 2012 marks the first season that the top-10 money winners will receive full, equal status for the following season on the LPGA Tour. The 2012 schedule includes 16 tournaments with stops in 11 U.S. states and Mexico and a total purse of nearly $1.8 million. With more than 500 alumnae moving on to the LPGA, former Symetra Tour players have won a total of 362 LPGA titles, including 39 major championships. Symetra Tour events have contributed more than $5 million to charitable organizations throughout the nation since 1989. Follow the Symetra Tour on the web at www.SymetraTour.com, www.Facebook.com/RoadtotheLPGA, www.Twitter.com/Road2LPGA, and YouTube.com/Road2LPGA. 

About the IMG Junior Golf Tour
Developed to fill a key niche in junior golf, the IMG Junior Golf Tour provides an elite setting for junior golfers to compete and gain exposure to college golf, professional golf, national junior rankings and athletic excellence. Participants have access to championship-rated courses and are provided with unique resources that enable them to grow and develop not only as an athlete but as an individual. 

Interactive educational events provide players and their families with an opportunity at each event to meet and receive advice from experts and professionals on topics such as fitness and nutrition, mental performance, media training, and college recruiting. Under Armour is the Tour’s official apparel sponsor. Additional sponsors include Gatorade and NCSA Athletic Recruiting. Find us at: www.imgjuniorgolftour.com and on Facebook.