The Symetra Tour – Road to the LPGA will be making its second consecutive stop in The Empire State of New York for this week’s Credit Union Challenge Presented by SEFCU, Sunmark and BFB Benefit. Set to take place August 3-4, Capital Hills at Albany will once again play host for the eighth consecutive year.

This year’s 144-player event offers a purse of $100,000 and will award $15,000 to the tournament winner after three-days of competition.

A rookie on the LPGA Tour, Sydnee Michaels is back to defend her title at this week’s event. Last year, Michaels fired rounds of 69-68-65 to earn a one-stroke victory over Jessi Gebhardt and record her second win on the Symetra Tour in 2011.

Michaels currently sits seventh in the LPGA’s Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year race. Her best finish this year is a tie for 30th, which she has accomplished twice, first at the Kia Classic in Carlsbad, CA, then at the Wegmans LPGA Championship last month in Rochester, N.Y.

Also joining Michaels this week are fellow LPGA Tour members Dori Carter, Lisa Ferrero, and Kris Tamulis. LPGA members who are in categories 1-11 are allowed to play in a maximum of three Symetra Tour events in a season.

While Michaels is playing in her first Symetra Tour event this season, Kris Tamulis finished tied for 50th at the Northeast Delta Dental International, Dori Carter finished tied for 51st at the Credit Union Classic Presented by Wegmans while Lisa Ferrero missed the cut.

Topics: On Other Tours, Symetra Tour