FORT MYERS, Fla., April 11, 2016 - The Epson Tour, Road to the LPGA, and the Legends Tour are in Fort Myers this week for the 2016 Chico’s Patty Berg Memorial at Cypress Lake Country Club. First-round play for the Epson Tour events begins on Thursday, April 14 and runs through Sunday, April 17. The Legends Tour event will begin on Saturday, April 16 and conclude simultaneously with the Epson Tour. Players from the two Tours will be paired together on Saturday and Sunday.
The Epson Tour field, highlighted by 20 LPGA Tour members, features 156 players vying for a purse of $200,000 with the winner earning $30,000 and likely moving towards the top of the Volvik Race for the Card money list. This is the third event on the Epson Tour schedule of 23 total for the season. The top 10 on the final money list will earn LPGA Tour membership for the 2017 season.
The entire current top 10 on the money list will play the Chico’s Patty Berg Memorial. As of Sunday night, current No. 1 and most recent winner, Samantha Richdale, was undecided if she would head to Hawaii and the LOTTE Championship on the LPGA or play the Chico’s Patty Berg Memorial. The Epson Tour field also features players from 27 different countries outside the United States including 15 from Chinese Taipei and 11 from Canada.
The Chico’s Patty Berg Memorial has shown tremendous purse growth since the inaugural event in 2014 when the total purse was $100,000 and the winner earned $15,000. In 2015, the purse increased to $150,000 and the winner earned $22,500. This year, the winner will leave with a check for $30,000.
The Legends Tour field features 30 former LPGA Tour greats competing for a total purse of $150,000. The winner will earn $30,000. This is the second Legends Tour event of the year.
The Chico’s Patty Berg Memorial is the only professional golf tournament that combines two Tours into one event.
In 2015, Augusta James sizzled on Sunday at Cypress Lake Country Club to capture her first career Epson Tour win while 2-time LPGA winner Laurie Rinker went wire-to-wire to record her fourth Legends Tour victory.
Play will begin at 7:30 a.m. all four days of the tournament. The Epson Tour field will be cut to the top 50 and ties following second-round play on Friday, April 15.
Tickets to the tournament are free to the public all four days courtesy of Sallee Promotions. Proceeds from the tournament will benefit Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida. Seven Epson Tour players will visit the hospital at 2:30 p.m. on Monday.
DEFENDING CHAMPIONS BOTH BACK IN THE FIELD: Rinker standing side-by-side holding their trophies and wearing the Chico’s leopard print jackets is what the tournament is all about - providing mentorship opportunities by combining the future of golf with past greats. Both James and Rinker are back to defend their crowns.
James is off to a strong start this year. She finished T12 at the Florida’s Natural Charity Classic this past week and was T8 at the season opener. James currently ranks 11th on the Volvik Race for the Card money list.
“I love this event, the course is great, the people here are great and I obviously have fond memories from last year,” said James. “I was excited showing up in Fort Myers last night. Playing with the Legends Tour players is such a great opportunity for us. Not only are they great people and golfers, but it also assists our Tour in getting more recognition when we join up like this. It really is a special event.”
LEGENDS TOUR FIELD FEATURES 327 WINS: The Legends Tour field is once again loaded with former LPGA superstars. The 30 women that will tee it up this week at Cypress Lake Country Club have combined for 327 LPGA Tour victories. There are three players in the field that compiled over 40 career wins - Nancy Lopez (48), JoAnne Carner (43) and Sandra Haynie (42). The Legends Tour field features seven Hall-of-Famers - Amy Alcott, Pat Bradley, JoAnne Carner, Sandra Haynie, Nancy Lopez, Patty Sheehan and Hollis Stacy.
JULIA ROTH / BARB MUCHA MENTORING SUCCESS STORY: In 2015, Epson Tour professional Julia Roth was paired with Legends Tour player Barb Mucha during weekend play. After the tournament concluded, the two exchanged numbers and last summer, Roth gave Mucha a call.
“She’s now my mentor and we practice together at least a few times a week,” said Roth. “I feel super blessed to work with a legend of the game and to have her on my team.”
Mucha is a five-time LPGA Tour winner while Roth is a second year player on the Epson Tour.
Both are back in the Chico’s Patty Berg Memorial this year.
MADELENE SAGSTROM SEPARATING HERSELF EARLY: Madelene Sagstrom (Enkoping, Sweden) hasn’t won yet, but she has clearly separated herself as an early season favorite to earn a trip to the LPGA for 2017. She finished T3 at the IOA Championship where she held the lead through rounds one and two and then finished T2 at the Florida’s Natural Charity Classic yesterday. Sagstrom carded a 3-under 69 on Sunday to climb from T5 to a tie for second.
Sagstrom now ranks second on the Volvik Race for the Card money list through two events.
She was the 2015 SEC Player of the Year at LSU and totaled 18 top 10 finishes during her career. She was also a finalist for the ANNIKA Award.
NELLY KORDA AIMING TO REBOUND: Nelly Korda (Bradenton, Fla.), 17, is one of the youngest players in the Epson Tour field, but may be one of the most recognizable. Her sister, Jessica, is a four-time winner on the LPGA Tour and has totaled over $2.5 million in earnings.
Nelly turned professional just before the start of the IOA Championship and finished T18 in her debut. This past week in Lake Wales, she missed the cut with rounds of 78-76. Korda ranks 52nd on the Volvik Race for the Card money list in the very early season.
She was the No. 10 ranked amateur in the world according to the World Amateur Golf Rankings before deciding to turn professional in February. Korda was named a First-Team Rolex Junior All-American by the AJGA in October of 2015.
She earned status on the Epson Tour by finishing third at Stage I of LPGA Qualifying Tournament and earning medalist honors at Stage II.
TWO TOP 100 PLAYERS IN WORLD: The Epson Tour field features two top 100 players in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings - No. 67 Nicole Broch Larsen and No. 100 Ssu Chia Chang, who made her Epson Tour debut last week and finished T9 with a final-round 68 at the Florida’s Natural Charity Classic.
Larsen will make her Epson Tour debut this week. She currently ranks fourth on the Ladies European Tour Order of Merit after four starts. In 2015, she finished third on the Order of Merit. Larsen won the 2015 Helsingborg Open by one shot.
WILL 15-YEAR-OLD MAKE HISTORY THIS WEEK?: Ya-Chun Chang (Chinese Taipei), who attends the IMG Academy in Bradenton, fell just short of winning the Florida’s Natural Charity Classic and making history as the youngest to ever win on the Epson Tour. Chang, who took a one shot lead into the final-round, nearly rolled in a 25-footer on the 18th hole to force a playoff.
Chang will play this week in the Chico’s Patty Berg Memorial along with 11 other players selected by the LPGA of Taiwan (TLPGA). Chang and the TLPGA contingent will play in two weeks on the LPGA at the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic in San Francisco.
Chang will not turn 16-years-old until August 11 of this year. She played in the Fubon LPGA Taiwan Championship in 2015 and made the cut, finishing in a tie for 46th.
The current youngest to win distinction belongs to Hannah O’Sullivan, who made history at the start of 2015 by winning the Gateway Classic at Longbow Golf Club at 16 years, 9 months and 11 days old. The previous mark was held by by Cristie Kerr, who won the 1995 Ironwood FUTURES Classic at Ironwood Golf Course in Gainesville, Florida at the age of 17.
NCAA NATIONAL CHAMPION FINISHES T48 IN DEBUT: The 2014 NCAA individual national champion, Doris Chen, finished T48 at the Florida’s Natural Charity Classic in her debut. Chen was T15 after two rounds, but posted a 79 on Sunday.
Chen is in the field this week for the Chico’s Patty Berg Memorial.
Chen also won the Pac-12 individual title in 2012 and was an integral part of USC’s run to the national championship in 2013.
There are two 2015 First-Team All-Americans in the field (Madelene Sagstrom - LSU, Dana Finkelstein - UNLV), two Second-Team All-Americans (Hayley Davis - Baylor, Ally McDonald - Mississippi State) and three Honorable Mention All-Americans (Allison Emrey - Wake Forest, Noemi Jimenez - Arizona State, Erynne Lee - UCLA).
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