BAHAMIAN RAQUEL RILEY, KATHLEEN EKEY RECEIVE SPONSOR INVITATIONS TO PURE SILK-BAHAMAS LPGA CLASSIC SCHEDULED FEBRUARY 2-8 AT OCEAN CLUB GOLF COURSE

Preliminary Field List Includes 18 of World Top 25 in Women's Golf

January 16, 2015, Paradise Island, Bahamas – Raquel Riley, who competed multiple times for the Bahamas National Team, and Kathleen Ekey, a former Player of the Year on the Epson Tour, have received sponsor invitations to the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic, tournament officials announced today.

Riley earned the exemption after her victory in the Bahamas Golf Federation Qualifier. A former winner on the Sun Coast Ladies Tour, Riley, 33, is in the process of completing her LPGA accreditation to become a Certified LPGA Teaching Professional.

Ekey, 29, a native of Cleveland, Ohio, is coming off an injury-plagued season. A graduate of the University of Alabama, Ekey was the Player of the Year on the Epson Tour in 2011 when she won twice, and she joined the LPGA Tour the following year. In 2013, she made eight of 16 cuts to earn $50,926 with a career-best T-22 finish at the North Texas LPGA Shootout. Ekey is a player representative for Pure Silk.

Riley and Ekey join a stellar field in the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic, scheduled for Feb. 2-8 at the Ocean Club Golf Course on Paradise Island. Seven of the top-10 players in the Rolex Rankings and 18 of the top 25 have committed to play in the tournament, including defending champion Jessica Korda. The early commitments list also includes world No. 1 Inbee Park, No. 2 Lydia Ko and No. 3 Stacy Lewis. Ilhee Lee, who won the inaugural edition, also is entered.

“I would like to thank my federation for giving me this opportunity. Now that I have my chance to play on the big stage, I just want to go out and have as much fun as I possibly can,” Riley said. “It would be nice to play well enough to make the cut and even nicer to hoist that trophy at home before my friends and family!"

“We are excited to host another incredibly strong field at this year’s event, and could not be happier for Raquel and the Islands of the Bahamas as one of their own will have the opportunity to compete against the best in the world,” said Tournament Director Matt Truax. “We urge Bahamians to come out in support, and we look forward to showing the world why it’s better in the Bahamas.”

This year’s Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic, which offers a purse of $1.3 million, is the second event on the LPGA’s 2015 schedule. Golf Channel will provide 10 hours of live coverage beginning on Thursday, Feb. 5 from 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. EST. Live second-round coverage on Friday also is 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., while live coverage of the final two rounds Saturday and Sunday will air 3-5 p.m.

The tournament now is accepting applications for media credentials. Media organizations can log into lpgamediacredentials.com to make requests. A completed application is not a guarantee of credential approval.

For more tournament information, contact the Tournament Office at +1 242 677 6470 or visit www.puresilkbahamasclassic.com.

The official name of the tournament is the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic.

Bahamian Raquel Riley, Kathleen Ekey Receive Sponsor Invitations to Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic

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