LPGA Volvik Championship To Debut on 2016 LPGA Tour Schedule

LPGA Volvik Championship To Debut on 2016 LPGA Tour Schedule
Inaugural event set to take place at Travis Pointe Country Club in Ann Arbor, Michigan

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. OCTOBER 7, 2015 – The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) today announced a new event for the 2016 season – the LPGA Volvik Championship. The inaugural event is set to take place at Travis Pointe Country Club in Ann Arbor, Michigan, from May 26–29.

“We’re thrilled to be bringing the LPGA to Ann Arbor for the LPGA Volvik Championship,” said LPGA Commissioner Michael Whan. “It’s an exciting announcement, one that will be very well received by our players, our TV partners and of course our fans in Southeast Michigan. Volvik continues to be committed to growing all aspects of women’s golf including LPGA Teaching and Club Professionals, LPGA-USGA Girls Golf and the Symetra Tour where they not only sponsor the Volvik Championship but also the Volvik Race for the Card, which gives the top-10 players an opportunity to earn their LPGA Tour cards. Now with their title sponsorship on the LPGA Tour, players will experience Volvik’s support at every level.”

The LPGA Volvik Championship will be held over Memorial Day weekend and will feature a full field of 144 players competing in a 72-hole showcase for a purse of $1.3 million. The event will join the Meijer LPGA Classic, which is hosted in Grand Rapids, as the second tournament on the LPGA Tour schedule in the state of Michigan.

“It has always been Volvik’s goal to be a title sponsor of an LPGA Tour event,” said Volvik USA President Don Shin. “With our extreme growth in the US marketplace over the past three years, sponsoring our LPGA Tour event is the next step in educating the public that Volvik is the fastest growing golf ball manufacturer in the world and that we can add both style and extreme performance to your game.”

Volvik, who signed a three-year deal as the title sponsor of the LPGA Volvik Championship, has been an Official Sponsor of the LPGA Tour for the past five years.

“As the first new global golf brand to emerge in the last decade, Volvik has taken strategic steps to get to this moment,” said Chairman of Volvik INC Kyung Ahn Moon. “We have made a name for ourselves with the help of the LPGA and we want to continue to grow with the LPGA Tour  as they continue to be the only professional tour who is growing globally and with a meteoric rise in television rating and attention to their tour. It is our great honor to announce that we are the title sponsor of an LPGA Tour event.”

Since 2011, the LPGA has now added 10 new North-American-based events (Founders Cup in Arizona, Coates Golf Championship in Ocala, Florida, LOTTE Championship in Ko Olina, Hawaii, Volunteers of America North Texas Shootout in Dallas, Texas, Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic in San Francisco, Calif., Meijer LPGA Classic in Grand Rapids, Mich., UL International Crown in Chicago, Ill., Pure Silk Bahamas Classic in the Bahamas, Manulife Financial Classic in Ontario, Canada,  and the LPGA Volvik Championship in Ann Arbor, Mich.). In addition to this “home growth”, the LPGA has added four new International events during this same period (ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open, Fubon Taiwan, and two new events in China — Blue Bay LPGA Classic and Reignwood Pine Valley). Outside of their tournament schedule, the LPGA has seen its television more than double to over 400 hours of coverage, expanded to over 150 countries that carry its telecasts each week, and increased the total purse level on Tour from $44 million to over $60 million.

The idea to bring the LPGA to Southeast Michigan was spurred by local business leader KC Crain and his wife, Ashley, along with tournament director Keith Karbo. The Crains are avid golf fans and with the help of Karbo, an Ann Arbor resident, their vision of bringing an LPGA event to this area while also giving back to the local community has become a reality.

“Golf has always been part of my life, and to bring an impactful event like this to Southeast Michigan is going to be fun and exciting,” said Ashley Crain, who competed on the Golf Channel show Highway 18. “We realize that this will provide a great economic impact for our area, and we are particularly happy to bring awareness to some important initiatives.”

As part of this Memorial Day Weekend event, the LPGA is partnering with the National Network of Depression Centers (NNDC) to support veteran mental health. By conservative estimates, 1 in 5 Americans has firsthand experience with depression, bipolar illness, or another mood disorder. Despite the overall resilience of the veteran population, service members, veterans, and military families struggle with these and additional mental health issues which can be triggered by the experience of traumatic events and long separations.

The NNDC brings together 23 Member Centers from leading U.S. academic medical universities to improve the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of depressions, bipolar illnesses, and related mood disorders. The innovative M-SPAN Military Support Programs and Network initiative is a University-Military-VA-Community partnership that provides pre- and post-deployment support for military, veterans, and their families. The M-SPAN program operates out of the local NNDC site at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Depression Center.

We gratefully acknowledge the men and women serving our country abroad and at home for their service, commitment, and sacrifices.

ABOUT THE LPGA
The LPGA is the world’s leading professional golf organization for women. Founded in 1950, the association celebrates a diverse and storied membership with more than 2,300 members representing 30 different countries. With a Vision to inspire, empower, educate and entertain by showcasing the very best of women’s golf, LPGA Tour Professionals compete across the globe, while dedicated LPGA Teaching and Club Professionals (T&CP) directly impact the game through teaching, coaching and management. The Symetra Tour consistently produces a pipeline of talent ready for the world stage. The LPGA is headquartered in Daytona Beach, Florida. Follow the LPGA on its television home, Golf Channel, and on the web via: LPGA.com, facebook.com/lpga, twitter.com/lpga, and youtube.com/lpgavideo.

ABOUT VOLVIK
Volvik is the #1 Color Golf Ball on Tour with over 75 professionals using Volvik’s ultra high-performance color golf balls on the world’s professional tours. Since 2012, players using Volvik golf balls have earned over $8.5 million in prize money on the PGA TOUR, LPGA Tour, Champions Tour,Web.com Tour, Ladies European Tour, LAGT and Symetra Tour with 15 victories and over 100 Top 10 finishes.

Volvik has experienced more color golf balls in play on the world’s professional tours than any other manufacturer in the history of golf.

Volvik is dedicated to the production of specialized 3- and 4-piece multi-layer golf balls that feature 41 worldwide patents. In over 30 years of golf ball production, Volvik has developed a reputation based on highly innovative development, quickly becoming one of the most significant and trusted golf ball manufacturers in the world.

MEDIA CONTACTS
Kraig Kann, LPGA Chief Communications Officer, [email protected]; +1 386-274-6260
Kelly Schultz, Director of Media Communications, [email protected], 386-274-6276