Chico’s Patty Berg Memorial Preview and Media Coverage
Mar 23, 2014; Orlando, FL, USA; Nancy Lopez addresses the media about the changes to the World Golf Hall of Fame and its announced changes to its selection process Sunday at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill Club & Lodge. Hall of famers Gary Player and Arnold Palmer were in attendance during the final round. Jack Peter, the hall
The Symetra Tour, Road to the LPGA has crafted a unique, one-of-a-kind event with the Chico’s Patty Berg Memorial. The re-launched tournament will feature Saturday and Sunday three-player pairings — 2 Symetra Tour players and 1 member of the Legends Tour — playing together on the same golf course while competing for separate $150,000 purses.
Hall of Famer Nancy Lopez, who will lead a field of 30 Legends at the event, thinks the innovative pairings are important to the future of the game:
"The Symetra Tour is exciting because it is the future of the game and I am looking forward to playing with them. It’s important to give the Symetra Tour players an opportunity to pick our (Legends Tour) brains and this event also allows us to keep the history of the game alive by relaying it to the younger generation. – Nancy Lopez"
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The event will once again take place at Cypress Lake Country Club in Fort Myers, Florida, April 13-19, 2015. Cypress Lake was the home club of Fort Myers native and LPGA legend Patty Berg, who captured 60 LPGA Tour titles including 15 majors during her Hall of Fame career. The club prominently displays trophies and golf paraphernalia dedicated to her life.
Tournament Format
The Symetra Tour portion of the event will be a 72-hole stroke-play format with 144 players starting on Thursday, April 16 while the Legends Tour event will be a 36-hole stroke-play format with 30 players beginning on Saturday, April 18. Each Tour’s event will be scored independently.
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The Symetra Tour field will be cut to the top 70 and ties after second-round play on Friday. At that point, the top 50 players will compete over the weekend paired with Legends Tour players in threesomes, with two Symetra Tour players and one Legends player in each group on Saturday and Sunday. Symetra Tour players who make the cut but do not make the top 50 will still be compensated based on a normal 70 plus ties payout based on their position following play on Friday.
Throughout the week, there will be unique women-to-women mentoring opportunities for Symetra Tour professionals. In addition to playing inside the ropes on Saturday and Sunday, the Symetra and Legends Tour players will share a locker room, player dining and practice facilities, giving them ample opportunity to share ideas with some of the greatest LPGA players of all time, further extending the Tour’s PODS System mentoring program that groups LPGA Rookies with current players and a Legend and strengthening the professionalization process as young players forge their individual pro golfer careers.
Media Coverage
While the Chico’s Patty Berg Memorial rounds won’t be televised Golf Channel’s premier morning show, Morning Drive, will broadcast live from Cypress Lake Country Club during the Chico’s Patty Berg Memorial Thursday, April 16 through Sunday, April 19. Morning Drive hosts Damon Hack and Paige Mackenzie will anchor the coverage from Fort Myers.
You can follow the live action through the Symetra Tour’s electronic leaderboard and I will post news and updates through the tournament as well. Follow me on Twitter @bethbethel and I’ll notify you when I publish Symetra Tour news.