Rising stars head to Sara Bay Country Club for sixth year; Junior clinic on Thursday, April 20
DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA, April 12, 2017 - The Epson Tour, the official qualifying Tour for the LPGA, returns to Sarasota for the Sara Bay Classic from April 21-23. The sixth annual tournament at Sara Bay Country Club will feature the rising stars in women’s golf competing for a $110,000 total tournament purse.
The field of 144 professionals from the United States and 29 countries around the globe are all vying for the first-place check of $16,500 and a chance to move up the Volvik Race for the Card money list. The top 10 on the year-end money list earn LPGA Tour membership for the 2018 season.
There are ten players from the state of Florida in the field including three from Bradenton - Ginger Howard, Christina Miller and Ericka Schneider and one from Tampa - Cindy LaCrosse. There is one spot being held for the winner of the local Monday Qualifier on April 17 at Sara Bay Country Club.
The Tour has announced the additions of sponsor exemption Nadia Luttner (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and contractual invites Mika Liu and Alice Barbieri. Luttner won the WPIAL Championship in 2008 and 2009 and played college golf at Coastal Carolina. Liu is one of the top ranked amateurs in the world. She currently ranks No. 23 according to the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR) and is headed to play college golf at Stanford in September. Liu was part of the winning team at the 2015 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four Ball. Barbieri, a rookie on the Epson Tour, was part of the 2016 Italian National Overall Team Ladies Champions.
Past winners at Sara Bay Country Club include Brittany Altomare (2016), Rachel Rohanna (2015), Marissa Steen (2014), Christine Song (2013) and Esther Choe (2012). Altomare and Steen are currently competing on the LPGA Tour.
Rohanna, who used her winnings in 2015 to purchase a heifer and named her Sara Bay, will return to the site of her first professional win. Since her win in 2015, the heifer Sara Bay had a bull calf (Sydney) in 2016 and a heifer calf (Valentina) in 2017.
“My dad was my caddy so it made it extra sweet to win,” said Rohanna, who has a condo in St. Pete. “I’ve always loved Sara Bay and the Sarasota area. I’m hoping to add another addition to the herd, but my heifer I purchased has turned into a great cow. It was a great week in 2015 and turned into a great investment as well.”
In partnership with LPGA/USGA Girls Golf of Sarasota/Manatee, the Tour will host a junior clinic on Thursday at Suncoast Golf Center (7741 15th St. East, Sarasota, FL 34243) presented by Capstan Financial Consulting Group. Area junior golfers are invited to attend the free clinic from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Parents are encouraged to email lexi@TheFirstTeeSM.org to register for the clinic.
Tickets to the Sara Bay Classic are $10 for a three-day pass. Spectators and volunteer parking lot is located just off US 41 across from the Sara Bay Marina. To get to the parking lot, turn onto Magellan drive off US 41 and then right turn on Jungle Way. A shuttle will be provided to and from Sara Bay Country Club.
For more information, visit www.SaraBayClassic.com.
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