GREENSBORO, NC — The 19th stop on the 2021 “Road to the LPGA” takes the Epson Tour to Forest Oaks Country Club in the Tar Heel State for the second annual Carolina Golf Classic presented by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC) from Sept. 30-Oct.3.
”We want to be a champion for women everywhere,” said Reagan Greene Pruitt, vice president of marketing and community engagement at Blue Cross NC. “It’s so inspiring to see this group of women athletes lead by example and we wish them the best of luck on the course.”
Greeting the 114-player field in Greensboro is a total purse of $200,000. Individuals are set to compete in a 72-hole stroke play format with a cut to the low 60 players and ties after 36 holes. The winner’s share for the event is $30,000.
“Last year Blue Cross NC stepped in for their inaugural Epson Tour event at time when we desperately needed committed partners to provide our athletes a place to compete. Their commitment to not only provide this opportunity for our players, but also a platform on which they can amplify Blue Cross’ commitment to DEI, has made for a perfect marriage between our two organizations. Additionally, by offering their tournament invites to elite collegiate athletes this year, they are allowing these players the opportunity to test and showcase their games against some of the best golfers in the world.”
Defending champion, Ana Belac (Charlotte, North Carolina) is not among the competitors. Her win last season was one of four top-10 finishes which led her to end the season at No. 1 in the Race for the Card. This year on the LPGA Tour, the 2021 Epson Tour Player of the Year claimed her first top-10 finish of T4 at the Volunteers of America Classic.
“It was really special winning my first event as a professional in my ‘home’ state, the win opened the door to the LPGA for me and gave me confidence for the future,” said Belac. “It was clear all week how supportive BC was of our dreams to play well on the Epson Tour to ultimately graduate onto to the LPGA Tour. I am so happy to hear they are having another event this year that will with a doubt change someone’s life just like it did mine.”
First and second round action gets underway at 7:30 a.m. ET off No. 1 and No. 10 tees. The third and final round will start at 8:00 a.m. ET off No. 1 and 10 tees with a trophy presentation to follow play on Sunday on the back lawn.
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