LPGA Symetra Tour Coming to South Dakota for First Time

SIOUX FALLS GREATLIFE CHALLENGE ANNOUNCES $210,000 TOURNAMENT PURSE – THE LARGEST IN THE HISTORY OF THE SYMETRA TOUR.

GreatLIFE Malaska Golf & Fitness Club in conjunction with the Sioux Falls Convention and Visitor’s Bureau (CVB) and Title Sponsor, Luxury Auto Mall of Sioux Falls is proud to host the Sioux Falls GreatLIFE Challenge at Willow Run as part of the 2015 Symetra Tour – Road to the LPGA.

The tournament will be held September 3-6, 2015 at Willow Run Golf Course, with special events beginning Monday, August 31, and will provide an unprecedented opportunity for Sioux Falls to seal its reputation as a world-class destination city with all the amenities necessary to host an event of this magnitude. In addition, golfers participating in the tournament have a shot at the largest purse in the history of the tour – $210,000 – with the winner taking home $31,500 and almost certainly a spot on next year’s LPGA tour.

The Sioux Falls GreatLIFE Challenge at Willow Run is one of only four 72-hole events on the tour and one of only 23 cities to host the tour. Sioux Falls will realize more than $3 million in economic impact, depending on overall attendance according to the CVB. If not for the GreatLIFE Challenge at Willow Run, Sioux Falls LPGA fans would have to travel as far as Kansas to attend a Symetra Tour tournament.

The tour brings 144 of the top up-and-coming ladies golf professionals to Sioux Falls to compete and support local charities including Make-A-Wish, Boys and Girls Clubs, Komen Race for the Cure, Sioux Falls Fire Rescue and Troops First.

Willow Run Golf Course opened its brand new 16,000 sq. ft. clubhouse on June 1, just in time to welcome guests with a full restaurant and bar, banquet seating for more than 200, an 8,000 sq. ft. fitness center and indoor pool and Jacuzzi. The course will be in top shape after strategic renovations including an expanded driving range, state-of-the-art three-hole practice area and extensive landscaping. In addition to the club’s expansion, work is underway on the city’s premier luxury apartment development, The Bluffs at Willow Run, set to open in August.

According to GreatLIFE chairman Tom Walsh, “We’re proud to be a part of bringing this national tour to South Dakota for the first time in its history. It supports passion for the game of golf and keeps the dreams of young golfers alive, and that reflects our mission at GreatLIFE. It’s just a great opportunity for the city of Sioux Falls to shine.”

To ensure the success of this weeklong event, organizers are looking for local volunteers to act as host families and to provide other services throughout the tournament. To learn more about volunteer opportunities or to sign up, visit www.greatlifechallenge.com.

The Symetra Tour, the official Road to the LPGA, has begun its 35th competitive season in 2015. With the support of its umbrella sponsor, Symetra, the Tour’s mission is to prepare the world’s best young women professional golfers for a successful career on the LPGA Tour. The top-10 money winners each season earn memberships on the LPGA Tour for the following season. With more than 600 alumnae moving on to the LPGA including 2014 RICOH Women’s British Open champion Mo Martin and current Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings No. 1 Inbee Park, former Symetra Tour players have won a total of 382 LPGA titles, including 45 major championships. Symetra Tour events have contributed more than $5 million to charitable organizations throughout the nation since 1989. Follow the Symetra Tour on the web at www.SymetraTour.com.