Georgia’s own, Mariah Stackhouse, headlines field of 144 rising stars.
Come out and support some of the best women golf professionals in the world next week. The Symetra Tour, the official qualifying Tour for the LPGA, is coming back to Atlanta National Golf Club for the 6th annual Symetra Classic next week. First-round play begins on Friday, April 28 and the final-round is scheduled for Sunday, April 30.
The 54-hole tournament features a tournament purse of $150,000. The winner will earn $22,500 and move towards the top of the Volvik Race for the Card money list. The top 10 on the final money list will earn LPGA Tour membership for the 2018 season.
The Symetra Classic is the sixth tournament of the 2017 season.
“We’re excited to return to Atlanta National as they welcomed us with open arms in 2016 and provided a first class venue for our rising stars,” said Chief Business Officer Mike Nichols. “The Symetra Classic has been a staple on the Tour schedule since 2012 so we were eager to find a new home for the tournament and the greater Atlanta area is a perfect backdrop with its LPGA history.”
The field consists of 144 aspiring LPGA stars from the United States and 30 countries around the globe.
Riverdale, Ga. native Mariah Stackhouse, who was the Georgia State Golf Association Girls’ Player of the Year each year from 2007-2010, has committed to the event. In 2009, Stackhouse became the youngest winner of the Georgia PGA Women’s Open Championship.
Stackhouse, who has dual LPGA and Symetra Tour status, has played in four Symetra Tour events this year with her best finish being a T14 at the Florida’s Natural Charity Classic. She currently ranks 35th on the Volvik Race for the Card money list entering the Sara Bay Classic. Stackhouse has also made two starts on the LPGA Tour this year.
Other Georgia natives in the field include Lacey Agnew (Jonesboro), Avery George (Perry), Ashlan Ramsey (Milledgeville) and Jean Reynolds (Newnan). Rookie Manuela Carbajo Re is a 2016 graduate of the University of Georgia where she compiled nine career top 10 finishes.
Druid Hills Assistant Golf Professional Karen Paolozzi, who finished 7th at the PGA Professional Championship in 2016, is in the field on a sponsors exemption.
Laura Wearn (Charlotte, N.C.) won the inaugural Symetra Tour stop at Atlanta National Golf Club in 2016 with a three-day score of 6-under, 210. It was her first career victory. Wearn is in the field.
Play will begin at 7:30 a.m. all three days of the tournament. There will be a cut to the low 60 and ties following Saturday’s second round.
Tickets to the Symetra Classic are complimentary all three rounds. On site parking is available at Atlanta National Golf Club.
For more information on the Symetra Classic, visit http://symetraclassic.com.
