Symetra Tour

The Symetra Tour, previously known as the LPGA Futures Tour and known for sponsorship reasons between 2006 and 2010 as the Duramed FUTURES Tour, is the official developmental golf tour of the LPGA Tour. Tour membership is open to professional women golfers and to qualified amateurs.

History

The Futures Tour was founded in Florida in 1981 as the "Tampa Bay Mini Tour". It officially became the Futures Golf Tour in 1983[1] and in 1999 become a national tour designated as the "official developmental tour" of the LPGA Tour (the U.S. based professional women's golf tour).

Grace Park, Marilyn Lovander and Audra Burks were the first players to receive automatic LPGA Tour exempt status by finishing one, two, and three on the Futures Golf Tour Money List.[1]

The minimum age for participation was lowered to 17 prior to the 2006 season.[2] On July 18, 2007, the LPGA announced that it had acquired the Futures Tour effective immediately, "bringing women's professional golf now under one umbrella." Previously the Futures Tour had operated as a licensee of the LPGA.[3]

Duramed, a pharmaceutical company, was the tour's title sponsor from 2006 through the end of the 2010 season.

In 2010, the tour was known as the "LPGA Futures Tour." In 2012, Symetra, a United States-based insurance provider, became the title sponsor of the tour and tour's name was changed to "Symetra Tour".

Promotion to LPGA

1999–2007

From 1999 through 2007 the top five leading money winners at the end of each season earned full membership in the following season's LPGA Tour. Starting with the sixth-ranked player at the end of the season, ten additional Futures Tour players who are not already members of the LPGA, automatically advanced into the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament, bypassing the sectional qualifying tournament.

2008–2010

Beginning in 2008 the process for promotion to the LPGA Tour was changed. The top ten leading money winners at the end of the season gain membership on the LPGA Tour for the next season, with those finishing in the top five positions gaining higher priority for entry into events than those finishing in positions six through ten. Finishers in positions sixth through ten still have the option to attend LPGA Qualifying School to try to improve their membership for the following season.[4]

2011–present

Beginning in 2011, the promotion process was changed slightly to allow the next 12 players, excluding current LPGA members, after the top ten qualifiers to automatic entry into Stage III of the LPGA Qualifying Tournament.[5]

The Symetra Tour also offers instant promotion to the LPGA for those who win three times in a single season, similar to the PGA-affiliated Web.com Tour and European Tour-affiliated Challenge Tour.

Players

Players come from around the world to compete on the Symetra Tour.

Futures Tour graduates include LPGA tournament winners Laura Davies, Meaghan Francella, Cristie Kerr, Christina Kim, Mo Martin, Lorena Ochoa, Grace Park, Stacy Prammanasudh, Sherri Steinhauer, and Karrie Webb.

Historical tour schedules and results

Year Number of
tournaments
Total prize
money (US$)
2016 23 3,125,000
2015 23 2,420,000
2014 20 2,250,000
2013 15 1,625,000
2012 16 1,755,000[6]
2011 16 1,765,000[7]
2010 17 1,920,000[8]
2009 17 1,795,000[9]
2008 18 1,710,000[10]
2007 19 1,585,000[11]
2006 19 1,425,000[12]

Awards

YearPlayer of the YearRookie of the YearTrainor AwardHeather Wilbur Spirit Award
2016 Sweden Madelene Sagström Sweden Madelene Sagström
2015 United States Annie Park United States Annie Park
2014 United States Marissa Steen Chinese Taipei Min Lee
2013 Thailand P.K. Kongkraphan Italy Giulia Molinaro United States Melissa Eaton
2012 United States Esther Choe South Korea Mi Hyang Lee United States Nicole Jeray
2011 United States Kathleen Ekey United States Sydnee Michaels Canada Izzy Beisiegel
2010 United States Cindy LaCrosse United StatesSouth Korea Jennifer Song Executive Women's Golf Association United States Mo Martin
2009 United States Mina Harigae United States Mina Harigae United States Renee Powell United States Malinda Johnson
2008 United States Vicky Hurst United States Vicky Hurst Canada Jocelyne Bourassa United States Katie Fraley
2007 United States Emily Bastel Mexico Violeta Retamoza United States Cynthia Rihm United States Jenny Hansen
2006 South Korea Song-Hee Kim South Korea Song-Hee Kim Australia Sherrin Smyers United States Katie Connelly
2005 South Korea Seon-Hwa Lee South Korea Sun Young Yoo Australia Karrie Webb Canada Salimah Mussani
2004 South Korea Jimin Kang South Korea Aram Cho United States Decatur, Illinois Women's Committees Australia Lindsey Wright
2003 United States Stacy Prammanasudh South Korea Soo Young Moon United States Wilma Gilliland Canada Heather Wilbur
2002 Mexico Lorena Ochoa Mexico Lorena Ochoa United States Bob Hirschman and Connie Shorb
2001 United States Beth Bauer United States Beth Bauer United States Diane Lewis
2000 United States Heather Zakhar United States Jamie Hullett United States Betty Puskar
1999 South Korea Grace Park United States Lew Williams
1998 United States Michelle Bell
1997 United States Marilyn Lovander
1996 United States Vickie Moran
1995 United States Patty Ehrhart
1994 United States Marilyn Lovander
1993 United States Nanci Bowen
1992 United States Jodi Figley
1991 United States Kim Williams
1990 United States Denise Baldwin
1989 United States Jennifer MacCurrach
1988 Peru Sweden Jenny Lidback
1987 United States Laurel Kean
1986 United States Tammie Green
1985 United States Tammie Green
1984 United States Penny Hammel

The Big Break

Many of the contestants on The Golf Channel's The Big Break III: Ladies Only, which aired in the Spring of 2005, played on the Futures Tour, including Danielle Amiee, who ended up being the show's overall champion. The other players from the show that played on the Futures Tour were Jan Dowling, Valeria Ochoa, runner-up Pamela Crikelair, and LPGA veteran Cindy Miller. Show co-host Stephanie Sparks played on the Futures Tour from 1996 to 1999.

The Big Break V: Hawaii, which aired in the spring of 2006, included six additional Futures Tour competitors: Dana Lacey, Ashley Prange, Kim Lewellen, Kristina Tucker, Becky Lucidi and Jeanne Cho. Prange won the competition; Cho was runner-up.

The Big Break VI: Trump National, broadcast in the fall of 2006, included six more Futures Tour players: Rachel Bailey, the individual winner of the 2002 Sunbelt Conference Championship at New Mexico State University; Bridget Dwyer, a member of the 2004 NCAA Women's Golf Championship winning team at UCLA; Ashley Gomes, the 2004 WAC Player of the Year and individual winner of the 2004 WAC Championship while at San Jose State University; Sarah Lynn Johnston, the 2004 Southern Conference Player of the Year and individual winner of the 2004 Southern Conference Championship while at Furman University; Kristy McPherson, a three-time NCAA All-American First Team selection and two-time individual winner of the SEC Championship while at The University of South Carolina; and Briana Vega, who holds North Carolina State University's scoring records for 18-holes (68) and 54-holes (216).

Notes and references

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