Monthly Archives: June 2020
2020 CP WOMEN’S OPEN POSTPONED UNTIL 2021
By LPGA Communications
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA – Due to continued travel and border restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the LPGA Tour, together with Golf Canada and title-sponsor Canadian Pacific (CP), have announced that the CP Women’s Open at Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club in Vancouver has been postponed until 2021.
Golf Canada and CP have continued to monitor guidelines set by federal, provincial and municipal authorities intended to prevent the community spread of the virus. Physical factors including restrictions on international travel and mandatory quarantine along with limitations on group gatherings in the province of British Columbia ultimately forced the event’s postponement at Shaughnessy until 2021.
“The CP Women’s Open is a signature event for Golf in Canada and on the LPGA Tour and we share in the disappointment of our fans, players, volunteers and partners,” said Golf Canada CEO Laurence Applebaum. “The health of everyone who comes together for the event is our top priority and together with our partners at CP and the LPGA Tour, we can now look ahead to hosting an exceptional CP Women’s Open next year in the world-class city of Vancouver. I also applaud the swift and supportive response from our friends at Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club as well as the Province of British Columbia and Sport Hosting Vancouver who continue to be tremendous hosts and partners in welcoming the LPGA Tour back in 2021.”
As title sponsor of the CP Women’s Open, CP is committed to raising charitable dollars in the event’s host community through the CP Has Heart campaign in support of children’s heart health. BC Children’s Hospital Foundation had previously been named primary charity partner for the 2020 CP Women’s Open and will continue on in the same capacity in 2021.
“We are disappointed we are unable to run the event in Vancouver this year as planned. There is no doubt that the 2021 CP Women’s Open will be a remarkable event both on the course and in terms of leaving a positive impact on the community,” said Keith Creel, CP President and Chief Executive Officer. “We look forward to welcoming the world’s best golfers to Vancouver next year.”
The 2021 CP Women’s Open at Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club will mark the sixth time the province of British Columbia has hosted Canada’s Women’s Open Championship, with the last time being 2015 at The Vancouver Golf Club, where Lydia Ko won her third CP Women’s Open title.
“The CP Women’s Open is truly a world-class event and a favorite stop for all of us at the LPGA Tour,” said LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan. “I understand this was a tough decision for everyone involved, but given the restrictions faced, there was simply nothing else that could be done that would have enabled us to run the event in 2020. It is disappointing to miss Canada’s national championship and I know I speak for all LPGA Tour players and staff when I say we look forward to being back in Vancouver next year.”
The 2020 event was originally set for August 31-September 6. The Board of Directors and membership at Shaughnessy quickly decided to shift their focus to welcoming the stars of the LPGA Tour back next August 23-29, 2021.
“Shaughnessy understands the need to postpone this year’s event in light of the global COVID-19 pandemic – we will continue to work with our fantastic group of volunteers and partners in preparation of hosting the best players in the world in 2021,” said Brian Mossop, General Manager and C.O.O. at Shaughnessy.
The rescheduled return of the LPGA Tour will be proudly supported by both the Province of British Columbia as well as Sport Hosting Vancouver. With a global audience reach of over 500 million households across 170 international markets, both bodies are getting behind one of Canada’s signature sports entertainment properties as part of their tourism platform for 2021.
“While we share the disappointment that this year’s CP Women’s Open in Vancouver is postponed, we know this is the right thing to do to keep players, fans and communities safe,” said Lisa Beare, B.C.’s Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture. “We look forward to welcoming the LPGA Tour next year and invite all involved to explore more of Super, Natural British Columbia after the tournament.”
“Sport Hosting Vancouver is proud to support Golf Canada through our partners at Tourism Vancouver, the City of Vancouver and the Vancouver Hotel Destination Association,” said Michelle Collens, Senior Manager, Sport Hosting Vancouver. “We look forward to continuing to work with all partners over the next year to ensure the 2021 CP Women’s Open is a highlight on the calendar, including initiatives to foster sport development and support the economic and social objectives of our destination.”
The third annual CP Women’s Leadership Summit, which was scheduled to take place on September 1 as part of CP Women’s Open tournament week, will be replaced in 2020 by a digital experience focused on audience empowerment and inspiring guest speakers. Full details including a schedule and guest speakers will be released in the coming weeks. The Summit, which is a celebration of business leaders, influencers and community champions, will continue to be part of the CP Women’s Open in 2021 and beyond.
Golf Canada, CP and the LPGA Tour would like to thank golf fans across the nation in addition to the many corporate partners, ticket and hospitality purchasers, as well as the countless volunteers for their continued support through this unprecedented time.
Corporate hospitality buyers will be contacted by their Golf Canada sales representative over the coming days to plan forward for 2021. Individual ticket purchases made via Ticketmaster will have the opportunity to be refunded within the next 30 days or be carried over to the 2021 event. Volunteers will be contacted by Golf Canada staff and will be able to choose between deferring their volunteer registration to 2021 or receiving a refund.
2020 PGA Professional Championship Cancelled
By PGA
Top 3 From 2020 PGA Professional Championship to Earn Exemption into 2020 U.S. Open
By PGA
In addition to the PGA Professional Championship (top 3), this year’s exemption categories will include the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup final points list (top 5), the Korn Ferry Tour’s regular-season points and finals (top 5 in each), and the European Tour’s United Kingdom Swing (top 10 in aggregate points for first five events). Final 2019 Order of Merit categories for the Japan Golf Tour, Sunshine Tour, Asian Tour and Australasia Tour will help to round out the field of 144 players.
An average of 15 amateurs have competed in the last five U.S. Opens and at least 10 amateurs have competed in 12 of the past 13, including 2018 U.S. Amateur champion Viktor Hovland, who tied for 12th last year at Pebble Beach (Calif.) Golf Links. The World Amateur Golf Ranking® will be utilized to round out the amateur contingent at Winged Foot, as the top seven point leaders who are not otherwise exempt as of Aug. 19 will be added to the six amateurs who are currently exempt.
Remaining spots in the championship will be filled using the OWGR, as of Aug. 23.
Brooks Koepka Withdraws from Travelers Championship
By PGA
FIRST CLASS OF THE KPMG FUTURE LEADERS PROGRAM GRADUATES WITH SUPPORT OF LPGA AND PGA OF AMERICA
By LPGA
There is something appropriately symbolic in that the first beneficiaries of the KPMG Future Leaders Program are stepping into a global pandemic. These 15 young women know all about adversity and overcoming obstacles. And they represent a vast, barely tapped pool of talent that offers hope in a world desperate for new ideas and bold leadership.
When Inbee Park won the first KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in 2015 and when these 15 young women entered college in 2016 thanks to the Future Leaders Program, words like Covid-19, social distancing and contact tracing did not trend on social media. That this bold educational initiative bore it first fruit at this time amplifies its importance.
The sixth KPMG Women’s PGA was to be this week at Aronimink Golf Club near Philadelphia. But the pandemic pushed it to Oct. 8-11 when the best players in the world will compete for one of the top prizes in women’s golf and leaders from a wide variety of occupations will participate in the KPMG Future Leaders Summit.
When the LPGA and the PGA of America took their idea for a partnership to KPMG, the professional services and accounting giant liked the idea but to love it they needed more than a golf tournament. They wanted to use the platform of women’s golf to help talented females reach the top tier in business and science.
Thus was born the KPMG Women’s Leadership Summit, in which young women aspiring to reach the C-suite in business as well as science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) are mentored by those already there.
Revenue from the summit, which is conducted on-site during the KPMG Women’s PGA, and from the tournament itself has helped fund $2.68 million in scholarships – $10,000 a year for four years for 100 young women who, in high school, achieved academic excellence, showed community involvement and had a significant financial need.
On June 10, these 15 women who entered college in 2016 experienced another impact of the coronavirus – a virtual graduation. Attired in their caps and gowns, they listened to KPMG US Chairman and CEO Lynne Doughtie; KPMG Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer Michele Meyer-Shipp; Candy Duncan, Chair of the KPMG Women’s Leadership Summit and former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
“KPMG is passionate about developing women leaders at various stages of their careers and the KPMG Future Leaders Program is playing a powerful role in shaping future generations of leaders,” Doughtie said. “Through this initiative, we are paying it forward by investing in promising young women and instilling the confidence and leadership skills they will need to succeed and lead in college and their careers.”
Of the 15 recipients who entered college in 2016 and graduated this year, 10 are STEM majors and five majored in business. Their cumulative grade point average was 3.43 out of 4.0 and they came from households where the average income was $25,000 a year.
“I Know what you had to do to get here,” Dr. Rice said. “I know your stories individually and they are stories that will inspire others, so keep telling them and keep telling the kids that you meet, ‘This is for you, too. You can go to college. You can succeed and you can come out on the other side.’”
Many of the KPMG Future Leaders Program recipients have already been thrust into action by the global pandemic. Destiny Hernandez, who graduated this year from Stony Brook University as a Respiratory Therapy major, will go right to work in a hospital under a directive from New York’s governor that all respiratory therapy seniors graduate early and received an expedited license.
“The KPMG Future Leaders Program has been a major financial support to me, but also emotional and professional support for me,” said Emily Black, who majored in environmental engineering at Notre Dame and interned with a local government in New Zealand to help analyze water usage and energy efficiency.
“My KPMG mentor keeps me motivated and accountable,” said Ruby Smith, a Psychology and Sociology major at Indiana University.
When asked a leadership lesson she learned through the mentorship program, Shun Lei Sin, a Business Administration major at the University of California at Berkeley, said:
“The journey is as important as the destination. Often times, we dwell on achieving a certain result for an event or hitting the participation number for a social event we organize and, as a result, we forget to enjoy the process of creating that event or getting our desired achievements.”
Dr. Rice, who was born in Birmingham, Ala., and grew up in the racially segregated South, was raised by parents who were both educators. She went onto be the first African-American female to be Secretary of State and knows all about overcoming obstacles.
“And so congratulations on this day, congratulations and all the best,” she told the KPMG Future Leaders Program graduates. “God speed in the future. I know you will succeed because you already have succeeded. I’m so very proud of you and proud to have been a part of this program with Lynne and the KPMG family. You truly are future leaders.”
What began as an effort to elevate a women’s tournament achieved that goal brilliantly, but it has also had an impact far beyond golf. The first graduates of the KPMG Future Leaders program are already here. And they are ready to lead.
PGA’s Arjun Chowdri Shares Fascinating Journey on Keith Stewart Podcast
By PGA
Callaway Golf Donates Over $100,000 to MedShare for their COVID-19 Relief Efforts
By Callaway Golf Company
MedShare Provides PPE and Other Necessary Medical Supplies To Frontline Healthcare Workers And Patients Battling COVID-19 CARLSBAD, Calif., PRNewswire/ — Callaway Golf Company (NYSE: ELY), an industry leader in golf equipment performance and innovation, recently announced that they have made a donation of over $100,000 to MedShare for their COVID-19 response work. MedShare is a 501 c(3) humanitarian aid organization that directly delivers surplus medical supplies and equipment to communities around the world. The organization is providing personal protective equipment (PPE) and other necessary medical supplies to healthcare workers and patients battling COVID-19. Since the U.S. became the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic, MedShare has donated more than 1.3 million units of PPE to over 140 hospitals, community clinics and other nonprofit organizations in the U.S. “We appreciate Callaway Golf’s generous support of our COVID-19 reliefefforts,”saidCharlesRedding, CEO and president of MedShare. “The impact of COVID-19 on our communities and our health care professionals has been significant. This donation will further enhance our efforts to get personal protective equipment and other critical supplies to the health care professionals who need it the most.” “We are proud to support MedShare and their ongoing relief efforts with this donation,” said Callaway Golf President and CEO, Chip Brewer. “We appreciate the incredible work that their organization is doing, and we want to thank all of the healthcare professionals who are working bravely, tirelessly and selflessly to help keep us safe.”
The R&A Launches COVID-19 Fund
By The R&A
The R&A Covid-19 Support Fund to help golf deal with the impact of the pandemic £7 million funding package Aimed at national associations and other affiliated bodies in Great Britain and Ireland. The R&A recently launched a £7
million funding package, The R&A Covid-19 Support Fund, to help golf deal with the impact of the pandemic. The fund will be largely aimed at national associations and other affiliated bodies in Great Britain and Ireland. Assistance for clubs and facilities With the global pandemic leading to widespread temporary course closures and drastic reductions in domestic and international travel, many golf clubs and facilities are facing serious financial difficulties. The fund is being provided to help The R&A’s affiliated national associations to support those clubs and facilities, although some of the money may
be used for other activities key to the future health of the sport. Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive of The R&A, said, “The pandemic is having an unprecedented impact on golf and many clubs are facing dire financial situations through no fault of their own. Golf is in our DNA and we want to see the sport continue to thrive from grassroots right through to the top level on the professional tours. We have a responsibility to do what we can to help in such a crisis. “The R&A Covid-19 Support Fund will enable national associations and other key bodies to provide support to some of their members. We know that many challenges lie ahead but
club golf is the bedrock of our sport and hopefully this fund will help to begin the process of recovery.” How to access The R&A Covid-19 Fund The R&A is working with its national associations and other selected organisations on communications, with each body being responsible for controlling and allocating its share. The R&A reinvests the proceeds from the success of The Open, golf ’s original championship, in growing and supporting golf and already provides financial support to a wide range of organisations in addition to national associations, including the European Tour, the LET, the PGA of Great Britain and Ireland and the Golf Foundation.
USGA App Launches on Amazon Fire TV with Expanded VOD Programming
By USGA
LIBERTY CORNER, N.J. – The USGA recently announced the expansion of its Over-The-Top (OTT) digital streaming offerings with the launch of the USGA app on Amazon’s Fire TV. The free USGA streaming app, which features more than 250 hours of USGA championship final-round broadcasts, films, highlights and more, is now available in the Amazon Marketplace, in addition to the respective app and channel stores on Apple TV and Roku. Launched in 2019 in partnership with Cisco, the USGA streaming app gives golf fans the opportunity to watch thrilling historical content, as well as rare footage of many of golf’s iconic moments, spanning the 125-year history of the USGA. “We know golf fans are hungry for content and we want to serve them,” said Navin Singh, chief
commercial officer of the USGA. “Launching a Fire TV app broadens our reach to the millions of viewers who spend time in the Amazon Marketplace. We are thankful to our partners at Cisco for helping us present an expansion of our VOD programming and achieve a record number of average minutes viewed on our OTT channel last month.” Viewers will find more than 100 hours of historic U.S. Open final-round and playoff telecasts from 1972-2019, as well as vignettes dating to the first championship in 1895. With more than 50 hours of on-demand U.S. Women’s Open programming, the app features the largest streaming library of women’s professional golf. Viewers can choose betweenfinal-round broadcasts of 16 U.S. Women’s Opens between 1995 and 2019, a collection of 30-to-60-minute films chronicling championships from the last 25 years, as well as championship vignettes going back to 1948. Viewers can also experience more than 25 hours of archival U.S. Amateur Championship footage and Walker Cup Match broadcasts, ranging from the original newsreel recapping Arnold Palmer’s 1954 U.S. Amateur win, to the championship-match telecasts of all three of Tiger Woods’ U.S. Amateur victories, to telecasts of players such as Rickie Fowler and Justin Thomas competing in the Walker Cup. “The USGA streaming app now boasts one of the largest collections of archived golf broadcasts and historical content,” said Singh. “Fans have an unprecedented opportunity to relive the inspiration, determination and glory ofwinning a USGA championship.” Later in 2020, the app will feature live streaming of several USGA championships, including featured groups and bonus coverage of the U.S. Open, U.S. Women’s Open, U.S. Amateur and U.S. Women’sAmateur. Original films, including “U.S. Open Epic: Tiger and Rocco,” “1962 U.S. Open: Jack’s First Major” and “Michelle Wie: Breakthrough at Pinehurst” are complemented by documentaries chronicling legends such as Jack Nicklaus, Se Ri Pak, Tiger Woods and Payne Stewart. A list of featured programming will be shared weekly on usga.org and across the association’s social channels, including @USGA on Twitter, USGA on Instagram and on Facebook. The USGA streaming app is available on Amazon’s Fire TV, Apple TV and Roku.
Miles for Mercy Community Challenge to Raise Money for Mercy Health Foundation
By LPGA
Photo by www.gabrielroux.com.mx
Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G to rally community around virtual challenge supporting local healthcare heroes ROGERS, Ark. – Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G event officials recentlyannounced that the annual 5k @ the LPGA, originally slated for June 20, will transform into Miles for Mercy in 2020. This virtual community challenge will support the Mercy Health Foundation and invite participants to run for healthcare heroes. Individuals are encouraged to track miles walked or run throughout June 15-20, with each mile submitted equaling a $1 donation to the Mercy Health Foundation, up to $15,000, courtesy of Procter &
Gamble. “The 5k @ the LPGA has long been one of our favorite events during LPGA Week. P&G is proud to support the virtual 5k to make a positive impact here in our Northwest Arkansas community,” said Mindy Sherwood, President, Procter & Gamble Walmart Global Customer Team. “We look forward to rallying the community for good, as we celebrate healthcare workers on the frontlines of this pandemic.” Individuals of all ages are invited to participate, and miles may be completed on each participant’s route of choice. Upon registration, participants will receive access to the Miles for Mercy Club on Strava to submit their miles. Miles logged in the Strava Club will be eligible to contribute to the overall donation total. In addition,
participants are encouraged to share their experiences and honor local healthcare workers on social media as part of the event’s #MilesforMercy social media campaign. Similar to previous years, local offices are encouraged to participate in the event’s Corporate Challenge. Local companies can compete for various awards including most participants, most total miles and most spirited team via social media. Only five individuals are needed to create a team and may include family members of employees. “One of the core missions of Mercy is to help promote a healthy and active lifestyle, through events such as the 5k @ the LPGA and now Miles for Mercy,” stated Martine Pollard, Mercy Executive Director, Community & Public
Relations. “Now more than ever, we are proud to also utilize this community event to support and recognize our local doctors, nurses and healthcare teams across the NW Arkansas region.” Interested individuals should register at www. Race-Wizard.com. Registration is $10 to receive a commemorative t-shirt for participation. Those who would like to forgo the t-shirt can register for free. Individuals also have the opportunity to make a direct donation to the Mercy Health Foundation upon registration. Participants that previously registered for the 5k @ the LPGA on June 20 will be contacted directly and offered a full refund. Additional information regarding the Miles for Mercy community challenge is available online at www.Race- Wizard.com.
