Professional golf slowly is coming back to life. With the PGA Tour and Korn Ferry Tour a week into their restart for the men, the LPGA and now the Symetra Tour have both announced firm plans for their return to action.
A day after the LPGA announced it would return with back-to-back events in Ohio in early August, the developmental tour has said its first event back after a three-month hiatus will be the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship at Battle Creek Country Club in Battle Creek, Michigan, from July 24-26.
Only one tournament in the 2020 Symetra Tour season has been played, and that was the tour’s kick-off event, the Florida’s Natural Charity Classic in mid-March. Now, the Symetra Tour will actually return to action a week earlier than the LPGA, which is slated to begin the LPGA Drive On Championship on July 31.
“We are extremely grateful to our partners and host venues for continued flexibility and support,” said Mike Nichols, Chief Business Officer of the Symetra Tour. “They have worked tirelessly to keep all hopes and dreams alive for the next generation of LPGA Tour stars. In addition to Symetra Tour sponsors, the ANNIKA Foundation recently showcased an unparalleled form of generosity with their Crisis Relief Fund providing $50,000 in grants to Symetra Tour players financially affected by the coronavirus.”
The FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship will be the first of nine tournaments on the remaining 2020 Symetra Tour schedule, making an even 10 tournaments for the 2020 campaign. Purses are still being finalized, but players on the Symetra Tour will be competing for more than $1.5 million during the shortened season. Five LPGA cards – down from the usual 10 – are also available to the top money earners.
In addition to the tour’s restart announcement, two Symetra Tour events have changed dates. The Founders Tribute at Longbow Golf Club in Mesa, Arizona, a recent addition to the schedule, was bumped up from Aug. 27-29 to Aug. 14-16. The IOA Championship presented by Morongo Casino Resort & Spa will follow from Aug. 21-23. Meanwhile, the Four Winds Invitational at Blackthorn Golf Club in South Bend, Indiana, will now be played Sept. 4-6 instead of July 31-Aug. 2.
The revised 2020 Symetra Tour schedule now looks like this:
| July 24-26 | FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship Battle Creek Country Club; Battle Creek, Michigan |
| Aug. 14-16 | Founders Tribute Longbow Golf Club; Mesa, Arizona |
| Aug. 21-23 | IOA Championship presented by Morongo Casino Resort & Spa Morongo Golf Club at Tukwet Canyon; Beaumont, California |
| Sept. 4-6 | Four Winds Invitational Blackthorn Golf Club; South Bend, Indiana |
| Sept. 18-20 | Guardian Championship Senator Course at Capitol Hill (RTJ Golf Trail); Prattville, Alabama |
| Sept. 25-27 | IOA Classic brought to you by RP Funding Alaqua Country Club; Longwood, Florida |
| Oct. 1-4 | Symetra Classic Jones Course at LPGA International; Daytona Beach, Florida |
| Oct. 28-31 | Carolina Golf Classic Pinehurst No. 9; Pinehurst, North Carolina |
| Nov. 3-6 | Symetra Tour Championship River Run Country Club; Davidson, North Carolina |