Tag: Symetra Tour

Stuck at Home With: Symetra Tour player Allie White

Allie White knows the LPGA and Symetra tours will still be there when this is all over. Until then, she remains a woman of many talents.

The “Stuck at Home With” series profiles players, caddies and staff in the women’s game who are making the most of an unprecedented break in tour life due to the coronavirus pandemic. New stories will be posted every Tuesday and Thursday.

Allie White recently applied online for a job at her local Aldi grocery. It didn’t work out. She’s still waiting to hear back from Seaman’s Cardinal Super Market, though at one point on the application she got tired of writing and put “just google Allie White golf.”

In retrospect, she said, they probably see “pro golfer with a Master’s degree” and think she’s lying anyway. She might try Kroger next.

In case you haven’t figured out yet, White is a character. The Symetra Tour player, known for her tall socks and Ohio Farmer trucker hat, certainly knows how to lighten the mood, something that’s desperately needed in today’s uncertain world.

Allie White and her dog, Finley, at her family farm in Ohio. (Allie White)

White, as it turns out, is no stranger to part-time jobs. She lasted seven days at UPS one holiday season, ultimately deciding that a healthy back was too vital to her regular job. She wanted to run packages up to the door, but instead became a truck loader.

“People order the craziest stuff on the internet these days,” she said. “Oh my god is that a kayak? It wasn’t really a kayak, but there were some big things.”

White has also done a fair bit of substitute teaching over the winter breaks. One year while taking over for a teacher on maternity leave, she thought she’d landed a plum gig of health and P.E. classes.

“The first week I was supposed to teach healthy relationships,” she recalled. “All my friends got a huge kick out of that. … Thankfully she stayed pregnant an extra week and I ended up getting straight into teaching a football lesson, which I was much better equipped for.”

White also mowed the greens at her home course, Valley View Golf Club in Lancaster, Ohio.

“I was always taking little chunks out of the fringe,” she said. “The reason they put me outside was because the summer before I’d burnt the hotdogs.”

White worked as a graduate assistant golf coach at Ohio University while she pursued a Master’s degree in journalism. One year, while down in Florida during spring break, the Ohio team spotted Jessica Korda practicing on the range. They begged White to get a picture with her.

“Allie, is that you?” Korda asked as White took the photos.

The team gasped. Korda knew their coach?

“From then on,” said White, “I was legit.”

The Symetra Tour held one event in Winter Haven, Florida, before the coronavirus outbreak shut it down. Right now, the goal is to resume in mid-June. White used to read the New York Times every morning. Now she gets a few nuggets of news from NPR in the mornings while walking her dog, Finley, but mostly tries to keep the headlines to a minimum.

“I turned 30 in February and since then I’m like this is waaay different, 30 is terrible” she joked.

Could she please hit rewind and go back to her 20s?

White alternates between her place in Athens, Ohio, and the family farm in Lancaster, where she helps with the flock of sheep.

Allie White holds lambs while her dog, Finley, looks on at her family farm in Ohio. (Allie White)

The university course where White practices has long been closed but others are open. She tweaked her thumb in January playing football with friends and has taken advantage of the extra time to heal.

White has played six years on the Symetra Tour and had a caddie lined up for every event this season. She planned to try to Monday-qualify at the LPGA event in Hawaii.

She was relieved to find out that the LPGA is offering cash advancements of up to $2,000 for Symetra Tour players and $5,000 for LPGA. These are tough times for many.

A big-picture thinker, White feels gutted for the college players who saw their careers come to an abrupt end. The high school kids who won’t have a prom or graduation.

The LPGA and Symetra Tours, she said, will be there when this is over. White looks forward to getting back on the road. She’s a person who enjoys the process, wherever that takes her.

“I’m always going to be competitive,” said White. “Whether I’m playing pickleball as a 45-year-old or playing on the Symetra Tour or the LPGA. It’s going to be there because I love the actual journey of it.”

Every once in a while, someone will ask White what’s holding her back.

“Holding me back?” she asks.

The thought never crossed her mind.

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Coronavirus: When could competitive golf return?

With most professional golf, and competitive golf on all levels, on hiatus, we’re all wondering when we might see the sport return.

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The sports world as we know it has changed completely, with major leagues – golf included – grinding to a halt in an effort to help slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. A month ago, cancellation notices for major golf tournaments began rolling in, leaving professional golf quiet for the next several weeks.

At some point, professional golf – and competitive golf on every other level, from state associations to junior to college and amateur – will return.

Below is a running list of the current status of the major tours, and various other organizations, with updates on when each might resume play.

PGA Tour

The last completed tournament on the PGA Tour’s wrap-around 2019-20 schedule was the Arnold Palmer Invitational, played in Orlando, Florida on March 5-8. The last actual round, however, was the first round of the Players Championship, which went off March 12 before the remainder of the tournament was canceled the next day. The Tour has now been dark five weeks. Next week’s Masters has been postponed with the next four events – through the (already postponed) PGA Championship – outright canceled.

With events still jostling around on the schedule, our Eamon Lynch presented a picture of how the rest of the season might unfold. As Lynch reports, “While any refreshed schedule would obviously be subject to change — and complete cancellation, given the rapidly expanding coronavirus crisis — the timeframe targeted to resume the PGA Tour season is mid-June.”

Korn Ferry Tour

The developmental tour has been dark since March 1, the final round of the El Bosque Mexico Championship. The next eight weeks of events have come off the calendar with only two being postponed as opposed to canceled: the Visit Knoxville Open and Savannah Golf Championship. The earliest play could resume would be May 21, which would be the first round of the Evans Scholars Invitational.

Champions Tour

The Champions Tour is in a very similar position, having been dark since March 8. Two of the tour’s seven disrupted events – the Regions Tradition slotted for May 7-10 and the Principal Charity Classic scheduled for May 29-31 – have been rescheduled for September. The Champions Tour could return as early as June 5, which would be the American Family Insurance Championship. The next event after that? The U.S. Senior Open Championship.

LPGA

An April 3 announcement from the LPGA moved a season re-start back to at least mid-June. The tour continues to be heavily impacted by the coronavirus, especially considering that it lost three Asia Swing events in February and early March before most tours felt the impact in their domestic events. A revised schedule shows the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship as a possible returning point June 19-21 with the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, a major, slotted for the next week.

Symetra Tour

As it stands now, the developmental tour could return in a similar time-frame to the LPGA. Play is on hold through the end of May, with the Island Resort Championship on June 19-21 being the first possible return date.

European Tour

The European Tour schedule is on hiatus at least through the end of May. The Trophee Hassan II, which would be played June 4-7 in Rabat, Morocco, is the next standing event on the calendar. Like the PGA Tour, the last completed tournament on the European circuit was the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters on March 5-8.

The scoreboard at the 2019 NCAA Women’s Championship. (Photo by Julie Williams)

NCAA

When it comes to sanctioned NCAA college events, the 2019-20 season was officially kaput on March 12 when the NCAA announced it was canceling all spring sports. Many conferences had already made such declarations.

While we’re on hold until September and the start of the 2020-21 college golf season, some collegians may see some action at the Arnold Palmer Cup at Lahinch Golf Club in Ireland, scheduled for July 3-5. When the teams were revealed for the annual event, the GCAA also announced that “in these unprecedented times we do not know if the matches will be held as scheduled, postponed, or canceled.”

AJGA

As the largest junior golf organization in the country, the American Junior Golf Association is a leader in the up-and-coming sector of golf. The AJGA runs events year-round, but is on hiatus until at least Memorial Day weekend. The organization announced March 16 that it would suspend all events until that date, and then would run seven events per week “to maximize playing opportunities” through the end of the year.

USGA

A decision will likely be made soon regarding the U.S. Open, which is still scheduled for June 18-21 at Winged Foot in Mamaroneck, New York (the U.S. Women’s Open has already been moved from June to December). The U.S. Senior Open and U.S. Senior Women’s Open would be the next events after that, scheduled for late June and early July, respectively.

The big question here surrounds the USGA’s amateur events. The organization has canceled the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball and U.S. Amateur Four-Ball, and moved the Curtis Cup, scheduled for June, to 2021. Registration has been delayed for four major amateur events: U.S. Amateur, U.S. Women’s Amateur, U.S. Junior and U.S. Girls’ Junior. Those four events account for most of the USGA’s July and August lineup.

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LPGA announces changes to Q-School calendar

The LPGA announced Thursday its three-stage qualifying schedule will be pushed back several months due to the coronavirus pandemic.

With the 2020 LPGA and Symetra Tour seasons suspended indefinitely, job security for 2021 is already in question.

On Thursday, the LPGA announced a revised qualifying schedule for this year, with its three-stage system being pushed back several months.

Stage I of LPGA Q-School is typically held in August at Mission Hills Country Club, site of the ANA Inspiration. This year, the event will move to the Bobcat and Panther Courses of Plantation Golf and Country Club in Venice, Florida, which typically hosts the second stage. The first stage will now be held Oct. 12-15. The tour is working to secure a third course.

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The second stage will now be held in November at a site that has yet to be announced. The format will not change for the first two stages.

The final stage, Q-Series, will now move to December but will not take place at Pinehurst Resort. For the past two years, Q-Series has been an eight-round grind held over two courses. This year it will be a 90-hole tournament contested over two courses in the span of one week with a cut after 72 holes.

The release also stated that criteria for all three stages “essentially remains the same.”

With the LPGA schedule likely moving back into December, this shift to host Q-Series later on the calendar makes perfect sense.

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Coronavirus: Symetra Tour postpones five more events

The Symetra Tour postponed five more events due to the coronavirus outbreak, extending its hiatus through mid-June.

The Symetra Tour has announced that the next five events on its schedule have been postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak, extending its hiatus through mid-June. The tour has also rescheduled two events, moving the IOA Championship, originally slated for March 27-29, to Aug. 21-23 in Beaumont, California, and the Four Winds Invitational to July 31-Aug. 2 at Blackthorn Golf Club.

The Windsor Golf Classic, originally scheduled for April 2-4 in Windsor, California, will remain postponed until 2021.

“The Symetra Tour is only as good as its partners,” said Mike Nichols, the Chief Business Officer of the Symetra Tour in a release. “We are grateful for IOA, Morongo Casino Resort & Spa, and the City of Beaumont, as well as the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi and its Four Winds Casinos for working with us to find times that work to bring professional golf to their respective regions.

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“They’ve kept the dream alive for players, as there’s no ‘Road to the LPGA’ if there’s no competition. We couldn’t be more thankful for their loyalty to the Symetra Tour and complete dedication to women’s professional golf.”

The five events that have been postponed include: IOA Invitational in Milton, Ga., from May 7-9; the Symetra Classic in Davidson, N.C., from May 13-15; Zimmer Biomet Championship hosted by Nancy Lopez in Opelika, Ala., from May 20-23; The CDPHP Open in Albany, N.Y., from May 29-31; and Four Winds Invitational in South Bend, Ind., from June 12-14.

The tour completed one event in March before the coronavirus halted play.

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As Symetra Tour begins 40th season, meet the woman who started it all

The LPGA development tour celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. Eloise Trainor is a big reason it exists.

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WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – Eloise Trainor grew up on Shaker Farm, a sprawling estate in Canaan, New York. Her father was the estate’s caretaker. Mom worked as the cook and housekeeper, while raising the family’s five kids. After the estate’s horses died, owner John Roberts converted a field into four golf holes. Trainor began mowing the greens at age 12.

“It’s outlandish that had that not happened,” said Trainor, “I would’ve never gotten into golf.”

And, quite possibly, the Symetra Tour would’ve never been born.

The LPGA development tour celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, with an average purse size of $180,000. That’s up nearly 50 percent from $121,000 in 2015. In 2019, the tour eclipsed $4 million in total prize money.

To kick off the season, 70-year-old Trainor flew down from New York to serve as a starter at the Florida’s Natural Charity Classic in Winter Haven, Florida, not too far from where it all began in Tampa four decades ago. While the LPGA had 13 founders, the Symetra Tour has one, and that’s Trainor.

“There may not even be a Symetra Tour if it wasn’t for Eloise,” said Mike Nichols, the tour’s chief business officer. “Fifteen to 20 years ago, I’m not sure the LPGA tour had the resources or the initiative to say we need to go do this. These players could potentially be in the same place today that they were 40 years ago, when Eloise realized they need to have this tour.”

Trainor moved to Florida with dreams of competing on the LPGA. When she realized there weren’t any events in the area to compete in before Q-School, she went to the bank and put down $10 to open up an escrow account. From there she collected $125 entry fees so that 30 LPGA hopefuls could compete for a $3,600 purse.

Judy Ellis won the first event at Northdale Golf Club in Tampa. In 1983, the Tampa Bay Mini Tour was renamed the Futures Golf Tour, and then Trainor expanded it nationally.

“We needed to get them out to travel, and give them the complete experience,” she said. “We wanted them to get on the LPGA, but we wanted them to be able to stay out there.”

People used to ask Trainor why she continued on year after year. Well, the honest answer is that she had to piece together the schedule for the next year so early that she had no choice but to carry on. Even on the tough days, however, she deeply loved it. It’s evidenced in her warm smile and occasional wink.

“I had no business plan,” said Trainor, wearing a vintage red Futures Tour visor. “Just keep going.”

Eloise Trainor (Golfweek photo)

In 1999, the LPGA first recognized the Futures Tour as the official developmental tour of the LPGA, awarding cards to the top three players on the money list. Future major winner Grace Park was among that original trio.

SBC Communications became the tour’s first title sponsor that same year, and the next season, Trainor sold her interest to Zayra Calderon, who took over as president and CEO. In 2007, the LPGA acquired the Futures Tour. Duramed took over as title sponsor from 2006 to 2010. Symetra assumed naming rights as entitlement partner in 2012.

Today, LPGA cards are awarded to the top 10 players on the money list each season. Trainor still looks back in awe at the players who have come through the developmental tour, Hall of Famers like Laura Davies, Inbee Park and Lorena Ochoa. She remembers when Dottie Pepper won as an amateur in Colonie, New York. They had to find a long rope to keep the gallery at bay.

Even Althea Gibson competed during those early days.

“I still have her card with her signature on it,” gushed Trainor.

Lucy Li, 17, makes her pro debut this week at the Country Club of Winter Haven. She’s looking to join the 157 players who have graduated to the LPGA. Hotshot players like Nelly Korda, currently the top-ranked American in the world, used the Symetra Tour as a springboard rather than take the traditional college route.

Heather Daly-Donofrio, a tour VP who won twice on the LPGA, competed on the Futures Tour from 1995-97 after graduating from Yale. Her story is more common.

“I never would’ve made the LPGA had I not played on the Futures Tour for three years,” said Daly-Donofrio, who won four times on the development circuit. “It was a great tour for me coming from a college program that wasn’t very strong. I needed the experience; I needed the reps; I needed to be playing against more difficult competition.”

Countless others can say the same.

Eloise Trainor never competed on the LPGA. Never won a major. But she’s got a rich and deep legacy in this game, and everyone who steps on the first tee this week should take a moment to say thanks.

She’s the reason you’re here.

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Player diary: Sierra Brooks launches Symetra Tour career

This is the first of a four-part series with 21-year-old Symetra Tour rookie Sierra Brooks, who will chronicle her 2020 rookie season.

Editor’s note: This is the first of a four-part series with 21-year-old Symetra Tour rookie Sierra Brooks, who will chronicle her 2020 season on Golfweek.com. The former Florida standout finished second at last year’s NCAA Championship to Maria Fassi and was a finalist at the 2015 U.S. Women’s Amateur. She won three times in college and represented the U.S. at the Curtis Cup, Junior Ryder Cup and Junior Solheim Cup.

I’ve dreamed big for as long as I can remember. LPGA Hall of Fame. Chasing Annika’s 59. I want to change women’s golf the way Tiger did for the PGA Tour. I want to help inspire the next generation. Use golf as a platform to do something that’s bigger than myself.

But before any of that can happen, I’ve got to get to work on the Symetra Tour, which kicks off this week at the Florida’s Natural Charity Classic in Winter Haven, Florida. The season will take me everywhere from Beaumont, California, to Cincinnati, to Rochester, New York, to Worley, Idaho. For most of it, a 2014 Volkswagen Jetta will be my road warrior. My Jetta already has 70,000 miles on it, so it’s nice starting off 2020 roughly 60 miles from home in central Florida.

My dad, Brent, introduced me to the game when I was 6 years old. The golf course was my babysitter as he practiced, but I loved it from the start. We’d play games for $1. As I got older, maybe a pair of sunglasses if I broke 45. At age 8, we discovered U.S. Kids Golf, and my dad still gets choked up thinking about those early trophies and the journey that followed.

He played college golf at North Florida and spent a few years on the Hooters and Golden Bear tours. I’ve worked with Kevin Smeltz on and off throughout my career, but my dad has been my primary coach since the beginning. He’s my best friend. My comfort.

Sierra Brooks and her dad, Brent. (Reinhold Matay)

We used to bicker sometimes, especially when he was dad, coach and caddie, but I’m 21 years old now and know that he’s only here to help me. There’s no time for it.

I was a gymnast until age 12 and ran track through high school at Lake Mary Prep. The 400 was my main event. But golf is what I’ve always lived and breathed.

I was shy as a kid. I remember going out to the LPGA’s Ginn Open event at Reunion when I was like 8 years old. I wanted Natalie Gulbis’ autograph, but I was too scared to go over and ask for it. Natalie called me over and said, “If you want an autograph, you need to come over and say it.”

I needed to hear that! If you want something, go get it.

At the 2014 Ryder Cup in Scotland, I was asked to represent the Junior Ryder Cup team and give a speech in front of 40,000 people that was broadcast live around the world. Last year, I had the honor or representing the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur on a New York City media tour alongside Nancy Lopez and Maria Fassi. I’ve had so many incredible opportunities throughout my amateur career.

After LPGA Q-Series ended last November, I made a list of the pros and cons of going back to Florida for my final semester versus turning pro early for the Symetra Tour. At that point it looked like I might miss the first 11 events on the schedule (nearly half) if I waited until after the spring season. It was a tough decision, but I knew deep down that playing professional golf is what I wanted to do and really just wanted to get straight to it.

That was the first of many big decisions.

Sierra Brooks will be a rookie on the Symetra Tour in 2020. (Reinhold Matay)

For starters, I decided to take a break from my studies this semester. I still intend to get my degree in telecommunications, I just didn’t want to be pulled in different directions as I’m settling into this new life.

Choosing an agent felt like the college recruiting process all over again. I met with several, even flew to California. I ultimately chose Excel Sports. I’ve known my agent, Kevin Hopkins, since I played in the ANA Inspiration as a 16-year-old. Kevin was the tournament director back then. I appreciated his experience in the business, particularly the ins and outs of the LPGA schedule. And once Mark Steinburg (Tiger’s agent) called, it was a done deal.

I signed with TaylorMade and Nike and feel fortunate that I can start the 2020 season with strong backing. My parents have invested in my game for such a long time, and I really didn’t want to put that load back on them after I turned pro.

Every club in my bag is new since Q-Series. I’ll be pushing my own bag this season. I know that’s not uncommon on the Symetra Tour. Host families will also help cut down on expenses. My dad works in medical sales and will come out when he can.

To help keep sharp, I signed up for a couple of local events on Eggland’s Golf Tour. Even on a smaller stage, I could feel more hunger from the girls I was competing against. At the end of the day, this is your job and you’re trying to pay the bills. Or at least pay off the entry fee. I won both tournaments, collecting a $2,000 winner’s check. It felt good.

The first time I played in an LPGA major, I played practice rounds with Brittany Lincicome, Paula Creamer and Juli Inkster. I felt like I was living in a dream. I couldn’t even tee up the ball on that first tee, my hands were shaking so much.

That was four years ago. I’m ready to make so many of childhood dreams become reality.

The road to the LPGA starts now.

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Symetra Tour announces 2020 schedule, record purse size

The Symetra Tour’s 2020 schedule features 20 tournaments and $3.6 million in total purses

The LPGA isn’t the only tour with a significant turnaround story. The Symetra Tour, celebrating its 40th season, boasts similar gains. The developmental tour announced its 2020 schedule on Thursday, which features 20 tournaments and $3.6 million in total purses. The average purse size of $180,000, a record, is up nearly 50 percent from five years ago.

“This past weekend’s LPGA Tour win by 2016 Symetra Tour Player of the Year, Madelene Sagstrom, truly represents the readiness of Symetra Tour professionals when they make the jump to the big stage,” said Mike Nichols, the Chief Business Officer of the Symetra Tour, in a release. “We continue to make strides in providing our players with opportunities throughout the United States by collaborating with partners who share in the vision of growing women’s professional golf.”

There are two new events on the schedule: Circling Raven Championship from August 28-30 in Worley, Idaho, and the Copper Rock Championship in Hurricane, Utah, from Sept. 3-5. The purses for both events are $200,000.

The global nature of the sport is on full display here. Tour membership includes more than 300 players from 40 different counties. The top 10 players on the money list at the end of the season will earn LPGA membership.

The first event of 2020 will be held March 6-8 at the Florida’s Natural Charity Classic at the Country Club of Winter Haven.

2020 schedule

Dates Tournament Location Course Purse
March 6-8 Florida’s Natural Charity Classic Winter Haven, Fla. Country Club of Winter Haven $125,000
March 27-29 IOA Championship Presented by Morongo Casino Resort & Spa Beaumont, Calif. Morongo Golf Club at Tukwet Canyon $150,000
April 2-4 Windsor Golf Classic Windsor, Calif. Windsor Golf Club $150,000
May 7-9 IOA Invitational Milton, Ga. Atlanta National Golf Club $150,000
May 13-15 Symetra Classic Davidson, NC River Run Country Club $175,000
May 20-23 Zimmer Biomet Championship Auburn, Ala. Lake Course at Grand National (RTJ Golf Trail) $300,000
May 29-31 The CDPHP Open Albany, NY Capital Hills at Albany $150,000
June 12-14 Four Winds Invitational South Bend, Ind. Blackthorn Golf Club $150,000
June 19-21 Island Resort Championship Harris, Mich. Sweetgrass Golf Club $200,000
June 26-28 Prasco Charity Championship Cincinnati, Ohio TPC River’s Bend $175,000
July 9-11 Donald Ross Classic at French Lick Resort French Lick, Ind. French Lick Resort $225,000
July 16-19 Danielle Downey Credit Union Classic Rochester, NY Brook Lea Country Club $175,000
July 24-26 FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship Battle Creek, Mich. Battle Creek Country Club $175,000
Aug. 7-9 PHC Classic Milwaukee, Wis. Brown Deer Park Golf Course $125,000
Aug. 14-16 Garden City Charity Classic at Buffalo Dunes Garden City, Kan. Buffalo Dunes Golf Club $175,000
Aug. 28-30 Circling Raven Championship Worley, Idaho Circling Raven Golf Club $200,000
Sept. 3-5 Copper Rock Championship Hurricane, Utah Copper Rock Golf Course $200,000
Sept. 18-20 Guardian Championship Prattville, Ala. Capitol Hill Golf Club $175,000
Sept. 25-27 IOA Golf Classic Longwood, Fla. Alaqua Country Club $175,000
Oct. 1-4 Symetra Tour Championship Daytona Beach, Fla. LPGA International, Jones Course $250,000

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LPGA rookie becomes first to land Monster as a bag sponsor, joining Tiger

LPGA rookie Jillian Hollis joins Tiger Woods as Monster sponsors. Hollis is playing in the Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio this week.

BOCA RATON, Fla. – It’s not often that someone on the LPGA has something identical to Tiger Woods. But that’s the case with rookie Jillian Hollis, who is making her debut this week at the Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio with a Monster staff bag.

Hollis is the first LPGA player to be sponsored by Monster, an energy drink company. Maria Fassi had similar news this week. The Mexican player is the first to be sponsored by AT&T, joining Jordan Spieth in the look-alike bag category.

“I’m just really excited to get the rest of the year going and be in good company with my bag,” said Hollis after an opening 2-under 70. “I’m a huge Tiger fan. I love Tiger.”

The 2019 Symetra Tour grad also counts Nike as a sponsor.

Hollis joins an extensive list of female athletes on Monster’s roster, including surfers, skiers, snowboarders, skateboarders and motocross.

“Monster Energy is thrilled to be on Jillian’s team as she makes her debut as a rookie on the LPGA,” said Mitch Covington, VP of Sports Marketing. “She has a winning smile and attitude and we know she will represent us well on and off the golf course.”

Hollis, 22, left the University of Georgia after three seasons and won twice last year on the Symetra Tour to finish fifth on the money list. She’s one of nine rookies in the field. Two of those rookies, Yui Kawamoto and Patty Tavatanakit, hold a share of second at 4 under. Other 2020 rookies include Jennifer Chang, Esther Lee, Leona Maguire, Yealimi Noh and Albane Valenzuela.

Prior to this week, Hollis had made four starts on the LPGA, making the cut one time at the 2018 U.S. Women’s Open, her professional debut.

“I got a putting lesson Tuesday and that really has helped my putting,” said Hollis, who works with Gareth Raflewski. She had 27 putts on Thursday and birdied her first hole as an LPGA member.

“Little girls that I see, I want to be a role model for them,” said Hollis. “And I want them to say ‘Oh I want to beat her one day. Or ‘I want to play with her.’ Because that was me when I was little.”

AJGA, Symetra Tour extend partnership through 2020

The AJGA and Symetra Tour are partnering for a fourth year in three events in 2020.

The American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) and the Symetra Tour will continue their partnership in 2020, it was announced Monday.

For three years and an upcoming fourth, the Symetra Tour has joined select AJGA events which are hosted by former and current LPGA players to provide exemptions to Symetra Tour events.

“As we continue to grow the game of women’s golf, our working relationship with the AJGA gives more young women an opportunity to chase their dreams,” Symetra Tour Chief Business Officer Mike Nichols said. “Several of the AJGA qualifiers across the last few seasons have found success in their respective Symetra Tour event. We look forward to having three elite amateurs compete against their preceding generation of fellow future LPGA Tour stars.”

This year three events, the 2020 ANNIKA Invitational USA (Jan. 18-20), the Buick Shanshan Feng AJGA Girls Invitational (Feb. 15-17) and KPMG Stacy Lewis Junior All-Star Invitational (June 30-July 2), will serve as qualifiers for a Symetra Tour exemption to various tournaments.

This year’s winner of the ANNIKA Invitational USA will be contested on the Slammer & Squire Course at the World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Florida. The top finisher will then earn a spot in Florida’s Natural Charity Classic at the Country Club of Winter Haven in Winter Haven, Florida, March 6-8.

The winner of the Buick Shanshan Feng AJGA Girls Invitational at Stanford Golf Course in Stanford, California, will earn a spot at the Windsor Golf Classic in Windsor, California, April 2-4.

The winner of the final AJGA event during the 2020 partnership, the KPMG Stacy Lewis Junior All-Star Invitational at the Blessings Golf Club in Johnson, Arkansas, will receive an invitation to compete at the Garden City Charity Classic at Buffalo Dunes Golf Course in Garden City, Kansas, Aug. 14-16.

“The AJGA is excited to be able to offer Symetra Tour exemptions to some of our strongest all-female tournament fields,” AJGA Chief Business Officer Jason Etzen said. “We are proud to partner with the LPGA and Symetra Tour to help elevate these three invitationals to a new level and provide increased exposure and experience for our top girls.”