Island Resort Championship Attracts Big Names and Local Favorites, June 27-29

Sweetgrass Golf Club Plays Host to Symetra Tour Players Competing for LPGA Status

(HARRIS, Mich.) – An intriguing field of Symetra Tour “Road to the LPGA” players will descend on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula June 27-29 for the 4th annual Island Resort Championship at Sweetgrass Golf Club.

The 54-hole stroke-play tournament will draw professional golfers from six continents, vying for a $125,000 purse. The event is also part of the inaugural Potawatomi Cup, which awards cash bonuses to players who finish in the top-5 at three other Potawatomi nations’ casino tournaments along the Symetra Tour.

“Over the past three years this event has grown in prestige as golfers who perform well at Sweetgrass regularly move on to the LPGA,” says Susan Harris, co-chair and marketing director for the Island Resort & Casino, host site of the tournament.  “We’re excited to see who separates themselves from the pack out of this year’s diverse and talented group.”

The Island Resort Championship will be the 13th tournament of the 2014 Symetra Tour season. Players are competing for a top-10 spot on the money list, which earns automatic entry to the LPGA Tour.

Island Resort Championship: Players to Watch

Among the favorites to win is current Symetra Tour money-leader Min Seo Kwak. A strong contender for LPGA status next year, Kwak sits atop the Potawatomi Cup standings after winning the Firekeepers Casino Hotel Championship earlier this month.

Other challengers scheduled to participate include Marissa Steen, second in total earnings this season, and last year’s runner-up, Mitsuki Katahira, who fell in a playoff to eventual winner Kim Kaufman, now an LPGA rookie.

Another noteworthy prospect is Cheyenne Woods, the niece of Tiger Woods. Still a Symetra Tour rookie, Woods made the cut in her first nine Symetra Tour starts.

Locals will cheer for University of Wisconsin grad Carly Werwie, who has climbed the leaderboard in each of her three years on tour and recently visited the Island Resort Casino to preview the event.

She will be joined by Marquette, MI native Avery Rochester. A freshman at Columbia College, Rochester was granted amateur exemption by the Symetra Tour in order to compete in her home state.

Also teeing it up thanks to a professional exemption is Cheryl Mitchell, a member of the Potawatomi nation and the first North American Indian to play in an LPGA sanctioned event. Mitchell also competed in the 2011 Island Resort Championship.

“The talent pool of this year’s tournament, especially the local players, is impressive,” said Sweetgrass Director of Golf Dave Douglas.  “The level of competition will satisfy both casual and devoted golf fans alike.”

Three-day tournament passes cost $10 and include entry into daily prize drawings. American Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, Pinecrest Medical Care Facility and several area schools are among the groups selling tickets, keeping 100 percent of the profits. A complete list of participating organizations can be found at sweetgrassgolfclub.com.

Tickets can also be purchased through The Island Ticket Office (877-ISL-SHOW). Kids 17 and under enter free with a paying adult.

For more information: www.sweetgrassgolfclub.com, 877-ISL-GREEN.