P&G NW ARKANSAS CHAMPIONSHIP: LPGA Sets 2010 Date
WAL-MART EXPANDS SPONSORSHIP, BOOSTS PURSE TO $2 MILLION
Thursday, November 19, 2009
The LPGA Tour announced its 2010 schedule late Tuesday night, and Jay Allen couldn’t have been happier with the news.
The P&G NW Arkansas Championship presented by Wal-Mart will take place on Sept. 6-12 — on the second weekend of September for the second straight year. And that placement on the LPGA calendar pleased the tournament’s chairman.
“We like the date because we want to have a permanent home on the schedule,” Allen said. “We want people to think, ‘Oh, it’s early September, it’s LPGA time.’ We also think that it’s generally a good time considering the condition of the course at Pinnacle (Country Club) and the weather.”
The NW Arkansas Championship made the cut for a condensed LPGA’s 2010 schedule that includes 24 events for next season — three less than this year.
While several tournaments cut purses for next year, NW Arkansas Championship oft - cials also announced that 2010 purse would increase for the fourth consecutive year.
The overall purse will jump from $1.8 million in 2009 to $2 million, and the winner of the 2010 event will earn $300,000.
Jiyai Shin claimed $270,000 for her 2009 victory.
“We’ve been able to increase the purse every year, and that’s important to us,” Allen said.
“We’ll have one of the few tournaments other than the majors that will have at least a $2 million purse. It should make us as competitive as we’ve ever been to get the top players here.”
Those familiar with the tournament should notice changes in the name of the tournament.
P&G will continue as title sponsor, but Allen said the company chose to omit the word “Beauty” from the title. Allen also voiced excitement about Wal-Mart being included as a presenting sponsor.
“It’s great for us to have Wal-Mart in that role,” Allen said. “Wal-Mart’s been involved in the event from its inception, but it means a lot for the tournament that (Wal-Mart’s) doing even more.”
Allen said tournament oft - cials have spent a substantial amount of time recently with securing other sponsorships for the 2010 tournament.
“We’re in sponsor mode, that’s for sure,” Allen said. “I think it’s going well, particularly given the economy. We’re lucky in that Northwest Arkansas hasn’t been hit quite as hard as other parts of the country.
“We’ve had three tournaments under our belt now, and each one has gotten better, so our event continues to be something that people want to be a part of.”
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