Guardian Retirement Championship at Sara Bay
Sara Bay Country Club
Sarasota, Florida
April 21, 2014
Storylines

SARASOTA, FLORIDA – After a three week break following the IOA Golf Classic, the Epson Tour begins a five week stretch of tournaments with the Guardian Retirement Championship at Sara Bay from April 25-27.

The 54-hole stroke play format will begin on Friday, April 25 and conclude on Sunday, April 27. There will be a cut made after 36 holes on Saturday.

The 144-player field will be competing for their share of the $100,000 total purse. The winner will leave town with $15,000 and take a significant step towards an LPGA Tour card for the 2015 season.

This is the third year of the Guardian Retirement Championship at Sara Bay. The last two winners, Christine Song in 2013 and Esther Choe in 2012 both went onto finish in the top-10 on the Volvik Race for the Card money list. Song finished fourth in 2013 while Choe finished first in 2012.

In 2013, Song bested Isabelle Boineau on the second playoff hole to capture the win. She had a three-day total of 5-under-par 211. Boineau is back in the field this week to play in her second Epson Tour event of the year.

In 2012, Choe won the event with a three-day score of 1-over-par 217. The cut line in 2011 was 11-over-par.

Last year, the cut was made at 9-over-par. For perspective, the cut line at the IOA Golf Classic this year was made at 7-over-par.

Sara Bay Country Club is a Donald Ross design featuring tricky greens that make for a challenging test for players.

REPEAT WINNER?: The Epson Tour has not seen a repeat winner in 2014 thus far. Alena Sharp won the Visit Mesa Gateway Classic at Longbow Golf Club, Kim Kaufman captured the Volvik Championship, Cindy Feng won the Florida’s Natural Charity Classic and Kendall Dye hoisted the trophy at the IOA Golf Classic.

Feng and Dye are one and two respectively on the Volvik Race for the Card money list while Kaufman is fourth.

Feng has finished in the top-5 in each of the last three events to seize a sizeable gap on the money list. The 18-year-old has earned $25,984 this season, $6,032 more than Kendall Dye.

Dye has two top-10 finishes and three top-20 results through four events.

LOCAL TALENT: Bradenton native Ginger Howard is in the field this week aiming for her first Epson Tour victory. In 34 career Epson Tour events, Howard has three career top-10 finishes. Her best result this season is a tie for 35th at the first event, the Visit Mesa Gateway Classic at Longbow Golf Club.

Howard has played in the Guardian Retirement Championship at Sara Bay each of the last two years. She finished T45 in 2013 and did not make the cut in 2012.

The other Bradenton native in the field is Ericka Schneider, who played high school golf at Lakewood Ranch. Schneider just finished up her redshirt senior year at Ole Miss.

The Guardian Retirement Championship at Sara Bay will be her first professional event.

“It’s always exciting when you get a chance to play in your hometown because people that have always wanted to come watch me play in a tournament can come now,” said Schneider. “This one is in my hometown and it’s on a weekend, so it’s a win-win.”

While in high school, Schneider won the Donald Ross Invitational at Sara Bay.

Area residents Anya Alvarez, Rachel Connor, Emma de Groot and Ashley Sholer are also in the field this week. Connor just recently became a member at Sara Bay Country Club.

Alvarez has duel status on the LPGA Tour and Epson Tour. She played last week in the LPGA Tour event in Hawaii, the LPGA LOTTE Championship presented by J Golf.

VOLVIK RACE FOR THE CARD PLAYER TO WATCH: The sixth spot on the Volvik Race for the Card money list belongs to Megan McChrystal. Although she has played in three of the four events, she has accumulated $12,314 primarily due to back-to-back top-5 results.

McChrystal, a strong candidate to win this week, finished in a tie for second at the Florida’s Natural Charity Classic. She finished in a tie for fifth at the Volvik Championship.

The former LSU golfer made the cut at the LPGA LOTTE Championship presented by J Golf.

McChrystal has two career wins on the Epson Tour. She won the 2012 Florida’s Natural Charity Classic and captured the 2013 Epson Tour Championship.

BIG BREAK FLORIDA: Episode eight of the Golf Channel reality series, Big Break Florida, airs tonight at 9:00 pm. All four Big Break Florida cast members playing on the Epson Tour are in the field this week. Mary Narzisi, Sadena Parks, Renee Skidmore and Jackie Stoelting will tee-off at Sara Bay Country Club. All four have survived elimination through the first seven episodes.

Parks has not played since the Volvik Championship. She did not play in the Florida’s Natural Charity Classic or the IOA Golf Classic.

Stoeling is currently eighth on the Volvik Race for the Card money list.

The winner of Big Break Florida receives a $50,000 cash prize plus an exemption into the 2014 Manulife Financial LPGA Classic and a myriad of others prizes.

KIM KAUFMAN PLAYS WELL IN LPGA DEBUT: In her LPGA debut at the LOTTE Championship presented by J Golf, Kim Kaufman, who won the Volvik Championship earlier this year and is fourth on the Volvik Race for the Card money list, finished T42 at 3-over-par for the week.

Of the 20 Epson Tour members in the field, Kaufman had the best finish.

Kaufman’s best two rounds were her first two, an even-par 72 and a 1-under 71. She carded a 2-over 74 on both Friday and Saturday.

The Lake Mary, Florida resident has two top-20 results on the Epson Tour this season including her second career win at the Volvik Championship. She also placed in a tie for 17th at the Visit Mesa Gateway Classic at Longbow Golf Club.

Five Epson Tour members including Kaufman made the cut at the LPGA LOTTE Championship presented by J Golf.

CHEYENNE WOODS IN FIELD: Tiger Woods’ niece, Cheyenne Woods, is in the field for the Guardian Retirement Championship. This will be her fourth Epson Tour event of the season.

The only event she missed was the Florida’s Natural Charity Classic because she received a sponsor exemption into the JTBC Founders Cup.

Woods’ best finish on the Epson Tour is a tie for 14th at the Visit Mesa Gateway Classic at Longbow Golf Club.
In February, she won the Ladies European Tour event, the Volvik RACV Ladies Masters. It was her first major professional victory.

NATALIE SHEARY’S EVENT: Natalie Sheary could be a favorite this week based on her strong result at last year’s Guardian Retirement Championship at Sara Bay. She finished in a tie for third at 2-under-par, three strokes behind Christine Song. Sheary recently played in her first career LPGA event, the LOTTE Championship presented by J Golf.

A strong result in Sarasota would help jump start Sheary, who has had just one top-20 result through four events this year. She finished 16th at the rain-shortened Volvik Championship.
The Wake Forest product has seven career top-10 finishes including three during the 2011 Epson Tour season.

BUSY STRETCH FOR TOUR: After a three week break, the Epson Tour will play five consecutive weeks and nine of the next ten weeks. The Guardian Retirement Championship at Sara Bay is the third straight event in the state of Florida. Next week, the Tour moves South down I-75 for the Chico’s Patty Berg Memorial in Fort Myers.

The five week stretch is detailed below…

Guardian Retirement Championship at Sara Bay – Sarasota
Chico’s Patty Berg Memorial – Fort Myers
Self Regional Healthcare Foundation Women’s Health Charity Classic – Greenwood, SC
Friends of Mission Charity Classic – Asheville, NC
Epson Classic – Charlotte, NC

The five week stretch will have major implications as to who will finish in the top-10 on the Volvik Race for the Card money list at the end of the year. The total purses for the next five weeks add up to $600,000 with the largest purse of the year included, a $200,000 event in Greenwood, SC.

After a short week-long break following the Epson Classic in Charlotte, the Epson Tour wraps up the nine tournaments in ten-week stretch with four straight events.

FREE CLINIC MONDAY: The Epson Tour and LPGA and PGA teaching professionals are hosting a free junior golf clinic presented by Capstan Financial Consulting Group on Monday, April 21 from 4:30-6:00 p.m.

The clinic is open to junior golfers of all skill levels.

Epson Tour professionals Carly Werwie, Maribel Lopez Porras, Laura Gonzalez Escallon, Susy Benavides, Kendall Wright and Bradenton native Ericka Schneider will be on hand to teach junior golfers about all aspects of the game including swing mechanics, putting, golf fitness and more.

All clinic participants will receive a gift bag and two complimentary grounds passes for the Guardian Retirement Championship at Sara Bay to be used by adults. Children 17-years-old and younger get into the tournament for free.

The junior clinic is a partnership between the Epson Tour, The First Tee of Sarasota/Manatee, The Greater Sarasota Junior Golf Association and Girls Golf.

Suncoast Golf Center is located at 7741 15th Street East in Sarasota.

Space for the junior clinic is limited; therefore parents are encouraged to register their children in advance. To register, email Lexi@TheFirstTeeSarasotaManatee.org.

This event is open to the media.

CENTER FOR BUILDING HOPE EVENT: Epson Tour professionals and Guardian guests will be taking a tour of the Center for Building Hope facility on Tuesday, April 22 from 4:30-5:30 p.m.

The Center for Building Hope offers free information, programs and services to cancer patients, caregivers and family members, while connecting them with others who are undergoing a similar experience.

The Center for Building Hope and Brides Against Breast Cancer are the two major beneficiaries of the Guardian Retirement Championship at Sara Bay.

This event is open to the media.

ANNIKA ACADEMY SESSION: The ANNIKA Academy, the official elite golf training academy of the Epson Tour, will be hosting the third of five ANNIKA Academy sessions for Epson Tour professionals on Tuesday, April 22 from 4:00-5:00 p.m. The development session will take place on the driving range at Sara Bay Country Club.

Mark Bereza from the ANNIKA Academy will be discussing the importance of properly fit golf clubs.

In January, the Epson Tour signed a three-year partnership with the ANNIKA Academy to enhance player development.

The final two ANNIKA Academy professional sessions will be held in Fort Myers next week and Daytona Beach during the final week of the season.

One ANNIKA Academy elite athlete will receive an exemption into each Epson Tour event hosting an ANNIKA Academy professional development session. Veronica Vetesnik is the exemption into the field this week in Sarasota. The Winnipeg, Canada native placed second in her division at the Maple Leaf Junior Tour Boston Pizza National Championship in 2013.

Top Storylines for the Guardian Retirement Championship at Sara Bay

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