Top rising stars in women’s golf to compete for $100,000 total purse in El Dorado, Arkansas

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., November 18, 2014 – The Epson Tour, the Road to the LPGA, is excited to unveil the newest tournament on the 2015 schedule; the Murphy USA El Dorado Shootout presented by PepsiCo. The event will be held at Mystic Creek Golf Club in El Dorado, Arkansas the week of September 21, 2015.

The 54-hole stroke play format will be the first Epson Tour tournament played in the state of Arkansas.

“We were introduced to Murphy USA by an LPGA staff member originally from El Dorado and it became clear that there was a strategic opportunity to host the Epson Tour in El Dorado,” said Chief Business Officer of the Epson Tour, Mike Nichols. “The state of Arkansas is no stranger to the LPGA and we are excited for the El Dorado community to meet the next generation of LPGA Tour stars.”

First-round play will begin on Friday, September 25 with the final round scheduled for Sunday, September 27. There will be numerous events throughout the week, including a pro-am where Epson Tour professionals will compete alongside various sponsors and guests.

The 144-player field, comprising of the top up-and-coming women’s professional golfers from around the world, will compete for a $100,000 total purse. The winner will earn $15,000 and take a significant step towards an LPGA Tour card for the 2016 season.

“Our team at Murphy USA and the team at PepsiCo are thrilled and honored to host the first ever LPGA Epson Tour event in the state of Arkansas, where it will be held at the world class Mystic Creek Golf Club,” said Murphy USA CEO, Andrew Clyde. “We believe the tournament will provide a great opportunity to showcase Mystic Creek, engage the local community, and support an important charity.”

First Financial Bank has generously agreed to be the general admission sponsor and therefore general admission tickets will be free to the community all three days of the tournament.

The top-10 players on the year-end Volvik Race for the Card money list receive their full-time LPGA Tour cards for the following season. Since 1999, 107 Epson Tour players have graduated to the LPGA including 2014 RICOH Women’s British Open champion Mo Martin, current Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings No. 1 Inbee Park and former world No. 1 Lorena Ochoa. There are over 600 Epson Tour alumnae that have played on the LPGA since the Epson Tour started in 1989.

The full Epson Tour schedule will be released in mid-December following the completion of LPGA Final Stage of Qualifying Tournament. With three new events already announced, the schedule is expected to exceed the 20 tournaments held in 2014 and the 15 held in 2013.

The Tour has also announced new events in Sioux Falls, South Dakota (Sioux Falls GreatLIFE Challenge) and Rochester, New York (Danielle Downey Classic).

The newly opened Mystic Creek was listed by Golf Digest as one of the best new courses in 2013. Acclaimed golf architect Ken Dye designed Mystic Creek.

Proceeds from the event will benefit Turning Point of South Arkansas, a comprehensive domestic violence center providing safe emergency shelter and services to victims of domestic violence and their children. Turning Point of South Arkansas provides emotional support, information and assistance to survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.

“Turning Point of South Arkansas is a great organization that helps victims of domestic abuse, and we are pleased to announce that they will be the charity of next year’s tournament, which will take place right before Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October,” explained Murphy USA CEO, Andrew Clyde.

For more information about the Murphy USA El Dorado Shootout presented by Pepsi including sponsorship opportunities, pro-am team availability and volunteer information, contact Sarah McKinnon atsarah.mckinnon@murphyusa.com or call 870-881-6698.

Epson Tour Announces Murphy USA El Dorado Shootout presented by PepsiCo

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