Top Epson Tour professionals will compete for $125,000 week of March 23

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., November 5, 2014 – The Epson Tour, the Road to the LPGA, is excited to announce the return of the Florida’s Natural Charity Classic to Lake Wales Country Club in 2015. The 54-hole event will take place the week of March 23-29.

The 2015 Florida’s Natural Charity Classic will mark the seventh year that Florida’s Natural has hosted the Epson Tour and the 15^th year that the Tour has played in Polk County.

First-round play will begin on Friday, March 27 with final-round play scheduled for Sunday, March 29. The field will be cut to the top 70 and ties following second-round play on Saturday, March 28.

“The Florida’s Natural Charity Classic has become a staple in Lake Wales and we’re excited to return to Lake Wales Country Club in 2015,” said Chief Business Officer of the Epson Tour, Mike Nichols. “We’re ready to get the planning process started early and look forward to great support from the Lake Wales community.”

The Florida’s Natural Charity Classic will feature a 144-player field competing for a total purse of $125,000. The winner will receive $18,750. Last year, Orlando resident Cindy Feng shot a final-round 5-under 67 to blitz the field by four strokes and earn her first career victory. She finished seventh on the Volvik Race for the Card money list in 2014 and therefore earned her LPGA Tour card for the 2015 season.

There were several local players in the field last year headlined by former Florida Southern College golfer Jackie Stoelting, who finished in a tie for second. Stoelting went onto finish third on the Volvik Race for the Card money list and will be playing on the LPGA Tour in 2015. Emily Flanigan Motta, also a former Moccasins golfer, had a strong tournament and finished in a tie for 28^th. One of the sponsor exemptions last year was Athena Yang (Lake Region High School). Yang recently won the FHSAA Class 3A girls golf state championship at International Golf Club at Deer Island in Tavares.

“As we approach our seventh year of the Florida’s Natural Charity Classic, we are even more enthusiastic about our partnership with the LPGA,” said Walt Lincer, President of the Florida’s Natural Growers Foundation. “Our tournament has been a huge success raising money for our Foundation as well as building relationships with our suppliers and customers.”

The full Epson Tour schedule is due to be released in mid-December following the final stage of the LPGA Qualifying Tournament. In 2014, the Tour’s schedule grew from 15 to 20 events - the most events for the Tour in 13 years. The Epson Tour has already announced new events in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and Rochester, New York and with those additions, the schedule is expected to grow again in 2015.

Proceeds from the Florida’s Natural Charity Classic will once again go towards the Florida’s Natural Growers Foundation, which benefits Central Florida charitable organizations in the areas of youth, health and education. The Foundation has awarded over $800,000 since its start in 2008 and gave over 80 grants totaling more than $200,000 in 2014.

For more information about the event including sponsorship opportunities, pro-am team availability, and volunteer information, contact Tim Kramer at tim.kramer@lpga.com.

Past Winners

2014 – Cindy Feng (-9)
2013 – Melissa Eaton (-10)
2012 – Megan McChrystal (-5)
2011 – Tzu-Chi Lin (-10)
2010 – Angela Oh (-7)
2009 – Jean Reynolds (-4)

Florida’s Natural Charity Classic Returns to Lake Wales Country Club in 2015

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