Chico’s Brings Symetra Tour to Cypress Lake Country Club, Fort Myers, Florida

Anthony Webber. iGTN Editor-At-Large. The road to the LPGA for 144 young women golfers representing more than 30 countries heads to the Cypress Golf Country Club in Fort Myers, Florida, the former home to LPGA Tour Founder Patty Berg. The Symetra Tour – Road to the LPGA, is the official developmental tour of the LPGA. The Tour’s mission is to prepare the world’s best young women professional golfers for a successful career on the LPGA Tour. The Tour’s top-10 money winners will receive full, equal status for the following season on the LPGA Tour.

The Symetra Tour is coming to Southwest Florida April 28th – May 4th, 2014 for the inaugural ‘Chico’s Patty Berg Memorial’.

“Chico’s is thrilled to be partnering with the LPGA” said Chico’s President, Cinny Murray. “Participating in the Symetra Tour will be the perfect way for Chico’s and the LPGA to honor one of the great women of golf, Patty Berg. Patty was not only one of the founders of the LPGA, but also a mentor to young women players and a Fort Myers, Florida resident. She embodied the spirit of giving which is one of the core values of our Chico’s brand.”

Chico’s was founded in 1983 as a small boutique selling Mexican folk art and cotton sweaters on Sanibel Island in Florida. Their friendly environment and unique styles connected with customers in a special way that quickly evolved into over 700 Chico’s boutiques nationwide. Chico’s FAS, through its brands, Chico’s, White House | Black Market, Soma Intimates and Boston Proper, is today a specialty retailer of private branded, sophisticated, casual-to-dressy clothing, including a new collection of ladies active golf apparel and après golf clubhouse cocktail wear.

Patty Berg joined the LPGA tour in 1940 and enjoyed a decorated career as she went on to win 15 Major Championship titles and was the Tour’s leading money winner in 1954, 1955 and 1957.

More than half of new members on the LPGA Tour came up through the ranks of the Symetra Tour. Top alumnae include Lorena Ochoa, Cristie Kerr, Karrie Web, Christina Kim, Angela Stanford, Kristy McPherson, Song-Hee Kim, Stacy Lewis, Vicky Hurst, Inbee Park, Rosie Jones and Meg Mallon.

Through 2013, Symetra Tour alums have won a total of 379 LPGA victories including 43 Major Championships. Eight of the 12 members of the 2013 U.S. Solheim Cup Team were alumnae of the Symetra Tour.

The Symetra Tour features a season purse of $1.52 million, with all 15 tournaments offering a prize purse of over $100,000.

Symetra Tour events have contributed more than $5 million to charitable organizations throughout the nation since 1989. All proceeds generated from the ‘Chico’s Patty Berg Memorial’ golf tournament will benefit the American Cancer Society, specifically supporting ovarian cancer research, and the Southwest Florida Medical Center’s ‘Patty Berg Cancer Center’.

The Chico’s company operates 600 Chico’s boutiques and 100 outlets, 402 White House | Black Market boutiques and 45 outlets, and 206 Soma Intimates boutiques and 16 outlets, throughout the United States, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. The newest addition to their family of brands, Boston Proper, is planning to open boutiques in 2013.