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Pottstown,
PA – June 2019 / Newsmaker Alert / It
took 55 holes, but Min Lee of Taiwan came through with a par on No. 18
in the first extra frame of a sudden-death playoff to win the second annual
Valley
Forge Invitational on Sunday, June 2 at Raven’s
Claw Golf Club. The victory is Lee’s second on the Symetra Tour, as
she captured the Garden City Charity Classic title back in 2014.
The
Valley Forge Invitational, an LPGA Symetra Tour event, brought women’s
professional golf back to Montgomery County after a successful inaugural
year in 2018. Held at Raven’s Claw Golf Club in Pottstown, Pa., the Valley
Forge Invitation was held May 28-June 2 at the challenging Ed Shearon-designed
course earning one of 24 tournament locations on the 2019 Symetra Tour
schedule. This year’s number of tournaments is the most in a season since
1988 with a record $4 million in purses, up 27% from 2018. Hundreds of
golf fans lined up on the greens to watch women’s professional golf throughout
tournament week.
“Every
win means something and it feels like it has been awhile since last time
I won in the United States,” said Lee, who fired a 5-under par 66 in the
final round to conclude the tournament at 15-under overall. “After I finished,
I got a lot of texts from my friends and family supporting me. Especially
watching Facebook, people keep posting and cheering for me. It was amazing
to have that.”
The
Valley Forge Tourism & Convention
Board (VFTCB) and Valley
Forge Sports secured bringing the tournament to the county. Swedish
player Louise Ridderstrom – who’s now on the LPGA – shot a course record
to win the 2018 tournament, which was the first time the Symetra Tour played
in the Philadelphia region.
“The
VFTCB’s involvement and leadership efforts have helped to create a solid
sponsorship foundation, as well as media presence, in all of the neighboring
communities,” said Mike Nichols, Chief Business Officer for the LPGA Symetra
Tour.
Lee’s
performance came as an early birthday gift to herself. Even though Lee
didn’t turn 24 on American soil until the Monday after the tournament,
the clock struck midnight back in her hometown as she hit her second shot
into the par-5 10th. The rest may have well been written in the stars.
“I
had low expectations, came here wanting to have a good week and play good
golf,” Lee said. “Luckily, I had a good start on Friday with a 7-under
and that gave me a lot of confidence. This week has been great and tells
me I am moving in the right direction, so I’m going to go with it.”
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California
native Esther Lee was the runner up and marked a career-best for the University
of Colorado alumna in her second season on the Symetra Tour. Lee carded
only two bogeys over three rounds and executed her gameplan as she hoped.
Even with the strong play, all it took was finding the greenside bunker
on the first playoff hole to erase what could have been following a 6-under
par 65 for the final round.
“I
had a really solid week, it’s a little hard to swallow playing so well
today and then make the mistakes I didn’t make during the week on the playoff
hole,” Lee said. “I pulled it and hooked it. They had been my misses all
week and finally got to me a little bit. Overall, it was a good learning
experience.”
Earlier
during tournament week, entertainment was brought to golf fans and local
businesses throughout the region. The Meet the Pro’s party was held at
the Sunnybrook Ballroom in Pottstown and the Pro-Am followed the next day
which allowed Montgomery County businesses to stand alongside the future
LPGA Tour stars.
“Having
an event of this caliber has a hugely positive economic impact on Montgomery
County and the region,” said Mike Bowman, President and CEO of the VFTCB.
“Besides highlighting women’s professional golf, the Tour spotlights Raven’s
Claw, and the more than 50 other great public courses and private clubs
that we have in Montco.”
The
Symetra Tour attracts thousands of spectators and results in millions in
positive economic impact. The top-10 players on the season-ending Race
for the Card money list will be awarded LPGA membership for 2020.
Since
it opened in 2005, Raven’s Claw Golf Club has been a consistent selection
on the list of “Pennsylvania’s Top 10 Daily Fee” courses, as selected by
Golfweek. In fact, Pennsylvania is one of the top 10 states by number of
golfers, and the Philadelphia region is in the nation’s top five, according
to the 2018 National Golf Foundation’s Golf Participation in the U.S. Study.
The
major sponsors for the Valley Forge Invitational included the VFTCB and
the Pottstown Area Health
& Wellness Foundation (PAHWF). The beneficiary for the 2019 Valley
Forge Invitational is Tri-County Community
Network which brings together more than 90 agencies, businesses and
individuals in the Pottstown community to problem solve community needs.
Through
its Destination Montco Golf brand, the VFTCB works to promote the more
than 50 golf courses throughout the county which is home to more than 300,000
yards of play. Also in May, the VFTCB debuts its Annual Montco Golf Guide
to more than 10,000 golfers in a 150-mile radius.
The
Valley
Forge Tourism & Convention Board (VFTCB) is a nonprofit, membership-based
sales and marketing organization that actively promotes Valley Forge and
Montgomery County, PA as a convention site and leisure visitor destination
by encouraging patronage of its 600+ member hotels, restaurants, attractions,
and services. The award-winning website links visitors, meeting planners,
tour operators, and residents to a diverse portfolio of brands focused
on reasons to visit the region.
Media
Contact:
Rachel
Riley
Director
of Communications
Valley
Forge Tourism & Convention Board
610-834-7990
VFTCB:
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