News

Marilynn Smith Arizona Women’s Open Announces Purse Increase to $87,000

Open Division winner to earn $15K, Senior Division team gets $10K at the inaugural event in Mesa

 

Media Contact:

David Bataller, Director of Communications
(602) 944-3035 | [email protected]

Player Contact:

Amy Fruhwirth, Programs Manager
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For Immediate Release
March 8, 2022

SCOTTSDALE – The Arizona Golf Foundation today announced the inaugural Marilynn Smith Arizona Women’s Open will feature $15,000 and $10,000 winner’s checks in each respective division. Set to be played May 3-5, 2022, at Longbow Golf Club in Mesa, 144 top professionals, amateurs and seniors from across the country will compete for a purse that has currently reached a minimum of $87,000, and is subject to increase as potential community sponsorships are accepted.

“We have worked hard to be a leader in the industry and increasing the Marilynn Smith Arizona Women’s Open purse to $87,000 shows our commitment to women’s golf in the state,” said Anj Brown, Director of Outreach at the Arizona Golf Association. “We hope this is just the beginning, and that as sponsorships increase, the prize pool will reflect the depth of the community’s commitment to the event as well.”

­­­The three-day, 54-hole Open Division will tee off Tuesday, May 3, with a max field of 104 players. The current payout structure will see the top 50 players and ties make a 36-hole cut, with the winner taking home $15,000. The top 20 places will be paid with 20th receiving $1,000.

The 40-player Senior Division will feature 20 two-person teams made up of Senior Tour and LPGA Tour professionals, playing a two-day 36-hole, Scramble and Best Ball format. The winning team will share the $10,000 winner’s prize, and the top-five teams will take home their respective share of the Senior Division’s minimum $30,000 purse, subject to increase as sponsorships are accepted.

A qualifying tournament will take place the week before the event to determine the remainder of the field. Time and location will be released at a later date. The entry fee is $600 per player in the Open Division, and $600 per team in the Senior Division. For a list of exempt players, or for information and to register, visit azgolf.org/azwomensopen.

On Monday, May 2, the Marilynn Smith Scholarship Pro-Am will see amateurs tee it up with special guests and professionals playing in the event, with proceeds going to the Marilynn Smith Scholarship Fund. The MSSF provides scholarships to female high school seniors who are planning to play golf at an accredited college or university in the United States. The goal of the Pro-Am is to fund fifteen $5,000 scholarships for young female golfers across the country. Teams can be reserved for a minimum of $1200 by registering at azgolf.org/azwomensopen.

Tournament week kicks off on Sunday, May 1, the community is invited to attend Sunday Tea at Papago Golf Club in Phoenix. Arizona Golf Hall of Famer Bill Huffman will interview players, including LPGA greats Kathy Whitworth, Susie Berning and Sandra Palmer. Guests will enjoy refreshments, an expo and an incredible memorabilia display. Sponsorship opportunities are available for the Sunday Tea, the Marilynn Smith Scholarship Pro-Am and Arizona Women’s Open, ranging from Presenting Sponsor to General Benefit Sponsorships. For more information please contact Chris Montgomery by email at [email protected], or by phone at (602) 872-7011.

For all information on the Marilynn Smith Arizona Women’s Open week’s activities, visit azgolf.org/azwomensopen.

 

About The Marilynn Smith Scholarship Fund
Marilynn Smith Scholarships are granted annually through The LPGA Foundation. A founding member of the LPGA in 1950, Marilynn established the fund in 1999 with the proceeds of a golf tournament she organized. The objective of the Marilynn Smith Scholarship is to provide scholarships female high school seniors who have played golf in high school or in her community, and are planning to play golf at an accredited college or university in the United States. To date, more than $1 million has been granted to over 200 young women.

About Arizona Golf Foundation
The Arizona Golf Foundation’s purpose is to fund, support and promote all aspects of the Game of Golf in Arizona, with particular attention to public accessibility, youth development, military charities, scholarships and turf research. Visit azgolf.org/donate to learn more about how to support the Foundation’s efforts. With the departure of the LPGA from Arizona, we feel it important to heighten the visibility for elite women’s competitions.

About Longbow Golf Club
Longbow Business Park and Golf Club is a 330-acre, mixed-use development, being developed by Daedalus Real Estate Advisors, that incorporates office, light industrial, retail, hotel and residential uses surrounded by desert vegetation, a main street transportation design and features the award-winning Longbow Golf Club. Troon managed Longbow Golf Club was originally designed by Ken Kavanaugh in 1997. In 2003, Daedalus commissioned Kavanaugh to execute a complete redesign of the golf course creating a complete refresh layout. For more information on Longbow Golf Club, visit longbowgolf.com or call (480) 807-5400.

About Arizona Golf Association
The Arizona Golf Association has been serving amateur golfers in Arizona since 1923 when it held the first State Amateur Championship. Today, it is licensed by the United States Golf Association to provide handicapping and course rating services to member clubs, to provide tournament and rules expertise and to oversee the application of amateur status.

News

Eaton & Zmistowski Combine to Win Season Opener

MESA, Ariz. – Kim Eaton and Lynn Zmistowski combined to card an Even score at Longbow Golf Club in Mesa to claim the Women’s Season Opener title.  The event, played in a four-ball stroke play format, saw the runner up pairs of Christy Cervetti and Megan Reeves and Molly Steffes and Tori Totlis finish two strokes behind the winning pair of Eaton and Zmistowski. The competitors were faced with a not-so-typical Arizona winter day as cloud cover rolled in alongside persistent high winds which made for an added challenge on the Longbow Golf course.

Eaton opened the front nine decently but it wasn’t until a birdie on the seventh hole where she eventually found her rhythm. Zmistowski complemented Eaton’s birdie with a birdie of her own on the eighth hole followed by a par to finish the front nine under par. On the back nine, Eaton showed her POTY worthy consistency as she made par for each hole, despite bogeys on 15 and 16, the former of which Zmistowski was able to save par for.

RESULTS | PHOTOS | 

This is the first victory of the competitive season for both Zmistowski and Eaton, who was recently honored as 2021 AGA Senior Women’s Player of the Year. The next upcoming women’s event is the AGA Women’s Four-Ball Championship, April 18-19 at Briarwood Country Club in Sun City West.

 

UP NEXT : AGA Women’s Four-Ball Championship

Be sure to follow the AZ Golf Association on Instagram, Twitter & Facebook for the latest updates.

Women’s Tournament Schedule: https://www.azgolf.org/event-directory/?event_year=2022&event_month=any&event_type=40

Women’s Championship Schedule: https://www.azgolf.org/event-directory/?event_year=2022&event_month=any&event_type=2