The Epson Tour plans to hold its largest golf tournament at Indian Wells Golf Resort in 2024, but the city of Indian Wells and golf resort officials have publicly said they want to bring the LPGA back to the Coachella Valley course. .
“First of all, it gets us back in the game,” said Robin Graff, the new general manager of Indian Wells Golf Resort. “This gives us the potential to host more events and bigger events in the future.”
The Indian Wells City Council voted 5-0 Thursday to approve a one-year, $100,000 sponsorship for the final round of the 2024 season on the Epson Tour, the LPGA’s developmental tour. The event, called the Epson Tour Championship at Indian Wells, will be held from September 30th to October 30th at the golf resort’s Players Course. 6.
While the Epson Tour Championship is currently the largest golf event held at the golf resort, city officials and council members spoke openly about the possibility of hosting an LPGA event in the city in the future. The LPGA left the desert after the 2022 Chevron Championship at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, and the major championships moved to Houston. This marks the first time in 51 years that the Coachella Valley will not host an LPGA event.
The Epson Tour event could show the LPGA that regular LPGA events are possible even in the desert in the fall, and that Indian Wells Golf Resort is the place to host such tournaments.
“Let’s not lose sight of the fact that we have a great opportunity,” Councilman Greg Saunders said during a council debate on sponsorship. “Dinah Shore, the ANA Tournament, I think it was sponsored by Chevron that was held here last year. They moved. I’ll ask Visit Greater Palm Springs what the economic spinoff from the ANA was. It’s I guarantee you it’s huge.”
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Sanders added that the idea of the Epson Tour’s sponsorship is to get the LPGA to look at Indian Wells as a top contender for an LPGA event.
“I view this as a strategic investment,” Sanders added.
City/resident benefits
The council chose a $100,000 sponsorship for the Epson Tour event over the $50,000 option. City Manager Christopher Freeland said the $100,000 level includes the city name and logo incorporated into tournament promotions and advertising, the tournament’s pro-am team, participation in the Meet-the-Pro party, and four days of VIP access. He explained that it includes all the features at the $50,000 level, including a pass. 72 hole professional tournament.
However, the $100,000 tier also includes discounted tickets for city residents and a reserved seating area along the 18th green for residents. Freeland also noted that a $100,000 sponsorship could be viewed more favorably by the LPGA in future tournament discussions.
Indian Wells is already home to the two-week BNP Paribas Open held each March at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, the Ironman 70.3 Indian Wells-La Quinta in December, and a sponsorship deal with the Coachella Valley Firebirds Hockey Club. are tied. As for golf, City hosted the PGA Tour Champions event at The Vintage Club from 1981 to 1992, at the Golf Resort in 1993, and for his three years from 2006 to 2008 he hosted the LG Skins We held a game.
“Golf is the heart of Indian Wells. It’s always been that way since the 1980s,” said City Councilman Bruce Whitman. “I think golf is our past, present and future. And our golf resorts, our campuses with hotels and golf courses, that’s the economic engine of our city. We want more golf in this city. Anything we can do to encourage it will only benefit this city.”
Councilmember Dana Reed said she supports the sponsorship deal, but wants city staff to audit the city’s claims regarding golf tournament and other sports sponsorships. One such claim is that the Epson Tour claims that the Tour Championship will generate 1,930 room nights at area hotels, and Freeland said some of those nights could occur in other desert cities. It is saying that you acknowledge something.
Freeland said the sponsorship deal passed at Thursday’s council meeting is a one-year deal but could lead to a multi-year deal with the Epson Tour or deeper discussions with the LPGA about tournaments on larger tours. He added that there is.
As the LPGA’s developmental tour, the Epson Tour hosts 24 events across the country, including one in Beaumont each March. Epson event purses range from $200,000 to $375,000, with a $250,000 purse featured at last month’s Tour Championship in Florida.
Each year, the top 10 earners on Tour are given an LPGA exemption for the following year, with the Tour Championship being the final event for that exemption. His top LPGA players who graduated from the Epson Tour include major championship winners Nelly Korda and Lillia Vu, and the Epson Tour graduate has won over 400 of her LPGA titles.