KINSTON, N.C. – The Epson Tour returns to the Tar Heel State in 2022 for the third annual Carolina Golf Classic presented by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC). This year, Kinston Country Club in Kinston, N.C. will host the “Road to the LPGA” from June 9-12.
“We are very excited to welcome Kinston Country Club to the LPGA family,” said Mike Nichols, Chief Business Officer of LPGA Qualifying Tours. “It’s a first-class facility and will provide a quality test for our players. We look forward to connecting with the Kinston community in June.”
Kinston Country Club will become the newest member in the tournament venue rotation. In 2020, the event was contested at Pinehurst No. 9 in the Sandhills of North Carolina, while Forest Oaks Country Club—home of the PGA TOUR’s Wyndham Championship from 1977-2007—in Greensboro hosted in 2021.
“When we strengthen our commitment to women in sports, we’re championing increased opportunity for women everywhere,” said Reagan Greene, Vice President of Marketing and Community Engagement at Blue Cross NC. “That’s why we’re proud to partner with the Epson Tour and the LPGA to enrich our local North Carolina communities.”
A 144-player field will compete in a stroke-play format over 72 holes for a $200,000 purse, including a winner’s check of $30,000. Slovenian Ana Belac won the inaugural championship in 2020 and University of Texas alumna Sophia Schubert captured the title last year. Both players are LPGA members in 2022.
“Blue Cross NC is an outstanding partner of the Epson Tour,” said Schubert. “I’m bummed I won’t be able to defend my win but am so appreciative of Blue Cross NC’s support. Because of the investment they made in believing in women’s sports, I am able to live out my dreams.”
ABOUT EPSON TOUR
The Epson Tour (formerly the Symetra Tour) is the official qualifying tour of the LPGA Tour and enters its 42nd competitive season in 2022. With the support of entitlement partner Seiko Epson Corporation, the Tour’s mission is to prepare the world’s best female professional golfers for a successful career on the LPGA Tour. In the last decade, the Epson Tour has grown from 15 tournaments and $1.6 million in prize money to $4.41 million awarded across 20+ events in 2022. With more than 600 graduates and alumnae moving on to the LPGA Tour, former Epson Tour players have won 459 LPGA titles.
Follow the Epson Tour at www.epsontour.com, as well as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
ABOUT EPSON
Epson is a global technology leader dedicated to co-creating sustainability and enriching communities by leveraging its efficient, compact, and precision technologies and digital technologies to connect people, things, and information. The company is focused on solving societal issues through innovations in home and office printing, commercial and industrial printing, manufacturing, visual and lifestyle. Epson’s goal is to become carbon negative and eliminate use of exhaustible underground resources such as oil and metal by 2050.
Led by the Japan-based Seiko Epson Corporation, the worldwide Epson Group generates annual sales of around JPY 1 trillion. Epson America, Inc., based in Los Alamitos, Calif., is Epson’s regional headquarters for the U.S., Canada, and Latin America. To learn more about Epson, please visit: epson.com. You may also connect with Epson America on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.
ABOUT BLUE CROSS AND BLUE SHIELD OF NORTH CAROLINA
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC) is committed to making health care better, simpler and more affordable. We have been driving better health in North Carolina since 1933, working to tackle our communities’ greatest health challenges. Blue Cross NC serves its customers and communities of 4.3 million members, including approximately 1.1 million on behalf of other Blue Plans. Blue Cross NC is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Visit Blue Cross NC online at www.bluecrossnc.com. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.
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