The Symetra Tour is the official qualifying tour of the LPGA Tour.
LONGWOOD, Fla. (May 4, 2020) – Insurance Office of America (IOA) applauds the Symetra Tour – Road to the LPGA – in its efforts to preserve as many playing opportunities as possible during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The tour recently released its revised 2020 schedule, which includes two new tournaments and a five-week extension to the season with competition running into November. A total of 16 tournaments are featured on the revamped slate, compared to 20 on the original calendar.
“This year has presented challenges unlike those faced by the golf community in the past. We are so proud of the leadership of the Symetra Tour in doing everything they can to keep this important tournament moving forward despite unprecedented conditions,” said IOA co-founder John Ritenour.
“We’re so impressed by the proactive steps taken by the Symetra Tour’s team. Keeping events on track amid this constantly changing environment and doing it successfully shows their knowledge of the game and their dedication to the players, partners, and participants,” said IOA Chairman and CEO Heath Ritenour.
IOA sponsors three legs of the Symetra Tour—the IOA Invitation, IOA Championship and IOA Classic. The IOA Championship presented by Morongo Casino Resort & Spa, originally scheduled for March 27-29, will now be played from Aug. 21-23 in Beaumont, Calif.; the IOA Invitational in Milton, Ga, originally scheduled for May 7-9, currently is postponed; and the IOA Classic remains scheduled for Sept. 25-27.
“IOA has emerged as the Symetra Tour’s biggest supporter over the last several years, from hosting one event in 2014 to a title sponsorship of three tournaments since 2018,” said Mike Nichols, chief business officer for the Symetra Tour. “It’s in challenging times like this that you quickly realize who your true ‘partners’ are. The appreciation that the entire Symetra Tour staff and its members have for John Ritenour and Heath Ritenour, and all of the IOA team, is beyond measure. For them to work with us in rescheduling two of their tournaments and preserving those playing opportunities for our athletes shows a strong loyalty that cannot be overstated.”
The Symetra Tour team is in consistent communication with tournament title sponsors and the venues to find suitable weeks in the latter part of the season to reschedule postponed events.
ABOUT THE SYMETRA TOUR
The Symetra Tour is the official qualifying tour of the LPGA Tour and enters its 40th competitive season in 2020. With the support of its entitlement partner Symetra, the Tour’s mission is to prepare the world’s best young women professional golfers for a successful career on the LPGA Tour. Since Symetra’s inaugural sponsorship year in 2012, the Symetra Tour has grown from 16 tournaments and $1.7 million in prize money to a record $4.0 million in prize money awarded in 2019. With more than 600 alumnae moving on to the LPGA, former Symetra Tour players have won a total of 445 LPGA titles. Follow the Symetra Tour on the web at www.SymetraTour.com, as well as Facebook.com/Road2LPGA, Twitter.com/Road2LPGA and Instagram @road2lpga.
ABOUT INSURANCE OFFICE OF AMERICA
Insurance Office of America (IOA), dba IOA Insurance Services in California, is a full-service insurance agency founded in 1988 by John Ritenour and Valli Ritenour. It is one of the fastest-growing independent agencies in the United States. IOA is ranked 13th on Insurance Journal’s 2019 Top 100 Independent Property/Casualty Agencies report and 23rd on Business Insurance’s 2019 100 Largest Brokers of U.S. Business list. IOA was named a National Underwriter Agency of the Year in 2018. Headquartered in Longwood, Florida, part of the greater Orlando community, IOA has more than 1,200 associates located in over 60 offices in the U.S. and London. For more information, visit www.ioausa.com.
Media Contact:
Bevrlee J. Lips
