Four Winds to Title Sponsor New LPGA Development Tour Event

The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, owners of Four Winds Casinos the premier gaming destinations in the Midwest, and the LPGA, the world’s leading women’s professional golf organization have announced that Four Winds will title sponsor the Four Winds Invitational, a new tournament on the 2012 Symetra Tour a development series leading to the LPGA.

It will be held from Friday, August 10 through Sunday, August 12, at the Blackthorn Golf Club in South Bend, Ind. The Four Winds Invitational will feature a field of professional women golfers from around the world competing for a total prize of $150,000, making it the largest purse on the 2012 Symetra Tour.

“We are thrilled to partner with the LPGA and bring this exciting tournament to the city of South Bend,” said Matt Wesaw, Chairman of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians. “With our two casinos nearby in New Buffalo, Mich. and Hartford, Mich., we feel that this is a great way to promote our brand while also having a positive economic impact on the South Bend area. We are also pleased to announce that all proceeds from the tournament will go to local charities.”

Zayra Calderon, CEO of the Symetra Tour, Road to the LPGA, said: “We are also very excited to partner with Four Winds and Blackthorn Golf Club to bring the rising stars of the LPGA to Northern Indiana. These ladies have high expectations for themselves and goals to achieve. The addition of this new event provides one more key playing opportunity to help them achieve their dreams of playing on the LPGA. As the Symetra Tour grows as the ‘Official Road to the LPGA,’ we’re looking for partners who understand the importance of showcasing new talent. South Bend’s familiarity with big-time collegiate sports and fantastic competition should be a perfect match.”

The tournament will be held at Blackthorn Golf Club, located at 6100 Nimtz Parkway, South Bend, Ind. Blackthorn opened in August 1994, and sits on a heavily wooded 226-acre site. The par 72, 7,136-yard layout features broad fairways that are framed by 94 bunkers, wetlands, ponds, and native prairie grasses that lead to subtly contoured and swept-up-tiered bentgrass greens. Blackthorn Golf Club is owned by the city of South Bend and is managed by Kitson & Partners. 

South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg added, “We are very excited that the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians and its Four Winds Casinos were able to work with the Symetra Tour to bring this tournament to Blackthorn Golf Club, which we feel will have a significant economic benefit to area businesses.”

The Symetra Tour, Road to the LPGA is the world’s largest international women’s development tour and is committed to developing LPGA stars of tomorrow while creating viable role models for the youth today. Every year, the top 10 Symetra Tour players earn automatic membership to play on the LPGA Tour.