Thanks to the generosity of local corporate sponsors and a fan base of almost 5,000 people, women's golf made a successful debut in Southwest Louisiana at the Louisiana Pelican Classic, an official Duramed FUTURES Tour event.
The 2006 inaugural event garnered national coverage though mediums such as the Golf Channel, ESPN, and Women's Golf Magazine. On a statewide level the event was featured in Tee to Green and Golder's Edge golfing magazines. Locally, the tournament was given extensive coverage by network television affiliates. The event was also covered by the Baton Rouge Advocate and extensive coverage was given by Regent Broadcasting's family of radio stations: ESPN Radio, KPEL Radio, KTDY, KMDL, The Gator, and Planet Radio.
The Daily Advertiser not only covered the scores and stories on the course, they featured personal stories on players and the tour. Through the insert in the paper to over 66,000 homes, residents of this community were informed about women's golf, the charities benefiting from the event, our sponsors, and the players of the Tour.
What does the event bring to the area?
- An opportunity for area residents to enjoy a new professional sporting event and for young aspiring female golfers to have role models and see that their dreams are attainable - professional golf is as much an option for women as it is for men.
- An opportunity for businesses in the area to entertain clients or reward employees with tickets to see some of the best professional women's golf in the world.
- An opportunity for the three outstanding charities that benefit from the success of the event to provide needed services within the community.
By bringing a new professional sporting event to the state, we increase recognition of Louisiana across the nation and give thousands of dollars to local charitable organizations to continue their missions of helping our community's most vulnerable.
