LAKEWOOD RANCH, Florida – The PGA TOUR, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) and Global Golf Management announced today a five-year partnership for LECOM to serve as title sponsor of the Web.com Tour’s new event in Lakewood Ranch. The newly-named LECOM Suncoast Classic will be contested at Lakewood National Golf Club the week of February 11-17, 2019, with 144 players in the field.
The five-year agreement (2019-2023) was announced today by representatives from the Web.com Tour, LECOM and Global Golf Management, as well as Bradenton, Florida resident and 2018 Web.com Tour Qualifying Tournament medalist Danny Walker, who finished a standout career at the University of Virginia last year.
“We are excited to announce this partnership with LECOM as we look to create a strong community footprint through the LECOM Suncoast Classic,” said Web.com Tour President Dan Glod. “LECOM has been a great partner to the Web.com Tour and has established tremendous roots in the greater Bradenton/Sarasota region. Their support allows us to work together to build this highly anticipated new event to benefit the Suncoast.”
LECOM has served as title sponsor of the Web.com Tour’s LECOM Health Challenge at the Peek’n Peak Resort in Western New York, near its Erie, Pennsylvania, headquarters, since 2016.
The tournament at Lakewood National was initially announced in June of 2018 and will be one of four new events on the Web.com Tour’s 2019 schedule. The Florida Suncoast has hosted PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions and Web.com Tour events in the past, with the Valspar Championship on the PGA TOUR currently held each March at the Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club in Palm Harbor, Florida.
“LECOM and the Web.com Tour share similar missions,” said Tom Wedzik, LECOM Board of Trustees member. “LECOM prepares its students to become tomorrow’s leaders in medicine, pharmacy and dentistry while the Web.com Tour prepares its members to be tomorrow’s stars on the PGA TOUR. We both prepare our members to be the best they can be, perform at the highest levels, with professionalism and integrity.”
LECOM is the nation’s largest medical college and is the only Academic Health Center in the osteopathic profession. LECOM students advance to become osteopathic physicians, pharmacy practitioners, and dentists through programs of excellence in education, research, clinical care, and community service to enhance the quality of life through improved health for all humanity. The professional programs are dedicated to serve all students through innovative curriculum and the development of postdoctoral education and interprofessional experiences.
Lakewood Ranch is home to one of LECOM’s largest campuses, with buildings that support the mission of teaching students how to care for patients. This design has been extended to the construction of a second campus building to house the School of Dental Medicine.
The sponsorship of the LECOM Suncoast Classic further solidifies the school’s commitment to supporting the greater Bradenton/Sarasota region, which includes historic LECOM Park – the Spring Training ballpark of the Pittsburgh Pirates and for the Bradenton Marauders, the Pirates’ Class A-Advanced affiliate playing in the Florida State League.
The LECOM Suncoast Classic will continue to be operated by Global Golf Management (GGM) and Sterling Sports Management (SSM). Chicago-based GGM has successfully staged more than 1,000 events on five continents, and currently provides consultation, management, and tournament operations service for over 40 professional golf events across the globe.
“We are thrilled to partner with LECOM for the next five years as we look to build one of the Web.com Tour’s premier events,” said Tournament Director Justin Kristich. “The LECOM Suncoast Classic will deliver exciting drama for the tremendous golf fans in our region, and with today’s announcement, we’ll have the ability to further our efforts of creating a year-round community impact in the Bradenton/Sarasota area.”
With 50 available PGA TOUR cards for the following season (since 2013), the Web.com Tour is the path to the PGA TOUR. Twenty-five TOUR cards are reserved for the leading money winners at the end of the 24-event Regular Season. Another 25 are up for grabs at the three-event Web.com Tour Finals that follow the Regular Season in August and September.
Notable rookies on the 2019 Web.com Tour include 2018 Jack Nicklaus and Haskins Award winner Norman Xiong, 2018 Masters Tournament low amateur Doug Ghim and 2018 SEC Championship winner Andy Zhang from the University of Florida, who became the youngest player ever to compete in the U.S. Open when he did so at age 14 in 2012.
For more information on the LECOM Suncoast Classic, including sponsorship and volunteer opportunities, please visit LECOMSuncoastClassic.com.
ABOUT LECOM
Founded in 1992, the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) is the nation’s largest medical college and is part of LECOM Health, the only Academic Health Center in the osteopathic profession. LECOM offers innovative and affordable education in osteopathic medicine, pharmacy and dental medicine. From campuses in Erie and Greensburg, PA and Bradenton, FL, LECOM provides student-centered pathways to prepare the next generation of health care professionals. In addition to providing healthcare providers to serve patient needs, the College also offers master’s degree programs to prepare professionals who can run the business of health care, serve the patient’s best interests and teach future physicians, pharmacists and dentists.
ABOUT THE WEB.COM TOUR
Founded (1990), owned and operated by the PGA TOUR, the Web.com Tour continues to identify those players who are ready to compete and win on golf’s biggest stage. In 2013, the Web.com Tour became The Path to the PGA TOUR with all 50 available PGA TOUR cards coming through the Web.com Tour and the season culminating at the Web.com Tour Finals. This season marks the 30th year of competition on the Web.com Tour. Three out of four PGA TOUR members are Web.com Tour alumni. Tour alumni have won more than 500 PGA TOUR titles, including 23 major championships and eight PLAYERS Championships. To learn more about the PGA TOUR, the Web.com Tour and to follow the season-long quest for a PGA TOUR card, visit PGATOUR.COM, or follow the Tour on social media via Twitter (@WebDotComTour), Facebook (facebook.com/WebDotComTour) and Instagram (Instagram.com/WebDotComTour).
ABOUT WEB.COM
Since 1997 we at Web.com have been the marketing partner for businesses wanting to connect with more customers and grow. We listen, then apply our expertise to deliver solutions that owners need to market and manage their businesses, from building brands online to reaching more customers or growing relationships with existing customers. For some, this means a fast, reliable, attractive website; for others, it means customized marketing plans that deliver local leads; and for others, it means customer-scheduling or customer-relationship marketing (CRM) tools that help businesses run more efficiently. Owners from big to small and everything in between can focus on running the companies they know while we handle the marketing they need. To learn how this global company collaborates with customers and employees to achieve their potential, explore Web.com or follow on Twitter at @webdotcom or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/web.com.