Community support for the inaugural PXG Women’s Match Play Championship continues to build as the tournament has now teamed up with Baptist Health to be one of its founding partners.
The two-week match play event is being touted as an opportunity for women golfers to make a name for themselves and take a step in achieving their dream of one day playing on the LPGA Tour.
The tournament will be played Oct. 26 to Nov. 4 at World Golf Village.
Baptist becomes the fourth and final founding partner and will be the tournament’s official health care provider.
“Baptist has taken a leadership role with every major sports initiative in this market, and we are proud to support these women as they embark on their professional journeys,” said Michael Mayo, president and CEO of Baptist Health in Jacksonville. “We are particularly interested in supporting athletes at all levels in achieving their highest level of performance.”
It is not just the game of golf that the championship is promoting. Leading the women’s development mission of the tournament is Generation W, a women’s leadership organization based in Jacksonville, that will host the Links to Leadership Summit, which will include a half day of leadership programs Oct. 29.
“Links to Leadership will be energizing, informative and inspirational,” Generation W founder and CEO Donna Orender said. “It is designed to create the opportunity for the players and guests to learn from each other and develop personal leadership and connection skills.
The emphasis on growing the game and the world around it is something that caught the attention of Baptist Health.
“The Generation W component of the PXGWMPC is as important to us as is the golf tournament,” Mayo said. “Baptist Health values women and the leadership role they play in all aspects of our community.”
The tournament is an official event on the Women’s All Pro Tour, which is one of three US women’s golf developmental tours and the only one that provides a pathway into the Symetra Tour, the LPGA’s official entry point.
While sanctioned by the WAPT, the PXG Match Play Championship is open to all professional players who are not LPGA players.
“This is a pretty significant distinction as a professional event,” tournament founder Mark Berman said. “We are very intentional in providing opportunities for the up-and-coming professional female players.”
