Northern Texas PGA Announces New Title Sponsor, Site of the Texas Women's Open

March 21, 2024

NTPGA set to conduct the Destination Grapevine Texas Women’s Open at Grapevine Golf Course
Legends of the LPGA Division Included
Projected Record Total Purse of $150,000

Today, the Northern Texas PGA announced a multi-year agreement with the Grapevine Convention & Visitors Bureau to become the title sponsor of the Texas Women’s Open. The Championship will be named the “Destination Grapevine Texas Women’s Open.”

The Destination Grapevine Texas Women’s Open will take place May 29 – 31, 2024, at Grapevine Golf Course in Grapevine, Texas. It will be the 44th playing of this historic event.

The Women’s Texas Open was first played in 1933. Some of the game’s greatest names won the event in its early years, including Babe Zaharias, Betty Jameson and Betsy Rawls. The playing of the event was stopped in 1955 and revived in 2001 by the Northern Texas PGA to promote the game to female golfers throughout the region. The name was changed to the Texas Women’s Open.

Today, the Texas Women’s Open offers a competitive tournament for some of the best professional and amateur female golfers in the country.

In 2020, the Championship featured an incredibly talented professional field that included numerous LPGA Tour stars. It was the first professional golf tournament played in the world following the COVID shutdown. The current world number three ranked golfer, Celine Boutier, captured the Championship that year.

In 2023, the Texas Women's Open began featuring a separate division for the Legends of the LPGA. The division is sponsored by the Ewing Automotive Group, a longtime partner and supporter of the game of golf in Texas. Eligibility in the Ewing Automotive Group Legends of the LPGA Division is open only to members on the Legends of the LPGA Priority List. Those who were entered last year included World Golf Hall of Famers like Sandra Haynie and Hollis Stacy along with native Texans, Angela Stanford, Jill McGill and Cindy Figg-Currier. This group of Legends combined for more than 50 LPGA Tour wins, including 10 major championships.

The 2024 starting field will be comprised of 144 professionals and top amateurs from all over the country. The Open Division will consist of 120 professionals and amateurs competing for a projected $75,000 purse and the Legends of the LPGA Division will consist of 24 professionals competing for a separate $75,000 purse. The tournament will be played on the Pecan and Mockingbird nines of the 27-hole facility at Grapevine Golf Course.

“Destination Grapevine is proud to be a multi-year sponsor in partnership with Grapevine Golf Course. It’s a great honor for Grapevine and our Byron Nelson-inspired golf course to host the historic and prestigious Texas Women’s Open incorporating the legends of LPGA Championship,” said Paul W. McCallum, Executive Director of the Grapevine Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Defending champion Grace Jin of Huntsville, Texas, will try to become one of only a handful of players to claim more than one Texas Women’s Open title. Only one player has won five Texas Women’s Open events: Babe Zaharias (‘40, ’45, ’46, ‘51 and ’52); other World Golf Hall of Famers who have captured multiple championships include Betty Jameson and Betsy Rawls.

“Over the past several years, the Texas Women’s Open has gained great momentum. It was a goal of the Northern Texas PGA’s Board of Directors to continue that energy by securing a title sponsor and permanent home for the event,” said Mark Harrison, CEO of the Northern Texas PGA. “We couldn’t be more excited than to partner with the Grapevine Convention & Visitors Bureau to enhance the Texas Women’s Open and continue the Championship’s positive momentum.”

“It is also fitting that the City of Grapevine’s own golf course will host the Championship. Grapevine Golf Course is known for its exceptional year-round course conditioning, service and amenities highlighted by a new clubhouse that opened last year. Our team is very excited to work with the team at Grapevine Golf Course led by PGA Director of Golf Robert Singletary, who was instrumental in bringing this partnership to the table," said Harrison.

The Destination Grapevine Texas Women’s Open is open to all professionals and competitive amateurs aged 18 & over. Junior golfers can earn exemptions into the Championship through qualifying events. Eligibility for the Ewing Automotive Group Legends of the LPGA Division is open only to members on the Legends of the LPGA Priority List. Registration is now available at https://www.ntpga.com/texas-womens-open. The entry deadline is Thursday, May 23.

Proceeds from the Championship will benefit the Northern Texas PGA Foundation’s scholarship program with the creation of the Destination Grapevine Texas Women’s Open Scholarship. The scholarship will be designated for a Ewing Automotive NTPGA Junior Tour Member from the Grapevine area who will be attending college this fall. In 2024, the Northern Texas PGA Foundation plans to award more than $700,000 in scholarships to approximately 75 high school seniors from North Texas.

ABOUT THE GRAPEVINE CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU

The Grapevine Convention & Visitors Bureau acts as the promotional arm of the City of Grapevine and is responsible for actively selling, marketing and publicizing Grapevine globally. The Bureau promotes the city’s hotels, meeting facilities, historic and family attractions, festivals and events, dining establishments and retail businesses to the group meetings and leisure markets.

ABOUT GRAPEVINE GOLF COURSE

Grapevine Golf Course is a 27-hole facility located in Grapevine, Texas. The original 18-holes opened in 1979 and was designed by Byron Nelson. In 1999, a third nine opened and was designed by D.A. Weibring’s Golf Resources. Golf enthusiasts for years have enjoyed playing a rare blend of rolling fairways, penalty areas and bunkers that create a simultaneously challenging yet relaxing experience.

ABOUT THE NORTHERN TEXAS PGA

The Northern Texas PGA is one of 41 Sections of the PGA of America. Its geographic territory includes the State of Texas north of the 31st latitude, or just north of Austin. Over 1,000 PGA of America Golf Professionals employed at more than 300 facilities comprise this Section.

Northern Texas PGA headquarters are located on the PGA Frisco campus and feature state-of-the-art office space, a growth of the game pavilion and a golf park designed for junior golfers.

In addition to managing the day-to-day affairs of the Section, the Northern Texas PGA also operates a non-profit and charitable foundation that focuses on five pillars: junior golf, college scholarships, inclusion, internships and military & veterans.

< Older Post

Newer Post >

Mail

Dillard Gets Redemption in Lajitas, Woodson Notches Senior Division Victory

By Steven Clements • December 11, 2024

LAJITAS, Texas (December 10) – Spencer Dillard, PGA assistant professional at Preston Trail Golf Club, won the Duel in the Desert to claim the 2024 Yamaha Golf-Car Company | Srixon and Nike Match Play Championship Open Division title. Rick Woodson, PGA instructor at Sherrill Park Golf Course, claimed the Senior Division title. The No. 1 seeded Dillard battled No. 3 Gabe Reynolds, PGA director of instruction at Topgolf - Dallas, in a 36-hole final match for the title and $10,000. Both players began their run to the championship match back in October at White Bluff Resort where they worked their way through the 32-player match play bracket. “It’s tough to get here. You have to go through a lot of great players, so I feel really satisfied after the long year of hard work,” said Dillard. “He’s [Reynolds] really good. He can make a birdie or an eagle at any point. Playing with Gabe you know you have to bring your best.” After playing 18 holes on Monday, their match stood at 2UP in favor of Dillard. The 2UP lead for Dillard held through 28 holes. Dillard then began to charge on the back nine when he hit his approach shot on the par-4 11th hole to 10 inches for a conceded birdie. He followed that up on the 12th with another birdie after a 20-foot putt. An errant tee shot on the 14th saw his lead cut to only 3UP with four holes to play. After winning the 14th hole, Reynolds hit his tee shot into the rocks on the right side of the 15th hole. After an unsuccessful attempt to play the shot, Reynolds conceded the hole, and the match ended with a 4&3 victory for Dillard. This is the second year that Dillard has made it to the final match. Last year he fell to Chad Moscovic 7&6 in 36 holes. The redemption victory in Lajitas marks Dillard’s first individual Section major championship victory. It caps off a stellar year, one in which he also earned the Yamaha Golf-Car Company | Srixon and Nike Player of the Year Award presented by Adventures In Golf and the Ben Hogan | NTPGA Stroke Play Scoring Average Award. “Finally! I’m usually just a team champion! It feels great to finally do it on my own,” said Dillard.

Ewing Charity Classic Benefits NTPGA Foundation & PGA of America Golf Professional Wins Mercedes-Benz Car in Closest to the Hole Shootout

By Harper Lawson • December 3, 2024

DALLAS, Texas (December 2) – The 19th Annual Ewing Charity Classic, a fundraising golf tournament conducted by the Northern Texas PGA for the benefit of the Northern Texas PGA Foundation, was held today at Brook Hollow Golf Club. This year’s event raised $303,000 for the Northern Texas PGA Foundation. The Ewing Charity Classic, formerly the Westcott Pro-Am (from 1996-2005), is widely considered one of the most special and unique pro-am events in the country with $5,946,500 raised during the past 30 years for the benefit of the Northern Texas PGA Foundation's broad-based community outreach programs. The money raised helps to further the Foundation’s mission to positively impact lives and communities through golf. The Ewing Charity Classic featured 22 teams consisting of three amateurs, a PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions, Korn Ferry Tour or LPGA Tour player and a PGA of America golf professional. Past and present tour players that participated in this year’s event included Si Woo Kim, Pierceson Coody, Ally Ewing, Kevin Tway, Chad Campbell, Ryan Palmer, Hayden Springer, Todd Hamilton, Kelly Kraft, Mac Meissner, Paul Stankowski and others. The 18-hole format this year was as follows: The tour player and club professional played a modified alternate shot and the amateurs played their own ball with full handicaps (maximum of 28). The team score was the professional team score plus the low net score of the amateurs. The winning team was led by PGA Professionals Nic Ishee and Ben Swaffield and included amateurs Bill Duvall, Bill Hickey, and Cary Newman. Together, they shot an impressive 24-under par, 116, to claim victory in the competition. Ishee and Swaffield, both golf professionals at Preston Trail Golf Club, entered the evening prior to the event due to Cameron Doan, director of golf at Preston Trail Golf Club, and his partner Rich Beem not being able to play. For full event results, please click HERE . Following the competition, PGA Professionals participated in the highly anticipated Closest to the Hole Shootout, where the winner would drive home in a brand-new 2025 Mercedes-Benz C300, generously provided by Ewing Automotive. This year’s shootout took place on the Brook Hollow Golf Club tenth tee box from 125 yards under the lights. As the evening settled into a cool, brisk Texas night, the air was filled with the lingering scent of cigar smoke, adding a touch of tradition and camaraderie to the PGA Professionals' Closest to the Hole Shootout. Ben Swaffield hit an incredible approach and landed just 7 and a 1/2 inches from the hole, a distance no one could best. Despite strong competition from the field, Swaffield’s shot held up, securing him the grand prize—a brand-new Mercedes-Benz C300. “I got the 125 yards with a perfect pitching wedge in the cold, kind of embraced it while everyone watched on,” said Ben Swaffield, PGA assistant professional at Preston Trail Golf Club, after receiving the keys to his new car. “It wasn’t do or die, I just wanted to hit a good shot and it turned out great.” After 25 more professionals hit, no one had bested the Australian native. The second-place prize was claimed by Sean Hanson, PGA head professional at Pinecrest Country Club, who put his shot 10 feet, 9 ¾ inches from the hole, earning a $5,000 prize. Chad Moscovic, PGA director of instruction at The Ronny Golf Park secured third place and $3,000 with a shot of 11 feet, 8 inches. The closest to the hole contest was Mr. Ewing’s idea as a way to not only help raise funds for the Northern Texas PGA Foundation but also to say a special thank you to the PGA of America golf professionals who participate in the event. In 2012, it was so well received that Mr. Ewing decided to keep the shootout going and has given away a car to a PGA of America golf professional each year since.