PROFESSIONAL GOLFERS FROM 28 COUNTRIES COMPETING IN RIVER REGION THIS WEEK

GUARDIAN CHAMPIONSHIP EXTENDED THREE YEARS

Prattville, Alabama – September 19, 2018

P rofessional golf has been played on Alabama's Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail for the last 21 years consecutively and this tradition will continue. Today, Guardian Credit Union, the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, Symetra Tour and River Region elected officials announced a three year extension for the Guardian Championship. Originally contracted through 2019, the agreement now extends into 2022.

“Guardian is excited for another great tournament at Capitol Hill this year and to extend our relationship for an additional three years," said Guardian Credit Union CEO Heath Harrell. "We are pleased with the outcome from the 2017 Guardian Championship and are looking forward to growing the event this year and beyond. Guardian has been invested in the community for 60 years now and we are proud to continue the tradition of women’s golf in Alabama.”

2018 Guardian Championship
This week 120 professional women's golfers from 28 countries will compete in the The Symetra Tour's Guardian Championship. This will be the second year for the locally sponsored event at the Capitol Hill location on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. The 54-hole tournament will take place Friday, September 21 through Sunday, September 23. Guardian Credit Union, based in Montgomery, is sponsoring the Guardian Championship and offering free admission to the event. This will be the 11th year for professional women golf competing at RTJ Capitol Hill and the 21st year on the RTJ Golf Trail.

This year the Guardian Championship purse has increased to $160,000 (up from $100,000 last year) with the winner taking home $24,000 (up from $15,000). The top 10 players on the Symetra Tour’s Volvik Race for the Card money list at the end of the season earn LPGA Tour membership for 2019. All of the Top 30 players on the Symetra Money List are currently in the field. Last year's winner, Lindsey Weaver, has gone on to the LPGA along with Alabama's Emma Talley and several other golfers.

Free Family Events
To make the event more fan friendly this year, several community events involving the players have been planned during tournament week. Symetra Tour golfers will oversee a putting competition in one of Prattville's Guardian branches, inspire children in the Alabama Power Junior Clinic and conduct the coin toss at two local high school football games that week.

Here are a list of activities that will happen tournament week.
• Wednesday, Sept. 19 - Alabama Power Junior Clinic at 10 a.m. at RTJ Capitol Hill with Symetra Tour golfers. Players participating include Lakareber Abe and Janie Jackson from the University of Alabama; University of Florida's Samantha Wagner; Casey Danielson from Stanford University; Michigan State's Allyssa Ferrell and Celina Yuan of Australia. Pro-Am that afternoon.

• Thursday, Sept. 20 - Guardian Championship Pro-Am. 3:30 p.m. - Golf clinic for area residents with Muscular Dystrophy. This will be held next to the media center and will involve Symetra Tour golfers.

• Friday, Sept. 21 - First day of competition at the Guardian Championship begins at 7 a.m. Free admission. Players doing coin toss at Prattville vs. Enterprise game in Prattville (Carlie Carr of Auburn and her husband Quindarius Carr, a former Auburn wide receiver) and Sidney Lanier vs. Carver game (Lakareber Abe and Cheyenne Knight of Alabama) at Crampton Bowl. Both games start at 7 p.m.

• Saturday, Sept. 22 - Second day of competition. begins at 7 a.m. Cut to top 60 and ties.

• Sunday, Sept. 23 - Final day of competition begins at 8 a.m. with completion approximately at 3 p.m., depending on weather. Awards ceremony immediately following play.

Players to Watch
This year's field of 120 golfers will feature golfers who played collegiately in the State of Alabama including Carlie Carr, Marta Sanz Barrio and Patricia Sanz Barrio (sisters) from Auburn University; Fatima Fernandez Cano from Troy University and Lakareber Abe, Janie Jackson, Cheyenne Knight and Stephanie Meadow from the University of Alabama. Meadow is currently second on the money list, has competed in LPGA events at RTJ Capitol Hill and represented North Ireland in the Rio Olympic Games. Born in Mobile, Avery George is in the field but now lives in Georgia. Most of the SEC schools have representation in the Guardian Championship, as well.

The top 10 golfers in the field based on the Symetra Tour money list are: Dottie Ardina (Philippines), Stephanie Meadow (Northern Ireland and University of Alabama), Linnea Strom (Sweden), Elizabeth Szokol (USA), Charlotte Thomas (England), Ruixin Liu (China), Isi Gabsa (Germany), Jenny Haglund (Sweden), Pavaria Yoktuan (Thailand) and Stephanie Kono (USA).

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