By Mike May
In early August, while the LPGA’s top players will be playing in Scotland at the AIG Women’s British Open, the future stars of the LPGA will be competing at Indiana’s French Lick Resort. The young women competing on the Epson Tour will be playing in the French Lick Resort Charity Classic, presented by Old National Bank. The 72-hole tournament will be contested on The Pete Dye Course with the players vying for a share of $335,000, the largest purse in the Epson Tour’s history.
“We are grateful to partners like French Lick Resort who fully embrace the ‘Road to the LPGA’ mission of identifying the next generation of LPGA Tour stars,” said Mike Nichols, Chief Business Officer of LPGA Qualifying Tours. “The Pete Dye Course has a tradition of hosting major championship golf. By elevating the tournament experience for the Epson Tour, the French Lick Resort sets an example for our current and future partners of how we can ally to support these professional athletes chasing their dreams.”
In past years, French Lick Resort hosted the Epson Tour on its historic Donald Ross Course, which also previously hosted the LPGA Championship in 1959 and 1960. Patty Tavatanakit, the winner of the 2021 LPGA Chevron Championship, won the Donald Ross Classic in 2019. 
The Pete Dye Course at French Lick has made its mark hosting numerous notable golf tournaments, since its opening in 2009. The course hosted the 2015 Senior PGA Championship, the LPGA Senior Championships from 2017-2021, as well as the PGA Professional National Championship. The Big 10 Men’s Championship returned to The Pete Dye Course at French Lick this past spring and it also hosted the Indiana Men’s Amateur in late June.
“The French Lick Resort has enjoyed hosting the Epson Tour since 2017, and we are proud to lead the way in elevating this tournament and tour in support of these aspiring LPGA Tour players,” said Dave Harner, Director of Golf at French Lick Resort. “We have a proud history of hosting both major professional and amateur championship golf on both the Donald Ross and Pete Dye courses and are proud to add the French Lick Resort Charity Classic to this legacy in 2022.”
The actual tournament will be preceded by a kid’s clinic, Tuesday, August 2 and a pro-am on Wednesday, August 3.
The tournament will benefit the Riley Children’s Foundation, plus other local charities.
The third and fourth rounds of the French Lick Resort Charity Classic will be livestreamed, so the Epson Tour experience can be viewed on a global scale. Additionally, the tournament will be designated as the Tour’s flagship event, meaning it will receive the most Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings points of any tournament throughout the season.
Learn more at: https://frenchlick.com/golf/events/flrcharityclassic
