Safeway International Amateur Open Will Provide LPGA Opportunity for Players

Tournament Golf Foundation, Inc. (TGFI), the owners and organizers for the Safeway International, have announced that they will hold the Safeway International Amateur Open on Thursday February 22 at Superstition Mountain Golf and Country Club, the site of the LPGA event. The 18-hole qualifier will begin at 10:30 am. The lowest score in that event will earn a playing position in the Safeway International LPGA tournament to be held March 19-25. The next two low scores will earn spots in the Monday Qualifier for the tournament. The top two players from the Monday qualifier will play in the tournament proper.

Any woman amateur golfer with an established USGA handicap of 2.0 or less is eligible to compete. The field will be limited to 72 players. According to TGFI President Tom Maletis, This is a unique opportunity for amateur golfers to win a chance to compete at the highest level in the game.

The Safeway International Amateur Open will have a $75 entry fee, payable to TGFI. Players can apply by calling the Safeway International office at 602-495-GOLF. Entry deadline for the event will be February 10.

The Safeway International has been a featured event on the LPGA Tour since 1983. The event has now donated over $11 million to local charities, with cancer research programs at Banner Health Foundation being the primary beneficiary. The 2007 edition of The Safeway International, presented by Coca-Cola, will have a purse of $1.5 million and will be broadcast on The Golf Channel.

Juli Inkster won the 2006 edition of the tournament and will return to defend her title. The field for the event in 2006 was one of the strongest on the LPGA tour and 2006 should be no exception.

Begun in 1972, TGFI is comprised of 40 individuals and couples, whose mission is to provide world class golf while helping raise money for local charities. TGFI is also the owner and operator of the Safeway Classic in Portland, OR.

Foran application for the Safeway Amateur Open, click here.

For more information on the Safeway International and Tournament Golf Foundation, visit their website: www.safewaygolf.com.