The Women’s All Pro Tour, the official qualifying tour for the LPGA’s Symetra Tour, and the Babe Zaharias Foundation has announced a two-year partnership that will bring women’s professional golf back to the Golden Triangle. The Babe Zaharias Open will feature 78 of the best LPGA hopefuls competing on the beautiful Beaumont Country Club.
“We are excited to bring women’s pro golf back to Southeast Texas. The re-launch of the historic Babe Zaharias Open and the partnership with Babe’s foundation fits perfectly into the philosophy of what the WAPT stands for – More Opportunities for Women in Sports,” says Gary DeSerrano, President of WAPT.
The Babe Zaharias Open was a golf tournament on the LPGA Tour from 1953 to 1967. It was played at the Beaumont Country Club from 1953 to 1964 and at the Bayou Din Golf Club from 1965 to 1967. Babe Zaharias, LPGA co-founder, and Beaumont resident hosted the tournament until her death in 1956. She won the first edition of the event.
The new Babe Zaharias Open will be held September 15-17, 2020 at Beaumont CC. The week will include a pro-am event, clinics, parties and a 72-hole championship finishing on Friday, September 17th. The tournament purse is expected to be $40,000 with the tournament champion taking home $7,500. The tournament’s winner will also receive an exemption into an LPGA Symetra Tour event.
“Babe Didrikson Zaharias brought Women’s Golf and the Ladies Professional Golf Association to new heights winning 82 tournaments including 14 in a row”, says Babe Zaharias Foundation president, WL Pate, President. “She has left a legacy that inspires all women athletes, particularly in golf. We believe that partnering with WAPT will expand the opportunities for young women golfers who want to follow in Babe’s footsteps and we are happy to play a role in that process. The funds raised from this event will help us enhance our scholarship program for Women’s Athletics at Lamar University as well as update our exhibits in our museum.
ABOUT WAPT
A subsidiary of K&G Sports LLC, the WAPT represents one of the best development opportunities for golf professionals in the USA to hone their competitive skills, while preparing for a life on the Symetra and LPGA Tours. 2019 LPGA Tour graduates include Yealimi Noh, Concord CA and Matilda Castren, Finland. Follow the WAPT on the web at www.wapt.golf, facebook.com/waprotour/, Twitter: @waptgolf, and Instagram @waptgoplf
About the Babe Zaharias Foundation
Babe Didrikson Zaharias Foundation began in 1969 with the goal of promoting the legacy of The World’s Greatest Female Athlete, Babe Didrikson Zaharias. Since that time, the only museum in the world to built solely for the achievements of one female athlete. Located at 1750 I-10 Beaumont, Texas, it has many pictures and historical items highlighting Babe’s phenomenal career in basketball, track and field, golf, as well as other sports in which she excelled.
In an effort to promote her legacy and encourage other young women in the area of sports, our foundation has endowed seven scholarships for women’s athletics at Lamar University. Several have gone on to professional careers. By partnering with the WAPT, our foundation can continue to accomplish our goal of promoting women’s golf that was dramatically changed when Babe Didrikson Zaharias became a founding member of the Ladies Professional Golf Association.