2019 Four Winds Invitational dates announced

(PRESS RELEASE) -- The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians and its Four Winds Casinos are pleased to announce that the 2019 Four Winds Invitational will be held from Friday, 7 June through Sunday, 9 June at Blackthorn Golf Club, located at 6100 Nimtz Parkway, South Bend. The eighth annual tournament will feature a field of professional women golfers from around the world competing on the Symetra Tour – Road to the LPGA. The 2019 tournament will include 144 golfers who will play for a $150,000 purse.

“We are proud to bring back the Four Winds Invitational to South Bend for the eighth straight year,” said Matt Wesaw, Chairman of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians. “The Symetra Tour is an outstanding pathway that grooms some of the best golfers in the world. On a local level, we’ve watched it grow and become an important regional summer event that raises a lot of money for life changing equipment for Beacon Health System — over $545,000 in seven years.”

In addition to the money donated to Beacon, over $1 million in prize money has been awarded to athletes playing in the tournament. Entering the eighth year of tournament competition, a handful of current LPGA Tour stars have passed through South Bend on their way to the biggest stage in women's professional golf. That list includes 2015 Four Winds Invitational champion and seven-time LPGA Tour winner Brooke Henderson. In addition, more than 50 golfers who have finished in the Volvik Race for the Card top 10 and graduated from the Symetra Tour teed it up at Blackthorn Golf Club, including 2016 champion Jackie Stoelting.

“The Invitational is a highlight of the summer for many of the Symetra Tour golfers,” said Tim Firestone, Owner and General Manager of Blackthorn Golf Club. “They can see how the community supports the tournament and the various fundraising events that lead up to it. We can’t thank the Pokagon Band and Four Winds Casinos enough for their commitment to them.”

The Four Winds Invitational is one of four Symetra Tour events that are part of the Potawatomi Cup. The Cup highlights the contributions of four member tribes from the Potawatomi Nation who host tournaments throughout the Midwest. As well as the normal purse payout for each event, a total of $40,000 in bonus money is available to players based on performance, including $6,000 to the winner of the Potawatomi Cup.