Virginia Golfer Mar / Apr 2018 | Page 32

“ Hosting professional events at Kingsmill is part of its culture and we wanted to make sure we preserved that tradition.”
A Tradition Preserved
Kingsmill is a well-established championship destination that boasts a world-class test for LPGA players.
David Matheson, one of Escalante’ s ownership partners.“ It’ s what a lot of people know Kingsmill for. It’ s important to continue that.”
Escalante closed on its purchase last March, two months before Lexi Thompson won the Kingsmill Championship with a record-setting score of 20-under par. In August, the company and LPGA announced a three-year agreement that ensures the River Course its customary place on the LPGA’ s May calendar. This year’ s event runs May 17-20.
LPGA commissioner Mike Whan met Escalante’ s management team in Texas soon after its purchase and gathered
“ Hosting professional events at Kingsmill is part of its culture and we wanted to make sure we preserved that tradition.”
David Matheson
again during tournament week to play in the pro-am and talk.“ By then, Escalante’ s buy-in was pretty powerful,” Schulze says.“ They talked a lot about the Golf Channel footage being basically an eighthour commercial and using that as a marketing piece more than Xanterra ever did.”
Considering the River Course’ s scenic vistas, that show usually looks great on television. That’ s in addition to the strong player fields the tournament routinely draws despite its below-average $ 1.3 million purse.
“ The players want to play the Kingsmill Championship because it’ s a world-class test,” LPGA commissioner Mike Whan says.
WHAT: The Kingsmill Championship presented by Geico.
WHEN: May 17-20
WHERE: The River Course( 6,430 yards, par 71) at Kingsmill Resort, Williamsburg.
DEFENDING CHAMPION: Lexi Thompson. Thompson shot 20-under last year( 264) to break Annika Sorenstam’ s mark of 19-under in 2008.
PAST CHAMPIONS: Grace Park(’ 03), Se Ri Pak(’ 04), Cristie Kerr(’ 05,’ 09,’ 13), Karrie Webb(’ 06), Suzann Pettersen(’ 07), Annika Sorenstam(’ 08), Jiyai Shin(’ 12), Lizette Salas(’ 14), Minjee Lee(’ 15), Ariya Jutanugarn(’ 16). No event in 2010 and 2011.
Lizette Salas celebrates her victory in 2014.
VANTAGE POINTS
Early to the mid back-nine( par-4 12, par-3 13, par-4 14, par-5 15) could be where contenders move up or move out on the weekend. Last year’ s players found that the easiest four-hole stretch on the course. Fans of birdiefests should camp out at a par-5( 3, 7, 15). They combined last year for a stroke average of nearly a full shot under par.
For degree of difficulty, the par-4 eighth had the sharpest teeth. It gave up an average of just 10 birdies per round while logging the most bogeys, 106.
STEVE HELBER / ASSOCIATED PRESS; KINGSMILL RESORT
30 V IRGINIA G OLFER | M ARCH / A PRIL 2018 vsga. org