Across Central Florida – September 20, 2012 – The newly formed Grand Golf Resorts of Florida,
a Salamander Collection, will host two Legends Tour golf tournaments
this fall: The Handa Cup at Reunion Resort in Orlando from November 2-4,
and the Legends Tour Open Championship at Innisbrook Resort in Tampa
Bay from November 9-11.
“We
are very excited for these two highly regarded resort properties to
host these two premier tournaments,” said Jane Blalock, CEO of The
Legends Tour. “Our continued partnership with Salamander Hotels &
Resorts and its CEO Sheila C. Johnson is particularly meaningful, and
will certainly have a positive impact on the overall growth and future
success of The Legends Tour and women’s golf.”
The Handa Cup
is a 36-hole team tournament featuring USA Legends versus World
Legends. Showcasing 12 players and two captains per team, it is the
first year this annual international team competition will be played on
Reunion Resort’s Palmer Course, an Arnold Palmer Signature Design. Team
USA, the defending champion for six consecutive years under the
direction of LPGA and World Golf Hall of Famer Kathy Whitworth, will be
newly led in 2012 by JoAnn Carner, also a Hall of Fame member and former
Solheim Cup Captain. The World Team will be captained for the second
year in a row by Sweden’s Pia Nilsson, well-known guru of golf who
counts LPGA Tour all-star Annika Sorenstam among her charges.
Just one week later, the ISPS Legends Tour Open Championship
returns to Innisbrook Resort for the fourth consecutive year. This
36-hole stroke play event is held on the resort’s challenging Island
Course, designed by Larry Packard. The tournament, won last year by
two-time LPGA Tour Champion Michele Redman, will feature 40 Legends Tour
professionals competing for the only major championship on the Legends
Tour. The final round falls on Veterans Day, and the tournament will
honor members of the military with free admission and a special
hospitality area on the ninth green. There will also be a paratrooper
jump on Saturday morning and uniformed military personnel will walk with
each pairing as standard bearers on Sunday.
Tickets
for both events are on sale now at thelegendstour.com/tickets and can
also be purchased at the tournament gate. Additionally, advance Legends
Tour Open Championship tickets for Innisbrook are available to AAA
members at a discount at any Florida branch. All ticket proceeds for the
Legends Tour Open Championship benefit Girl Scouts of West Central
Florida. Children under 17 and all military personnel with ID are
admitted free to both events, which also feature complimentary parking
and shuttles.
The
Legends Tour is the Official Legends Tour of the LPGA. The tour began
in 2000 by LPGA professionals to showcase the talents of some of the
greatest women’s golfers of all time. Grand Golf Resorts of Florida was
formed in 2011 by Salamander Hotels & Resorts, which was founded by
Sheila C. Johnson. In addition to Innisbrook and Reunion resorts, the
Grand Golf Resorts collection also features Hammock Beach Resort in Palm
Coast and includes nine golf courses which play from the Gulf to the
Atlantic.
For more information, visit www.thelegendstour.com or follow The Legends Tour on Facebook.
About Grand Golf Resorts of Florida
Three
of Florida’s grandest golf resorts have united under the management of
Salamander Hotels & Resorts. Grand Golf Resorts of Florida
features Innisbrook Resort near Tampa, Reunion Resort in Orlando,
and Hammock Beach Resort in Palm Coast. The collection includes 1200
luxurious villa-style accommodations, and 162 holes of golf designed by
Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson and Larry Packard that form the
Legends of Golf Trail, which traverses 200 miles between the resorts
and across the Sunshine State. All three properties are members of
Preferred Hotels & Resorts. For more information, visit www.grandgolfresorts.com or call (888) 770-6501.
About Salamander Hotels & Resorts
Salamander
Hotels & Resorts is a privately owned and operated company based in
Middleburg, VA, just outside Washington, D.C. Founded by entrepreneur Sheila C. Johnson in 2005, the company has a portfolio that features the Grand Golf Resorts of Florida, a collection of three stellar golf resorts including the recently renovated Innisbrook Resort near Tampa, Reunion Resort in Orlando and the oceanfront Hammock Beach Resort in Palm Coast; and the eagerly anticipated Salamander Resort & Spa
in Middleburg, a 340-acre equestrian-themed, ultra-luxury resort
opening in 2013 and located near Washington, D.C. For additional
information, call (540) 687-3710 or visit www.salamanderhotels.com.
About The Legends Tour
The
Legends Tour is the Official Legends Tour of the LPGA. The tour began
in 2000 by LPGA professionals to showcase the talents of some of the
greatest women’s golfers of all time. The Legends Tour has more than 100
members, including 11 LPGA and World Golf Hall of Fame members. Legends
Tour players have over 650 combined LPGA Tour victories, including 65
major championships. In its 11 seasons, The Legends Tour has awarded
more than $9 million in prize money and helped raise more than $11
million for charity. The Legends Tour has hosted events in Arizona,
Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts,
Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Wisconsin, Japan and Australia. For
additional information on The Legends Tour, log on to www.thelegendstour.com .
