The PGA Tour has pulled the plug on a huge event for professional golfers looking to make the big leagues.

Photo by Mick De Paola on Unsplash
Photo by Mick De Paola on Unsplash
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During the inaugural tournament in 2002, the Lake Area welcomed more than 150 golfers from all around the world including Australia, Mexico, Japan, Canada, Korea, UK, and India. The champion of the tournament, Trevor Werbylo, currently plays on the PGA Tour.

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Visit Lake Charles CEO Kyle Edmiston voiced his frustration in a press release:

Words cannot adequately explain the shock and disappointment of this announcement. The inaugural event was scheduled for 2020, but the PGA Tour canceled that tournament in March due to the spread of Covid-19. Since then, we have overcome two massive hurricanes, a freeze of epic proportions, and a 100-year flood, but we persevered and put on an outstanding inaugural event in March 2022. I believed that all four partners were committed to a three-year cycle to get the tournament on financial footing, but I was obviously mistaken.

Photo by Nathan Jennings on Unsplash
Photo by Nathan Jennings on Unsplash
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The PGA Tour is exercising a clause in the contract which allows them to cancel the tournament if a title sponsor is not secured.

Edmiston went on to say in a press release:

I am well aware of the challenges that the PGA Tour is now facing with player defections to LIV Golf, and the need to increase tournament purses and guaranteed money. Visit Lake Charles offered to move from presenting sponsor to title sponsor, but the PGA declined the offer. I didn’t realize that the 26 PGA Korn Ferry tournament spots were now being freely bid to whoever was willing to pay the most money. The Southwest Louisiana community, despite all the many setbacks, has been a stalwart partner in this process, and we definitely feel that this move is unjustified.

Photo by Luis Villasmil on Unsplash
Photo by Luis Villasmil on Unsplash
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Edmiston would also thank all the sponsors and SWLA residents that supported the tournament and said he believes that our area is the perfect place for such an event to thrive.

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