LEXINGTON – bd Global, LLC achieved a significant milestone in its inaugural year by securing a Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) tour stop on behalf of The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism. The new event, entitled the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic, will include four tournament rounds with 72 holes of stroke play, a $1.3 million (USD) purse and global coverage on the Golf Channel.
“It is gratifying to see the efforts from all three parties come to fruition,” said bd Global president and founder, Brooks Downing. “Bahamas Tourism Minister Obie Wilchcombe personally requested that we assist him in finding and securing a signature event that would provide international exposure with significant economic impact for his country, and without question, the LPGA Tour’s product met those criteria.
“The LPGA staff, led by Commissioner Mike Whan, was very accommodating and helped us pull this together in a matter of a few months. It took a great amount of cooperation, flexibility and tremendous trust to pull this together in such a short time.”
The event, the first official appearance by the LPGA in The Bahamas, is scheduled for May 23-26, 2013 and is contracted for the corresponding week in 2014 as well. In 2013, the tournament will be played at the Ocean Club Golf Course on Paradise Island. The Golf Channel will produce, televise and distribute the event to the LPGA’s international television partners. The event is expected to generate 4,000 room nights while the television exposure will reach nearly 250 million households in more than 170 countries.
“While it is a tremendous feather in our cap to have played the primary role in bringing the LPGA to The Bahamas, it is very gratifying to see our partners achieve their goals and objectives. Tourism will use the event to continue its effort to brand The Bahamas as an international sports destination location while the LPGA achieves its goal to grow its Tour,” said Downing. “I truly believe that the LPGA Tour is the fastest growing, most affordable global sports property in operation today.”
The LPGA Tour now boasts 28 events with $49 million in prize money. bd Global, a full-service sports marketing and representation agency based in Lexington, Ky., was launched in September by its founder, a 26-year sports industry veteran.