Last Update :11/20/2018

Kingsmill LPGA event lands title sponsor

Kingsmill LPGA event lands title sponsor

David Hall - Staff writer

After a lengthy and sometimes frustrating search that lasted several years, the Kingsmill Resort’s LPGA event has finally landed a title sponsor.

The women’s shaving brand Pure Silk will become the chief sponsor of the newly renamed Pure Silk Championship, Kingsmill and the LPGA announced Monday.

The company agreed to a three-year deal, from 2019-2021, to sponsor the tournament at the River Course. The 15th edition of the event will be played May 20-26 in Williamsburg for a $1.3 million purse.

“We are excited to be in Williamsburg and serve as the title sponsor of the Pure Silk Championship and continue to sponsor an outstanding roster of LPGA Tour professionals,” Tom Murray, CEO of Perio Inc., the parent company of Pure Silk, said in a statement.

The agreement ends a long, wide-ranging courtship that often ended in near-deals with national corporations. Resort officials expect that having a title sponsor will allow the tournament to put more money back into the community, they told The Daily Press during the 2018 tournament.

The new partnership allows the LPGA to continue to add to the list of winners at Kingsmill, which includes LPGA and World Golf Hall of Famers Annika Sorenstam, Se Ri Pak and Karrie Webb, along with LPGA veteran Cristie Kerr, who has won the event three times.

“Pure Silk brings to the table energy that we are sure will elevate the player and fan experience,” Kingsmill Resort COO John Hilker said. “Their sincere commitment to service and quality goes hand-in-hand with our core values. It just makes sense.”

The tournament, formerly known as the Kingsmill Championship, has provided memorable finishes – not to mention beginnings – in recent years.

In May, current world No. 1 Ariya Jutanugarn survived a three-way playoff to defeat Japanese teen sensation Nasa Hataoka and two-time major champion In Gee Chun. On the second playoff hole, Jutanugarn drilled a 15-footer for birdie to claim her first of three wins of the 2018 season and her second title in the past three seasons on the River Course.

In 2017, tour star Lexi Thompson famously skydived, in tandem with a Navy SEAL, into her pro-am and went on to set a tournament scoring record in capturing her eighth career win.

“The atmosphere of this tournament is something you can't really describe,” Thompson said after her victory. “Just the town and the fans that come out, it's a very relaxing and supportive community for this event, and I think we all just really enjoy coming here.”

LPGA Commissioner Michael Whan said the agreement with Pure Silk is “a great match.”

“Pure Silk is not only an incredible title partner, but also a marketing partner, a sponsor of numerous LPGA athletes and, most importantly, a great friend,” Whan said. “We’re excited to build on the rich history the LPGA has at Kingsmill with the Pure Silk Championship.”

According to Kingsmill’s website, the tournament has made an economic impact of more than $6 million to the region since it began as an LPGA event in 2003. It has contributed more than $1.5 million to local charities.

The event was preceded by the Michelob Championship at Kingsmill, a PGA Tour tournament held at the course from 1981-2002.

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