KEEPING TOURNEY IN TOWN IS IN KERR’S BEST INTERESTS
Tuesday, May 17th, 2011 at 3:06 pm
Cristie Kerr holds the Bruce Callis Trophy Monday June 14, 2010 after winning the 35th State Farm Classic at Panther Creek Country Club.
A journey to Springfield is usually well worth it for Cristie Kerr, who’s rarely absent from the top tier of the LPGA State Farm Classic leaderboard.
And Kerr, currently No. 3 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, is one of the last players who’d want to see Springfield’s tournament become a thing of the past. With June 9-12 marking the city’s last LPGA event with State Farm on the label, Kerr is ready to talk to any potential new sponsors willing to listen.
“It’s something that (tour players) try and do all the time,” Kerr said during a conference call on Tuesday. “It’s not just when one sponsor is leaving; we try to deal with current partners, too. What can we do better for you as a sponsor?
“In (Springfield’s) case, with State Farm already making their announcement, we’ll do whatever the tour needs us to do. We’re vested in this tour. It’s our livelihood, and we’re eager to help.”
Long-running, full-field domestic LPGA events such as Springfield’s have become the exception rather than the norm. Companies have become much more judicious with their advertising dollars.
But Kerr said the Classic’s traditions are its biggest selling points.
“I’m not the person doing sales or marketing,” Kerr said. “But I’d tell (potential sponsors) that the Springfield community embraces the tournament and raises a lot of money for charity through the event.
“It’s something that little-girl golfers in the community look forward to, and it’s great for corporate marketing and entertaining. From a brand standpoint, it helps elevate your brand by hosting a tournament like this one.”
Record of success
Why wouldn’t Kerr want to keep teeing it up in central Illinois? In her 11 combined appearances at The Rail Golf Course and Panther Creek Country Club, she has:
• won twice, including last year’s rain-delayed victory at Panther Creek;
• finished second twice;
• finished in the top 10 seven times,
• and missed the top 20 and missed the cut just one time each.
It’s added up to $809,580 in winnings — a nice deposit toward Kerr’s $12.2 million career earnings entering the 2011 season.
Despite suffering from a cold and contending with weather that forced several stops and restarts in tournament play last year, Kerr continued her run of success here.
