Tournament officials announce the five-year partnership extension for the event to run through 2029
Dow, the LPGA Tour and Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational (Dow GLBI) tournament officials have teamed up today to announce an extension for Dow GLBI to run through 2029. The extension marks one of the longest extensions on the LPGA Tour currently and comes as the 2022 event kicked off at Midland Country Club last week, where 72 two-person teams competed for a share of a $2.5 million purse.
“As we celebrated our 125th Anniversary, I couldn’t think of a better way to kick off this year’s event and look ahead to the future than by sharing the news of Dow’s continued commitment to the Great Lakes Bay Region and to the LPGA Tour,” said Jim Fitterling, Dow Chairman and CEO. “Our partnership with the LPGA Tour continues to be a perfect platform for us to positively impact our region while showcasing our efforts in sustainability and inclusion as well as our customer-centric approach to doing business. And we couldn’t have accomplished any of this without the support of our many community partners.”
Since its inception, the Dow GLBI has donated more than $1 million to local charities and organizations. The event partners annually with more than 250 local companies and suppliers and is estimated to have brought more than $25 million in economic impact to the Great Lakes Bay Region. In addition to the official LPGA tournament, the week-long event features many ancillary events and activities meant to engage the entire community including the Eat Great Food Festival, an onsite STEM Center for kids and families, SOAR – an inclusion summit, and more.
The Dow GLBI made its debut in 2019 as the first official team competition in LPGA Tour history. That same year the tournament won LPGA Tournament of the Year – the first time this award was presented to a first-year tournament.
“Dow continues to be a leader in sustainability and inclusion on the LPGA Tour, and we are thrilled to continue this incredible partnership,” said Mollie Marcoux Samaan, LPGA Commissioner. “Partners like Dow not only help elevate the playing field for our golfers, but also allow us to use our collective platform for maximum impact. The longevity of our partnership is a true testament to Dow’s commitment and leadership.”
The Dow GLBI became the first event on the LPGA Tour to receive and retain full GEO® Certification for its sustainability efforts and was also the first-ever professional golf tournament to receive this recognition in its first year of operation. In 2021, the Dow GLBI also became the first-ever event on the LPGA Tour to achieve carbon neutrality, tournament officials announced last week. Dow is the Official Sustainability Resource of the LPGA Tour and the Ladies European Tour offering the league and tournaments strategies and a blueprint to become more sustainable.
“Dow’s purpose is to deliver a sustainable future for the world through our materials science expertise and collaboration with our partners,” said Dow GLBI Executive Director Chris Chandler. “That’s why this
partnership with the LPGA family is so critical – and why it’s a privilege to be a part of it. Together, we believe we can imagine a better future through sport – harnessing the power of sport to drive meaningful and actionable change for our planet.”
The tournament will remain at its host course, Midland Country Club, through 2029, where the 2022 Dow GLBI kicks off today. More information and a detailed schedule of events for this year’s tournament can be found online at www.DowGLBI.com.