LONGBOW GOLF CLUB, THE CACTUS TOUR ANNOUNCE FIELD FOR 2ND ANNUAL LONGBOW CACTUS CUP CHAMPIONSHIP
MESA, Ariz. (December 22, 2021) – Longbow Golf Club and The Cactus Tour have announced the field for the 2nd annual Longbow Cactus Cup Championship, the one-round season-ending stroke play championship featuring four of The Cactus Tour’s top money winners in 2021. Top money winner Kendra Dalton, second-ranked Nishtha Madan, fourth-ranked Gabriella Then, and fifth-ranked Elizabeth Wang have committed to face off at Longbow Golf Club in Mesa on Monday, December 27, 2021, for the winner-take-all $10,000 prize. Spectators are invited to attend the exhibition free of charge.
“We are excited to team up with The Cactus Tour for a second time, and welcome four of the top women professional golfers in the region for a season ending exhibition,” said Bob McNichols, Longbow Golf Club General Manager. “The Cactus Tour made national news for offering professional golfers an opportunity to safely compete during the world pandemic. The season finale Longbow Cactus Cup, first introduced in 2020, will again reward the best of the 2021 Cactus Tour professionals with an exciting format match and a significant cash prize.”
“Exhibition golf matches have proven to be a huge draw on other professional tours, and The Cactus Tour is really looking forward to our own day of fun-filled championship golf at one of Arizona’s best courses for competitive golf,” said Mike Brown, Tour Director. “The Cactus Tour has awarded over $2.75 million to professional women playing in regional competition over the past ten years alone.
“Longbow Golf Club has been a great partner, and these amazing players will be hungry to take that season winner’s check home!”
For the second straight year, in addition to the match on the course, the four participants will participate in a virtual competition on the practice range, as they utilize the popular practice range technology on the Longbow Toptracer Range. Players will post their highest scores in Long Drive, Precision, and Precision Series. Their scores will be saved to compare with last year’s four competitors and for the public to compete in a virtual Beat the Pros format during their own future practice sessions at Longbow Golf Club powered by Toptracer Range.
The money leader on the Cactus Tour in 2021, Kendra Dalton won three times in eight starts this season, taking home $13,575 to lead more than 150 professionals on the tour. The Wake Forest, North Carolina native also made twenty starts on the LPGA Symetra Tour this season. A Brigham Young University graduate, Dalton enters the Longbow Cactus Cup Championship with a win and a third-place finish in her two most recent Cactus Tour events.
Nishtha Madan is the second-ranked golfer on the 2021 Cactus Tour money list, winning $10,650 in seven starts, including two wins. A Sacramento State University alum, Madan hails from India and turned pro in Spring of 2020. Her two wins in 2021 came in a three event span in late April/early May.
Winner of the LET Q-School Qualifier Tournament in Spain this past weekend, Gabriella Then has entered six Cactus Tour events this year with two wins and $9,065 in earnings. Then recently returned to golf at the beginning of 2021 after a year and a half hiatus. The former University of Southern California standout finished her collegiate career as USC’s record holder in rounds played (145) and is the fourth-ranked money leader on the 2021 Cactus Tour. Then has also made eight starts, including one win, on Women’s All Pro Tour this year.
Elizabeth Wang has made five starts on the Cactus Tour in 2021, winning one event for $5,655, good for fifth on this year’s money list. A San Marino, California native, Wang won the Q-Prep event in Rancho Mirage, Calif., in July. As a freshman at Harvard University in 2019, Wang won the Ivy League Championship, and made multiple LPGA Tour starts as a teenaged amateur.
“Each of the competitors owns her impressive golf resume with noteworthy wins from the junior ranks, to college and eventually the professional stage,” said McNichols. “Longbow Golf Club has become synonymous with championship golf, and I can’t wait to see these champions in action at the end of the year 2021. We are proud to continue this women’s professional golf match, The Longbow Cactus Cup Championship, in partnership with The Cactus Tour.”
Haley Moore was the winner of last year’s inaugural Longbow Cactus Cup Championship. Moore faced off against Brittany Yada, Mina Harigae, and Savannah Vilaubi. Yada and Vilaubi shot 3-over 75s. Harigae shot a 74 and watched as Moore had a par putt on the par-5 18th for a 73 that would have won it. But Moore missed and so they went over to the 1st tee for the playoff. On that hole, Moore, the University of Arizona standout and national champion, knocked her approach to two feet and she made the short birdie putt to claim the prize.
For more information, including sponsorship and advertising inquiries, please call Longbow Golf Club at (480) 807-5400, or email info@longbowgolf.com.
About Longbow Golf Club
Longbow Business Park and Golf Club is a 330-acre, mixed-use development, being developed by Daedalus Real Estate Advisors, that incorporates office, light industrial, retail, hotel and residential uses surrounded by desert vegetation, a main street transportation design and features the award-winning Longbow Golf Club. Troon-managed Longbow Golf Club was originally designed by Ken Kavanaugh in 1997. In 2003, Daedalus commissioned Kavanaugh to execute a complete redesign of the golf course creating a complete refresh layout. For more information, call (480) 807-5400, or visit www.longbowgolf.com.
About The Cactus Tour
Founded in 2005, The Cactus Tour was created for professional women golfers, and highly skilled amateurs, as a place to play outside of the LPGA and The Symetra Tour. It has evolved from a venue for players to improve, to a place to prepare for events during the off-season. The tour draws professionals from all major world tours, as well as amateurs looking for a test against high-quality competition. For more information call (520) 312-8642, or visit www.thecactustour.com.
About Troon
Longbow Golf Club is professionally managed by Troon. Headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., Troon is the world’s largest golf management company providing services at 630-plus locations around the globe, including managing 650-plus 18-hole equivalent golf courses. In addition to golf, Troon specializes in homeowner association management, private residence clubs, estate management and associated hospitality venues. Troon’s award-winning food and beverage division operates and manages 615-plus food and beverage operations located at golf resorts, private clubs, daily fee golf courses and recreational facilities. With properties located in 45-plus states and 30-plus countries, Troon’s family of brands includes Troon Golf, Troon Privé, Troon International, Indigo Sports, CADDIEMASTER, True Club Solutions, Cliff Drysdale Tennis, Peter Burwash International and RealFood Hospitality, Strategy and Design. For additional news and information, visit www.Troon.com, or connect with Troon on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Troon Chronicles, Press Room, or subscribe to Troon Magazine.
About Toptracer Range
Toptracer is transforming the game of golf on the range, on the course, on television and even in major sports stadiums. The dynamic technology tracks the flight of a golf ball, displays its path in video and analyzes every shot hit. Topgolf licensed Toptracer Range to driving ranges and tournament directors for a more interactive golf experience. Toptracer Range is being installed in a growing number of driving ranges around the world. Additionally, Toptracer continues to enrich the experience of watching golf on TV during some of the biggest tournaments in the world, including The Open Championship and Ryder Cup.
Contacts:
Longbow Golf Club
(480) 807-5400
info@longbowgolf.com
The Cactus Tour
(520) 312-8642
cactustourgolf@hotmail.com