INAUGURAL WHITE SANDS BAHAMAS PRO-AM ENDS IN A FIVE-WAY TIE; ALISON LEE WINS PAR-3 SHOOTOUT

The inaugural White Sands Bahamas Golf Series Pro-Am ended in a five-way tie Saturday, with Megan Khang, Paula Reto, Brooke Pancake, Jillian Hollis and Alison Walshe each carding an 8-under-par 64. The five players decided to share the $10,000 prize after a potential playoff was scuttled because of dangerous weather at the Ocean Club Golf Course at Atlantis, Paradise Island, The Bahamas.

“Despite the weather, the tournament was a successful one and we look forward to the continuation of the White Sands Golf series, here in the Bahamas,” stated the Minister of Tourism, the Hon. Dionisio D’Aguliar

A field of 22 female professionals, most from the LPGA Tour, competed in the pro-am, which featured a shamble format in which each player on his or her respective team had to play his or her own ball after selecting the best shot off the tee among the group.

After the pro-am was completed, the 22 players competed in a shootout at the 161-yard par-3 12thhole at Atlantis’ Ocean Club Golf Course. The competition was conducted in a single-elimination bracket format in which the player with the shot closest to the hole advanced, provided the player’s shot found the green.

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Contact:
Mike Harmon 205.281.6704 mike@globalgolfmanagement.com

California native Alison Lee won the shootout and the $5,000 first prize by defeating New Zealand golfer Tania Tare, who primarily is known for her trick- shot resume. Lee used a 7-iron for the winning shot, which ended up about 20 feet behind the hole.

“I was nervous over those last few shots,” said Lee, 23, who is starting her fifth year as a professional. “This was a really fun event. I had never done anything like that (the shootout) before. I really enjoyed it and the whole day. It was a great opportunity to play.”

The team competition was won by Olafia Kristinsdottir and her pro-am partners with a team score of 118. The winning amateurs were Kenny Hill, Mike Bullard, Ron Windeguard and Ashley Michel.

“The White Sands Pro-am was tremendous. Our tour professionals, sponsors, and out-of-town guests enjoyed the best of the Bahamas with incredible VIP functions, highlighted by the pro-am,” Global Golf Management’s Jeff Raedle said. “The post-round shootout was a smash. Kudos to Atlantis and the Ocean Club Golf Course for making it all happen. We hit it out of the park.”

The White Sands Bahamas Golf Series Pro-Am is the first of three golfing events this year at Atlantis, Paradise Island’s Tom Weiskopf-designed Ocean Club Golf Course, the 18-hole par 72 championship course that stretches over 7,100 yards on the resort’s oceanside peninsula. Among the players who competed Saturday included Lexi Thompson, ranked fifth in the Rolex World Golf Ranking, and Brittany Lincicome, who won the last two editions of the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic that was held at the Ocean Club from 2013-18.

In addition to the pro-am, the White Sands Bahamas Series also features the Golf Channel and Golf Advisor “Round Trip TV Show and Getaway” hosted by Golf Channel personality and travel expert Matt Ginella. Participants can compete in a two-day tournament at the Ocean Course and enjoy a variety of other activities and events at Atlantis including an exclusive “Casino Night.” Among the other perks are behind-the-scenes access to Golf Channel production and a chance to win tickets to the 2020 Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course.

Capping off the series are a pair of collegiate golf events, back to back, starting in late October and featuring some of the top teams in NCAA Division I golf. The White Sands NCAA Invitationals, hosted by the University of Houston, will feature eight-team 54-hole men’s and women’s tournaments. The women’s competition will be held Oct. 27-30 at Atlantis’ Ocean Club Golf Course and the men’s event follows immediately after Oct. 31-Nov. 2.

The winner of the women’s event will receive an exemption into and LPGA event in 2020. Similarly, the winner of the men’s event will receive and exemption into a PGA Tour tournament next year.

About Global Golf Management

Global Golf Management is a worldwide sports event management company. With headquarters in Chicago, GGM has successfully staged nearly 1,000 events on five continents since its inception in 1989, including major championships on the PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS and LPGA, as well as the Olympic Golf competition. While GGM specializes in professional golf tournament production, our seasoned team also manages and conducts corporate outings and other golf-related event ventures. For more information,
visit www.GlobalGolfManagement.comor www.twitter.com/GlobalGolfMgmt.

About the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism

The Islands Of The Bahamas have a place in the sun for everyone. Each island has its own personality and attractions for a variety of vacation styles with some of the world’s best scuba diving, fishing, sailing, boating, as well as, shopping and dining. The destination offers an easily accessible tropical getaway and provides convenience for travelers with preclearance through U.S. customs and immigration, and the Bahamian dollar is on par with the U.S. dollar. Do everything or do nothing, just remember It’s Better in The Bahamas. For more information call 1-800-Bahamas or visit www.Bahamas.com.

About Atlantis, Paradise Island:
Atlantis, Paradise Island is a lush, oceanside resort located on Paradise Island in The Bahamas. A dynamic destination that launched 20 years ago as a first-of-its-kind modern marvel of nature and engineering, Atlantis has embarked on a new chapter tied to a meaningful connection with the ocean, Bahamian culture and the spirit of the property’s over 7,500 employees. The resort’s new, immersive programming connects guests to the rich history, art, people, food and festivities of The Bahamas.

Atlantis features five distinct properties in which to stay, from the iconic The Royal to The Beach and The Coral to the luxury properties, The Cove and The Reef. The Coral has reopened as a fully redesigned family escape with a new lobby, new rooms, and new amenities, including a new pool designed by Jeffrey Beers. Recently, The Cove celebrated a series of new design collaborations, restaurants and guest experiences, each paying homage to Bahamian traditions,

culture, cuisine, colorful design and the ocean that surrounds the islands. The opening of the new Cove brings two restaurants – Sip Sip, led by Bahamian Chef Julie Lightbourn and Fish, by renowned Master Chef José Andres, a newly designed poolscape and cabana sanctuary designed by Lulu DK and a soul-stirring art installation created by Antonius Roberts.

The resort is built around Aquaventure, an innovative, 141-acre waterscape of thrilling slides and river rides, pools and white sand beaches. Home to the largest open-air marine habitat in the world, over 50,000 marine animals from 250 species make their home in the ocean fed environments. From unparalleled meeting and convention space to the luxury Atlantis Marina accommodating yachts up to 220 feet in length overlooking Marina Village, a Bahamian marketplace, the Atlantis experiences are endless. Other resort amenities include the 30,000sf tranquil Mandara Spa, Atlantis Kids Adventures (AKA) for children ages 3-12 and CRUSH, a cutting-edge teen club. The resort’s award-winning 18-hole Tom Weiskopf designed golf course, renowned Atlantis Casino and duty free shopping are complemented by the property's 40 restaurants and lounges with celebrity chef culinary masterpieces including Nobu, by Nobu Matsuhisa; Olives, by Todd English and Casa D’Angelo by Chef Angelo Elia.

Dolphin Cay, the resort’s 14-acre marine mammal habitat, is a state-of-the-art education center and animal-rescue rehabilitation hospital whose first residents were 17 rescue dolphins from Hurricane Katrina. Visitors to Dolphin Cay can participate in creative, non-disruptive “interactions” that build real awareness, stir emotion and help fund the resort’s conservation efforts. Through these guest participations and those offered through Atlantis Marine Adventures, a portion of the cost of each of the new on-property interactions goes back to the Atlantis Blue Project Foundation (ABPF), the resort’s nonprofit, 501(c)3 organization dedicated to saving sea species and their extraordinary habitats throughout The Bahamas and surrounding Caribbean seas.