Navistar pulls sponsorship of LPGA stop in Alabama
Lexi Thompson holds high her trophy after winning the Navistar LPGA Classic on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Capitol Hill in Prattville, Ala., on Sunday Sept. 18, 2011.
The LPGA’s future in Prattville, Ala., had been uncertain since Navistar’s longtime CEO Dan Ustian stepped down last summer. The Montgomery Advertiser confirmed on Nov. 14 that Navistar’s new leadership has decided to pull its sponsorship for 2013. The tournament was held over the Senator Course at the Robert Trent Jones Capitol Hill complex from 2007-’12.
LPGA Communications Officer Kraig Kann said tour officials “feel optimistic” that a new sponsor will be found for next season. The fact that the tournament typically has a fall date should help buy extra time to find a replacement. Crowds were slim at this year’s event. Navistar boasted two terrific back-to-back champions in Lexi Thompson and Stacy Lewis, who won both tournament titles in the state of Alabama this season.
“The fact that Navistar has chosen a different path, doesn’t mean that we don’t have a route to a successful outcome,” Kann told Golfweek.
Navistar was one of 15 domestic tournaments on the LPGA schedule in 2012, including majors.
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