Show is running the event on a tour sponsored by Symetra, an insurance company.
By Dave Yochum. The owner of a Cornelius boutique sports-marketing business—he’s a former sports business journalist—will be running the show at the Ladies Professional Golf Association’s Symetra Classic at River Run Country Club in May.
It’s a big deal: The three-day LPGA event in Davidson will generate some $500,000 to $750,000 in direct spending by players and visitors.
The overall economic impact could be even larger, says Jon Show, the Robbins Park resident who is tournament director. Depending on fan and business support, the Symetra here could easily be bigger than a bass tournament, or a youth-level sports tournament.
The purse alone is worth $175,000. There will be 144 players between the ages of 18 and 28. Symetra brings in about 100 guests each night.
On the men’s or PGA side, the Web.com Tour is the equivalent of Symetra. Both feature professional golfers who are trying to earn enough money to graduate to the bigger tours.
Show is looking for 200 volunteers to pull off the event, which is like a smaller ladies’ version of the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow Club.
Kym Hougham, who ran the Wells Fargo at Quail Hollow for 15 years, was virtually a household word in Charlotte golf circles.
Show himself is a sports marketing guru, with clients all over the country. His company, Show Sports Media, helps businesses, sports properties and athletes leverage media to grow their brands.
The 42-year-old Clemson graduate was a reporter at Sports Business Journal.
Show is also the “Modern Dad” columnist for Cornelius Today as well as the husband of Michelle. They’ve lived in Robbins Park four years.
Show is looking for local and national companies to support the Symetra Classic through sponsorships or playing in the pro-am on May 15. He was PR and marketing director when the event was held at Raintree Country Club.
It can cost $100,000 a year to participate in the Symetra Tour, Show said. Because some of the ladies are on a limited budget, he is looking for volunteers to put up players. Volunteer and host information is online at symetraclassic.com.
Jon and Michelle have two children, one of them a five-year-old girl. He cares about the world in which she will grow up.
Says Jon: “What gets to me is when I stand on the 18th green and hand out the trophy…I want to look out and see a sea of girls who are able to look up and see a positive role model, a professional athlete who has worked her entire life to achieve greatness.”
