EL DORADO, AR, (August 14, 2021) — Murphy USA is giving back to the community with the return of the Murphy USA El Dorado Shootout and Symetra Tour, which is set for September 18 – 26 at Mystic Creek Golf Club. Presented by PepsiCo, the Shootout is a LPGA qualifying tournament that will help move 108 professional female golfers from around the world closer toward earning their LPGA cards as they vie for the purse of $175,000.
The sixth annual event will also serve as a fundraiser for two charitable foundations with a common goal: to provide a support system in the fight against breast cancer. Organizers have announced that the #teamcorrie Cancer Foundation and Susan G. Komen® will be the beneficiaries of proceeds that are raised by the 2021 Murphy USA El Dorado Shootout.
The tournament was not held in 2020 to accommodate construction of a new, state-of-the-art clubhouse at Mystic Creek. Tournament organizers said the new clubhouse will not only enhance one of the premiere golf courses in the region, but also the Murphy USA El Dorado Shootout and Symetra Tour experience.
“We’re very excited to bring the tournament back after not hosting it last year,” said tournament director Courtney Crotty.
“It’s ironic to us how things have progressed in the past year. We had already planned not to host the tournament in 2020,” Crotty continued. “With (the coronavirus, COVID-19), it worked out even better that we decided to postpone it and just not have the tournament in 2020.”
Crotty said the community and tournament volunteers are amped up to welcome Symetra golfers back to Mystic Creek, El Dorado, and Union County The golfers with whom organizers have spoken are also looking forward to the event.
#teamcorrie Cancer Foundation
After having been on hiatus for a year, Shootout committee members also agreed they needed to raise the bar to celebrate the return of the event.
One of the first orders of business was to select a local charity that Murphy USA, tournament sponsors and the community could get behind.
“#teamcorrie came to mind, based on the work they have done for families in Union County for the last nine years,” Crotty said.
The #teamcorrie Cancer Foundation was founded in 2013 in honor of Parkers Chapel resident Corrie Jo Gross Bechtelheimer, who lost a two-year battle with breast cancer on June 6, 2014. She was 35 years old.
Gross Bechtelheimer was described as a “cancer warrior” and #teamcoorie offers financial assistance in the form of one-time grants to help offset “extreme” expenses that can incur for families with a “cancer warrior” who is undergoing medical treatment for the disease.
The Paint Mystic Creek Pink 5K family walk/run will kick off the Shootout at 9 a.m. on Saturday, September 18. Crotty said the walk/run will replace the annual Paint the Town Pink that is traditionally held in downtown El Dorado.
The color pink denotes support of breast cancer patients, charities, foundations and research.
Susan G. Komen
The Murphy USA El Dorado Shootout typically selects one local charity to support, but this year, the tournament threw its support behind a second charitable cause that is also meeting a vital need in the community with a mission that is similar to #teamcorrie.
Susan G. Komen, based in Dallas, provides resources for breast cancer patients all over the U.S. The organization also funds research into the causes and treatment of and finding a cure for breast cancer.
Komen Arkansas serves breast cancer patients in the state with affiliates in Little Rock and Springdale.
The national organization was formed in 1982 by Nancy Brinker, the younger sister of namesake Susan G. Komen, 36. Komen died of breast cancer in 1980.
“Breast cancer does not discriminate. It doesn’t matter what your race or religion is, how you identify or what socio-economic group you’re in, it can affect everybody in some way, shape or form,” said Crotty.
The female-centered golf tournament, , tournament planning committee and partnership with the two charities spawned another hashtag for Shootout 2021: #ChampioningWomen.
“The idea is that when we come together, so much can be accomplished,” Crotty explained.
“Whether we get behind golfers and help them take the next step in their career, help organizations conduct further research for breast cancer or help someone who is going through breast cancer, men and women can get behind women and help build them up,” she added.