Four Winds Casinos to Sponsor the Second Annual Four Winds Invitational June 21-23 at Blackthorn Golf Club in South Bend

SOUTH BEND, IN--(Marketwire - Dec 18, 2012) - The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, owners of Four Winds Casinos® -- the premier gaming destinations in the Midwest, and the LPGA®, the world's leading women's professional golf organization, are pleased to announce that Four Winds will sponsor the second annual Four Winds Invitational. The tournament will be held from Friday, June 21 through Sunday, June 23, 2013 at the Blackthorn Golf Club in South Bend, Ind. The second annual Four Winds Invitational will feature a field of professional women golfers from around the world competing for a total prize of $150,000, making it once again, the largest purse on the Symetra® Tour. 

"We are extremely pleased to continue our partnership with the LPGA and bring this exciting tournament back to the city of South Bend," said Matt Wesaw, Chairman of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians. "The inaugural Four Winds Invitational was a tremendous success enabling us to make donations of $53,000 to Memorial Children's Hospital™ and $10,000 to the Ronald McDonald Family Room™. We look forward to repeating that success in 2013." 

"We are thrilled that the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians and Four Winds Casinos are committed to supporting the Four Winds Invitational again in 2013," said Mike Nichols, Chief Business Officer of the Symetra Tour -- Road to the LPGA. "The continuation of this event provides a tremendous opportunity for our athletes who are pursuing their dreams of playing on the LPGA Tour." 

South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg added, "We are very excited that the Four Winds Invitational is returning to South Bend and Blackthorn Golf Club in 2013. I applaud the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, Four Winds Casinos and the Symetra Tour for their efforts to continue this world-class event that has a significant economic benefit to area businesses."

The tournament will be held at Blackthorn Golf Club, located at 6100 Nimtz Parkway, South Bend, Ind. Blackthorn opened in August, 1994, and sits on a heavily wooded 226-acre site. The par 72, 7,136-yard layout features broad fairways that are framed by 94 bunkers, wetlands, ponds, and native prairie grasses that lead to subtly contoured and swept-up-tiered bentgrass greens. Blackthorn Golf Club is owned by the city of South Bend and is managed by Kitson & Partners. More information is available at: www.blackthorngolf.com.

About the Four Winds Invitational
The Four Winds Invitational was established in 2012 as part of the Symetra® Tour -- Road to the LPGA, and is sponsored by the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians and its Four Winds® Casinos. It is held at Blackthorn Golf Club, located at 6100 Nimtz Parkway, South Bend, Ind. The tournament features a field of professional women golfers from around the world competing for a total prize of $150,000, making it the largest purse on the Symetra Tour. More information is available at: www.fourwindsinvitational.com.