Statement from the

Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational 

​

After discussing options with the LPGA, health officials, our planning committee, and many partners, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational for 2020 and return in 2021 the week of July 11 - 17.

The health and safety of our communities and every individual involved in the Dow GLBI must come first. In light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we believe the right decision is to cancel and focus on bringing the LPGA’s first GEO Certified® sustainable event and 2019 LPGA Tournament of the Year back to the Great Lakes Bay Region next year. 

​The theme and official tournament hashtag of the Dow GLBI is #TeamUp. This speaks to the unique team-based tournament format, but even more so to the incredible teamwork by our partners, fans, volunteers, and businesses throughout the Great Lakes Bay Region in order to host an event of this magnitude. We thank each of these important partners for your team spirit these past several months as we took a hard look at the possibility of hosting this year’s tournament. 

​The Dow GLBI launched in 2019 with several goals: To celebrate and enrich the Great Lakes Bay Region, host the best golf players on the planet, promote inclusion and diversity, create one of the premier food festivals in the state of Michigan, teach STEM skills to students and adults through the lens of sports, and become the most sustainable event on the LPGA Tour. By teaming up with more than 250 partners, 1,000 volunteers, and 35,000 fans, we accomplished these goals and then some. Truly, this tournament was built by and for the Great Lakes Bay Region. 

​Dow and the LPGA began a 5-year agreement beginning with last year’s inaugural tournament. We are pleased to announce that in light of this year’s cancellation, that contract has been extended to 2024. With an estimated $12.7 million economic impact on the Great Lakes Bay Region in 2019, that’s great news for our local partners and business community.

We recognize that these are challenging times for many of our partners, and our thoughts are with you all as we learn to navigate this new landscape. From all of us on the Dow GLBI team, we thank you for your continued support, partnership, and #TeamUp spirit. We can't wait to welcome you to the 2021 Dow GLBI. 

​Sincerely,

Chris Chandler 
Dow GLBI Executive Director