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WATERLOO, Feb. 3, 2017 /CNW/ - Manulife today announced that 2017 will be the last year it will be the title sponsor of the Manulife LPGA Classic. The tournament will run from June 7-11, 2017 at Whistle Bear Golf Club in Cambridge, Ontario.
"Manulife is proud to have brought this world-class professional sporting event to the Waterloo Region for the past six years," said Marianne Harrison, President and CEO Manulife Canada. "The tournament has been a great opportunity for us and one that lasted longer than we originally expected with our two extensions in 2014 and then again in 2016. The community has been very supportive and we will ensure fans and volunteers have the same great experience at the 2017 tournament."
"We thank Manulife for being such a wonderful title sponsor and partner to the LPGA for the past six years," said LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan. "The Waterloo Region is full of tremendous golf fans and the support shown by the community has helped to make this a very successful event both on and off the golf course. We look forward to another great Manulife LPGA Classic this June and will continue to work to bring an LPGA tournament back to this area in the future."
The tournament has featured a field of 150 players competing for a purse that was most recently increased to US$1.6 million in 2016 and will be US$1.7 million in 2017. This past year's tournament had more than 68,000 fans attend and the support of approximately 700 volunteers that helped bring the tournament to life.
"Sports Properties International (SPI) is thankful for the support and partnership with Manulife over the past six years. Together we have created one of the premier LPGA events on Tour," said Hugh Morrow, CEO Sports Properties International. "The Manulife LPGA Classic has raised over $1.6 million for St. Mary's General Hospital Foundation and injected over $50 million in economic impact to the Waterloo Region. The support we've had from the community of Waterloo Region and Southern Ontario has been tremendous and we are committed to finding a new title sponsor to continue this event."
About Manulife
Manulife Financial Corporation is a leading international financial services group that helps people achieve their dreams and aspirations by putting customers' needs first and providing the right advice and solutions. We operate as John Hancock in the United States and Manulife elsewhere. We provide financial advice, insurance, as well as wealth and asset management solutions for individuals, groups and institutions. At the end of 2015, we had approximately 34,000 employees, 63,000 agents, and thousands of distribution partners, serving 20 million customers. At the end of September 2016, we had $966 billion (US$736 billion) in assets under management and administration, and in the previous 12 months we made more than $24.4 billion in benefits, interest and other payments to our customers. Our principal operations are in Asia, Canada and the United States where we have served customers for more than 100 years. With our global headquarters in Toronto, Canada, we trade as 'MFC' on the Toronto, New York, and the Philippine stock exchanges and under '945' in Hong Kong. Follow Manulife on Twitter @ManulifeNews or visit www.manulife.com or www.johnhancock.com.
SOURCE Manulife Financial Corporation
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