Circling Raven Championship Opens Door to First LPGA Win

Tournament Runner-Up Chanettee Wannasaen Wins Portland Classic One Week Later

(Worley, Idaho; September 5, 2023) – The Circling Raven Championship at Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort Hotel now merits the label “LPGA Champion Launch Pad” after Thailand’s Chanettee Wannasaen took her first LPGA title on Sunday at the Portland Classic, one week to the day after finishing second here.

Following her runner-up finish to China’s Yue Rin in a thrilling playoff during the Circling Raven Championship presented by KXLY News 4, an Epson “Road2LPGA” Tour event, the 19-year-old Wannasaen went to Oregon with great momentum that powered her through Monday qualifying to earn a spot into the Portland Classic. She is only the third Monday qualifier in LPGA history to go on to win.

Wannaesen’s LPGA title is the latest success at the next level by a former Circling Raven Championship alumnus. Lilia Vu has won three times on the LPGA Tour including capturing two Major Championships this season.

“Watching them shine on the LPGA Tour – professional golf’s largest stage globally for women – is a thrilling testament to the elite caliber of players who compete in the Circling Raven Championship,” said Laura Penney, CEO, Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort Hotel. “Congratulations on their incredible accomplishments. We look forward to following their careers; they’re Circling Raven family members forever.”

Wannaesen credited her experience at Circling Raven for helping her win in Portland.

“[The Circling Raven Championship] really gave me confidence, and so I just carried on and built on that,” she said.

Every Epson Tour competitor seeks full LPGA Tour member status. Cumulative prize winnings during the Epson Tour season determine which players achieve that dream goal, and several former Circling Raven Championship players are actively chasing it. Buttressed by her near win in Worley on Aug. 27 and LPGA Tour title a week later, Wannasaen is on the fast track to the “Big Show.”

Call it the Circling Raven Effect.

Rated Idaho’s No. 1 public course in Golfweek’s “Best by State” annual rankings, Circling Raven meanders across 620 acres of woodlands, wetlands, and Palouse grasses. The Gene Bates-designed masterpiece measures 7,189 yards from the back tees and is proudly owned and operated by the Coeur d’Alene Tribe.

For more information, or to book rounds and packages, visit www.cdacasino.com or call 800-523-2464.

About Circling Raven Golf Club and Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort Hotel

Since 1993, the Coeur d’Alene Tribe has operated the Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort Hotel, located where sky greets Mt. Tch’mutpkwe, source of the St. Joe River, 25 miles from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. The casino resort is among the largest employers in North Idaho employing between 850-1,100 depending on the season and contributing more than $33.5 million to education in the region since it opened. Additionally, millions more have gone in support of a wide range of public projects, emergency relief, charities, and programs in the Pacific Northwest. Named Tribal Destination of the Year in 2019 by AIANTA and winning the silver Distinguished Dozen award from Courier in 2019 and 2020, the property features 300 rooms and suites, seven distinct food and beverage venues and entertainment including live music and comedy as well as hands-on tours and experiences through the casino’s Cultural Tourism Program. Three million-dollar winners have found their luck on 100,000 square feet of gaming space offering nearly 1,200 video gaming machines and high stakes bingo. Additional amenities include a 15,000 square foot spa voted 1st for “Resort Spas that deliver the Ahh Factor” by Spatrips.com, 40,000 square feet of meeting space, indoor and outdoor wedding locations and Circling Raven Golf Club, an 18-hole, par 72 course acclaimed as a “Top 100” course by every major golf publication in the U.S. LIKE Coeur d’Alene Casino on Facebook and Instagram or follow us on Twitter. For more information about Coeur d’Alene Casino and Circling Raven, visit www.cdacasino.com.