The Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker
Foundation remains in
middle Tennessee through at least 2028
PONTE
VEDRA BEACH, Fla., April 30,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Korn
Ferry Tour announced today a five-year partnership with the
Vanderbilt Legends Club at Vanderbilt
University to host the annual Simmons Bank Open for the
Snedeker Foundation beginning this season. The 2024 Simmons Bank
Open will be played September 12-15
on the North Course at Vanderbilt Legends Club in Franklin, Tennessee, and the Tennessee Golf
Foundation (TGF) will continue as the operator and host
organization of the event.
"We are thrilled about the future of the Simmons Bank Open for
the Snedeker Foundation," said Tennessee Golf Foundation President,
Whit Turnbow. "Vanderbilt University and the Legends Club have
been interwoven into the history of the TGF dating back to the
early 1990s, and to align that relationship with the strategic
vision of the Korn Ferry Tour and PGA TOUR University was a match
made in heaven. The golf teams, staff and membership have been a
joy to work with and we look forward to showing the Legends Club to
the world in September!"
Founded in 1992, Vanderbilt Legends Club is a 36-hole golf club
located approximately 20 miles south of downtown Nashville. The North Course at Vanderbilt
Legends Club, which stretches 7,190 yards from the championship
tees, was designed by world-renowned golf course architect
Bob Cupp, as well as World Golf Hall
of Famer and 19-time PGA TOUR winner Tom
Kite.
"I'm delighted that Vanderbilt
University has partnered with the PGA TOUR to keep the
Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation in the middle
Tennessee area," said Candice Storey Lee, Vanderbilt's vice chancellor for athletics and
university affairs and athletic director. "We are extremely
fortunate to have Vanderbilt Legends Club host a world-class event
that will bring in some of the best golfers in the world to compete
on the same course that our golfers play at on a daily basis. We
hope that this partnership will continue to enrich a growing golf
community in the greater Nashville
area while showing support for Brandt, Mandy, and the Snedeker
Foundation."
The courses at Vanderbilt Legends Club, as well as its pristine
19-acre practice facility, are widely recognized among the finest
in Tennessee. The club has hosted
numerous competitions, including the Tennessee State Open
(1993-96), Southeastern Conference Women's Championship (1995),
LPGA Franklin American Mortgage Championship hosted by Vince Gill & Amy
Grant (2000-06), NCAA Women's Golf Championship (2012), NCAA
Women's Golf Franklin Regional (2022), and the annual Mason Rudolph
Championship hosted by Vanderbilt.
The Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation is a 72-hole
tournament that has been a staple on the Korn Ferry Tour schedule
since the inaugural playing in 2016 (was not played in 2020 due to
COVID-19). In 2022, the Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker
Foundation was honored with the prestigious Tournament of the Year
Award as part of the PGA TOUR's annual Tournament Meetings. Last
year, the tournament became a Korn Ferry Tour Finals event, where
players compete for increased purses and points over the final four
events of the season to determine the season-long points race and
claim one of 30 PGA TOUR cards.
"We are thrilled to partner with the Vanderbilt Legends Club and
look forward to showcasing its exceptional course and facilities as
host of the Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation," said
Korn Ferry Tour President Alex
Baldwin. "The Legends Club will serve as a great test for
our players during the Korn Ferry Tour Finals as they compete to
earn membership on golf's ultimate stage, the PGA TOUR. As
up-and-coming stars continue to emerge from the Korn Ferry Tour and
PGA TOUR University, we are excited to partner with Vanderbilt University, which is one of the most
respected academic institutions in the Nation and also one of the
top collegiate golf programs annually."
The Simmons Bank Open first announced in 2017 that The Snedeker
Foundation would be the official charitable beneficiary of middle
Tennessee's only PGA
TOUR-sanctioned tournament. The Snedeker Foundation was founded in
2012 by nine-time PGA TOUR winner and 2012 FedExCup champion
Brandt Snedeker and his wife, Mandy,
to help serve different charities in middle Tennessee. The foundation supports a variety
of efforts on both the social and athletic fronts, including Our
Kids, which provides expert medical evaluations and crisis
counseling services in response to concerns of child sexual abuse
while also working to increase community awareness, education and
training about child maltreatment.
"Mandy and I can't wait to welcome the Simmons Bank Open and the
golf world to Vanderbilt Legends Club this September," said
Brandt Snedeker. "Vanderbilt University has played such a vital role
in my life and career, and we have so many special friendships and
relationships that continue to this day. To bring those together
with our Korn Ferry Tour event, which directly benefits the
Snedeker Foundation, is very exciting. With the Simmons Bank Open
being part of the Korn Ferry Tour Finals, and the national exposure
and media coverage that comes along with that, this is a positive
thing for everyone involved. We know our friends at the
Tennessee Golf Foundation will put on a first-class experience that
all of middle Tennessee can be
proud of."
Through the Tennessee Golf Foundation, the Snedeker Foundation
annually supports the Sneds Tour, which puts forth a year-round
junior golf tour in Tennessee
aimed at allowing kids to learn, play and enjoy the game of golf,
while also making competition more affordable through lower entry
and registration fees. The Snedeker Foundation has raised in excess
of $1 million for charities in the
region and The Simmons Bank Open is proud to partner with the
Snedekers in support of their mission.
Snedeker is a Nashville native
who later played collegiately at nearby Vanderbilt University before earning PGA TOUR
Rookie of the Year honors in 2007. Prior to that, Snedeker
got his start on the Korn Ferry Tour, where he won twice in 2006
and earned his PGA TOUR card for the 2007 season.
The 2024 Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation will take
place September 12-15 and all four
rounds of competition will be broadcast on Golf Channel. For more
information on the Simmons Bank Open, please visit
www.simmonsbankopen.com. For more information on the Vanderbilt
Legends Club, please visit www.vanderbiltlegendsclub.com.
About Simmons Bank Open
The Simmons Bank Open for the
Snedeker Foundation is owned and operated by the Tennessee Golf
Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization located in
Franklin, Tenn. The Simmons Bank Open was the Korn Ferry Tour
Tournament of the Year in 2022. In 2023, the Simmons Bank Open
became one of four tournaments making up the Korn Ferry Tour
Finals, which determines which players receive PGA TOUR membership
the following season. The Simmons Bank Open is played at Vanderbilt
Legends Club in Franklin. It was formerly held at Nashville Golf
and Athletic Club from 2016-19 and The Grove from 2021-2023.
The Snedeker Foundation, the family foundation for 9-time PGA TOUR
winner and 2012 FedExCup Champion Brandt Snedeker and wife Mandy,
became the primary beneficiary of the tournament in 2017. Simmons
Bank was introduced as the title sponsor of the tournament in
February of 2020. For more information, visit
www.simmonsbankopen.com.
About Simmons
Bank
Simmons Bank is a
wholly owned subsidiary of Simmons First National Corporation
(NASDAQ: SFNC), a Mid-South based financial holding company that
has paid cash dividends for 115 consecutive years. Simmons Bank operates 234 branches in
Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas. Founded in 1903, Simmons Bank offers comprehensive financial
solutions delivered with a client-centric approach. In 2023,
Simmons Bank was recognized
by Forbes as one of "America's Best Midsize Employer" and
among the "World's Best Banks" for the fourth consecutive year. The
Simmons Bank Championship, a Charles Schwab Cup finals event, will
debut in October, 2024 in Little Rock,
Ark. Additional information about Simmons Bank can be found on our website at
simmonsbank.com, by following @Simmons_Bank on X (formerly
Twitter) or by visiting our newsroom.
About Snedeker Foundation
The Snedeker Foundation has
been the official charitable beneficiary of the Simmons Bank Open
since 2017. Founded in 2012 by FedExCup Champion and nine-time PGA
TOUR winner Brandt Snedeker and his
wife Mandy, the Snedeker Foundation supports a variety of social
and athletic endeavors in middle Tennessee, including: Our Kids, which provides
expert medical evaluations and crisis counseling services in
response to concerns of child sexual abuse, and The Sneds Tour, a
statewide junior golf tour in Tennessee that allows kids to learn, play and
enjoy the game while also making the sport affordable and
accessible.
About Tennessee Golf Foundation
The Tennessee Golf
Foundation was founded in 1990 with the vision to impact
Tennesseans, particularly youth, veterans and the disadvantaged,
through the game of golf. TGF initiatives include the Sneds Tour,
The First Tee of Tennessee, the
Scott Stallings Kids Play Free Program, PGA
HOPE, the Tennessee PGA Junior Golf Academy, the Tennessee
Middle School Golf Association, Special Olympics Golf and much
more. The Tennessee Golf Foundation operates out of Golf
House Tennessee, which is located in Franklin and is home to the state's governing
bodies of golf – the Tennessee Golf Foundation, the Tennessee Golf
Association, and the Tennessee Section PGA. Golf House Tennessee
features The Little Course at Conner Lane, a state-of-the-art
learning center owned and operated by the TGF, which features a
nine-hole, par-three course, driving range and practice area and
has year-round programming for all ages and skill levels. The
Tennessee Golf Foundation is a 501c(3) organization. For more
information, visit www.tngolffoundation.org.
About Korn Ferry Tour
Founded (1990), owned and
operated by the PGA TOUR, the Korn Ferry Tour identifies and
develops golf's next stars, preparing them to compete and win on
the game's biggest stage. The Korn Ferry Tour, which has served as
a path to the PGA TOUR since its inception, will award 30 PGA TOUR
cards based off its points list in 2024, with the No. 1 player
earning exemptions into the following year's PLAYERS Championship
and U.S. Open. With more than 600 PGA TOUR titles, 30 major
championships and seven FedExCup champions, Korn Ferry Tour alumni
make up 83 percent of the PGA TOUR's current membership. To learn
more about the PGA TOUR, the Korn Ferry Tour and to follow the
season-long quest for PGA TOUR cards, visit PGATOUR.COM or follow
the Korn Ferry Tour on social media. At least seven Korn Ferry Tour
events are televised annually on Golf Channel in the United States, with tournament coverage
available internationally in more than 170 countries and
territories via 23 media partners.
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