To be held at The Grove Club, Sept. 14-17
FRANKLIN, Tenn., Nov. 3, 2022
/PRNewswire/ -- The Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation
has played to rave reviews
the past two years – from players,
caddies, fans, Korn Ferry Tour officials and
the middle Tennessee community,
alike. Now the tournament is being rewarded with an elevated status
on the Korn Ferry Tour tournament schedule.
In October, the Korn Ferry Tour released its 2023 line-up and
officially announced that the Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker
Foundation will be one of four events making up the expanded Korn
Ferry Tour Finals in September next season.
The 2023 dates for the Simmons Bank Open will be Sept. 14-17 at The Grove Club in College Grove, Tenn. The tournament will
join the Albertsons Boise Open, the Nationwide Children's Hospital
Championship in Columbus, OH and
the Korn Ferry Tour Championship as KFT Finals events.
This momentous change was marked at an event yesterday
in downtown Nashville.
"Through our partnership with the Tennessee Golf Foundation and
with the support of Brandt and Mandy
Snedeker, the Simmons Bank Open has been recognized as one
of the best events on the Korn Ferry Tour and we are proud to have
the tournament become a marquee event in the Korn Ferry Tour
Finals," said George A. Makris, Jr.,
chairman and CEO of Simmons Bank. "This tournament is about more
than just the game of golf. It also represents an opportunity for
Simmons Bank to support the important work of the Snedeker
Foundation and many other organizations in Nashville through community partnerships,
service hours and philanthropic giving."
As one of the Korn Ferry Tour Finals events, all four days of
the 2023 Simmons Bank Open will be televised on Golf Channel,
bringing additional national exposure to the tournament. Fans and
sponsors will also experience upgraded hospitality offerings
on-site.
"This is great
news for the Simmons Bank Open, the Snedeker Foundation and golf in Tennessee," said Whit Turnbow,
the president of the Tennessee Golf Foundation, which handles
Simmons Bank Open tournament operations.
"I can't explain how truly proud I am of our team, everyone at
Simmons Bank, and our hosts at The Grove Club. The Tennessee
Golf Foundation believes in providing opportunities, from junior
golf to professional golf, for individuals from all walks of life
to be successful. We look forward to showcasing that to the
golf world next September."
The Simmons Bank Open continues to benefit the Snedeker
Foundation, which was founded by 2012 FedExCup champion and
Nashville native Brandt Snedeker and his wife, Mandy. The
tournament made a $250,000 charitable
contribution to the Snedeker Foundation following the 2021
tournament. The Snedeker Foundation has distributed more than
$1 million to various charities in
middle Tennessee during its 10
years.
"I can't say enough about the commitment Simmons Bank has made
to this tournament, as well as the middle Tennessee community," said Snedeker, a 9-time
winner on the PGA Tour. "With the opportunity to make the Simmons
Bank Open a Korn Ferry Tour Finals event, the Simmons Bank team was
the driving force to ensure it got done."
"The Snedeker Foundation, myself and Mandy are very appreciative
and look forward to continuing to work with the tournament and
Simmons Bank to impact the local community in a positive way."
The Simmons Bank Open supports charities beyond the Snedeker
Foundation. At Wednesday's event, the Simmons First Foundation
presented five $10,000 checks to
charities affiliated with the tournament's inaugural Foundation
Friday, which took place the Friday of tournament week.
Representatives from the Jordan Thomas Foundation, KultureCity,
Safe Haven Family Shelter, First Tee Tennessee and Our
Kids were on-site to accept these donations to their
respective organizations. An additional $10,000 was given to the Second Harvest Food
Bank as a matching grant to honor the tournament's volunteers.
For every volunteer during the 2022 tournament, the Tennessee Golf
Foundation, Hattie B's and Simmons Bank pledged to each give
$10. The tournament was supported by
more than 300 volunteers.
The Korn Ferry Tour announced in August that it would go to a
four-tournament Finals, each of which will have a tournament purse
of $1.5 million. The Finals will have
an elimination format similar to the PGA Tour's
FedExCup Playoffs. The first Finals tournament
will have a 156-player field, the Simmons Bank Open will have 144
players, the third event 120, and 75 will advance to the finale in
late September. Thirty (30) PGA Tour cards will be awarded at the
end of the Finals.
For more information on the
Simmons Bank Open, please
visit simmonsbankopen.com.
The Simmons Bank Open
The Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker
Foundation– formerly the Nashville Golf Open – was
first held at Nashville Golf and Athletic Club in 2016.
Boston native James Driscoll was the inaugural champion that
year. Winners since then have included Lanto Griffin (2017),
Cameron Davis (2018) and
Robby Shelton (2019). Simmons Bank
was introduced as the title sponsor of the tournament for the next
eight years on Feb. 11, 2020. It was
announced on Oct. 29, 2020, that the
tournament would move to The Grove in College Grove, Tenn., beginning with the 2021
tournament. Also beginning in 2021, the Tennessee Golf Foundation –
a nonprofit organization which promotes golf and its life-enhancing
values statewide –
took over operations of the Simmons
Bank Open. The 2022 Simmons
Bank Open was won by Brent Grant, who is now a
rookie on the PGA Tour.
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 113 consecutive years.
Simmons Bank operates more than 230 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 2022, Simmons Bank was named to Forbes list of
"America's Best Banks" for the second consecutive year and to
Forbes list of "World's Best Banks" for the third consecutive
year. Additional information about Simmons Bank can be found on our
website at simmonsbank.com, by following @Simmons_Bank on Twitter
or by visiting our newsroom.
The 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.
The Tennessee Golf Foundation
The TGF operates out of Golf House Tennessee, located in
Franklin, and is home to the
state's governing bodies of golf – the Tennessee Golf Association,
the Tennessee Section PGA and TGF Junior Golf. Golf House Tennessee
also features The Little Course at Conner Lane, a state-of-the-art
learning center with a nine-hole, par-three course and driving
range, with programming for all ages and skill levels. The TGF
focuses on initiatives for juniors, veterans and the disadvantaged,
with such offerings as the Sneds Tour – a statewide junior tour –
Special Olympics, PGA HOPE, The
First Tee, Tennessee Middle School Golf and the Scott Stallings
Kids Play Free Program.
The Grove
The Grove, located
in College Grove, Tenn., opened in 2012 and offers an unparalleled golf experience in middle Tennessee. It
has quickly gained the reputation as one of the state's premier
private golf facilities. The course features Zoysia fairways and
Bermuda greens, which are kept in
championship playing condition year-round. It plays to a length of
7,300 yards from the championship tees.
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/simmons-bank-open-to-be-a-korn-ferry-tour-finals-tournament-in-2023-301667890.html
SOURCE Simmons Bank