ATHENS, Ga. -- The Nationwide Tour and Athens Regional Foundation announced that professional golf will be coming to the Athens area in 2006.
The Athens Regional Foundation Classic will be held the week of April 17 to 23 at Jennings Mill Country Club in Oconee County. The event will offer a $500,000 purse with all profits going to support the Athens Regional Foundation.
The Foundation will be the host organization for the event and the tournament will support its goals of providing for the long-term health care of area citizens. Among the Foundation’s projects are the Loran Smith Center for Cancer Support, The Guest House, the region’s only Mobile Mammography Unit, and state-of-the art Breast Health Center.
“Athens has a proud golf history, and the community deserves its own professional event,” said Len Sapera, chairman of the Athens Regional Foundation. “We have no doubt that this event will be a hole-in-one for the golfers, the community, and our patients at Athens Regional.”
The Nationwide Tour is owned and operated by the PGA TOUR and commenced operation in 1990. In 2006, the Tour will compete in 22 states as well as Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Panama. The expected economic impact of the local event is estimated to be $5 million.
“The Nationwide Tour is very pleased to be coming to Northeast Georgia and to the city of Athens,” said Bill Calfee, chief of operations for the Nationwide Tour. “This tournament will provide local golf fans with major-league competition while benefiting the community as a whole.”
Several hospitality events and ProAms will be held in association with the event; more information on the tournament, including daily schedules, additional sponsors, probable participants, and volunteer opportunities will be announced in coming months.
Local Connections
For many players, Jennings Mill will offer familiar surroundings. The Bob Cupp-designed course plays to a par of 72 and stretches 6,924 yards. Jennings Mill was constructed in the style of a Scottish links course, featuring treacherous pot bunkers and strategically placed mounds that provide visual definition and easier depth perception around the greens.
The course has also drawn praise for its superior bent grass greens, regarded as some of the finest in the nation. Golfweek ranks this layout among the top 25 in the state. Since it opened in 1986, it has been the site of numerous events, including PGA TOUR qualifying tournaments, the Georgia Mid-Amateur Championships, and others.
Former UGA players Ryuji Imada and Franklin Langham were playing on The Nationwide Tour until 2004, and current UGA alums on tour include Nick Cassini, Bubba Watson, Erik Compton, Bryant Odum and Tim Simpson. Athens resident and UGA golf course head professional Matt Peterson was a top money winner on the Nationwide Tour.
The Athens Regional Foundation Classic is the first professional tournament in Athens. However, the city of Athens and Northeast Georgia have a proud golf history. Golf legend Arnold Palmer played collegiate matches in Athens and returned for a ProAm with 2,000 spectators in 1971. Bobby Jones dedicated the Donald Ross layout at Athens Country Club in 1926. Athens is still home to several NCAA and Georgia State Amateur golf champions.
The Nationwide Tour
The tour serves as a virtual extension of the PGA TOUR. To date, former Nationwide Tour players have gone on to win 172 PGA TOUR titles, including 10 major championships. Of the top 50 players in the current Official World Golf Ranking, 17 are Nationwide Tour alums. Among those who have honed their game on the Tour are Stewart Cink, John Daly, Chris DiMarco, David Duval, Ernie Els, Jim Furyk, Tom Lehman and David Toms.
While the Top 20 money winners each season graduate to the PGA Tour, the Tour is anything but developmental. The Nationwide Tour attracts players from across the globe and is recognized as one of the top two or three tours in the world. Just this season, Nationwide Tour player Jason Gore received worldwide acclaim for his efforts at the U.S. Open. He later went on to win three times on the Nationwide Tour as well as once on the PGA TOUR.
The Athens Regional Foundation
The Athens Regional Foundation supports Athens Regional Medical Center’s mission to provide a patient and family care environment second to none. The goals of the Foundation are community service and education by providing the financial means to establish projects and programs to reach out and serve the long-term healthcare needs of area citizens. Recent projects of the Foundation include the Loran Smith Center for Cancer Support, which provides free resources to anyone affected by cancer; The Guest House, a home away from home for families of critically ill patients; a Mobile Mammography Unit, which provides screening mammograms to women who do not easily have access to mammograms; and the Breast Health Center, a state-of-the art center dedicated to breast health and which includes the best in service and digital mammography. Call the Foundation at (706) 475-3428 for more information.
Media Contacts:
Elaine Cook, Athens Regional Medical Center - 706-475-3350
Dave Lancer, PGA Tour - 904-273-3215
