The Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation, which is part of the PGA Korn Ferry Tour, will move to Vanderbilt Legends Club in Franklin on Sept. 12-15.
The move comes after the last three tournaments were played at The Grove in College Grove. It will become the third location for the event, which began in 2016 at Nashville Golf and Athletic Club when it was known as the Nashville Golf Open.
The move comes five months after the LIV Golf tour announced it would add a stop at The Gove on June 21-23. LIV Golf is a Saudi-financed series that debuted in 2022. It was created as an alternative to the PGA Tour and offers the highest purses in golf history.
PGA pro Brandt Snedeker, a Nashville native and former Vanderbilt golfer, added his foundation as the official charitable beneficiary to the Simmons Bank Open in 2017 and has been very involved in the event since then.
"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," Snedeker said in a release. "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."
The Simmons Bank Open entered into a five-year partnership with Vanderbilt Legends Club. The tournament will be played on the facility's North Course.
GRAYSON MURRAY WINS SIMMONS BANK OPEN: Grayson Murray wins Korn Ferry Tour's Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation
The Tennessee Golf Foundation will continue as operator and host organization of the event.
"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," Snedeker said.
The Korn Ferry Tour serves a development tour for players trying to reach the PGA.
Grayson Murray, of Raleigh, North Carolina, won the Simmons Bank Open in 2023. He posted a 17-under-par 271 for a three-stroke victory over Mason Andersen, Jamie Lovemark and Carter Jenkins. Murray earned $270,000.
'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.”
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 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,” Vanderbilt athletic director Candice Lee said. “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, (his wife) Mandy, and the Snedeker Foundation.”
The club has hosted the the SEC Championships (1995), Tennessee State Open (1993-96), 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 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," Korn Ferry Tour President Alex Baldwin said. "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."
Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on X @MikeOrganWriter
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation moving to Vanderbilt Legends Club
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