Nashville Golf Open
Nashville Golf Open benefitting the Snedeker Foundation (NGO) – A Web.com Tour Event
QUICK FACTS:
- The Nashville Golf Open benefitting the Snedeker Foundation (NGO) is the 10th Web.com Tour’s event on the 2019 schedule
- Site of Event: Nashville Golf & Athletic Club
- Total purse: $550,000 with the winner earning $99,000
- 2019 is the fourth year of a five-year contract between the PGA TOUR and the Brentwood based Tour Visions Promotions for the Nashville Golf Open
- The Web.com Tour and Tour Vision Promotions announced May 3, 2017 that the Snedeker Foundation, founded by PGA TOUR star and Nashville native Brandt Snedeker, will be the official charitable beneficiary of the Nashville Golf Open. The tournament’s official title is the Nashville Golf Open benefitting the Snedeker Foundation.
- The NGO announced the “Proud Partners” program recently in which four Middle Tennessee companies signed a four-year agreement to sponsor the NGO thru the 2022 event! The “Proud Partners” are Enterprise Solutions, Thompson Machinery, LP Building Products and Team Construction. This group further solidifies the future of Middle Tennessee’s only major professional golf tournament.
ABOUT THE NASHVILLE GOLF OPEN FORMAT AND FIELD:
- Last year’s NGO champion, Cameron Davis, is now competing on the PGA TOUR thanks to his accomplishments on the 2018 Web.com Tour. Davis will not seek to defend his title. In last year’s NGO, Davis carded a one-stroke victory over three others, including 2017 champ Lanto Griffin. Davis’ top PGA TOUR finish this year is a T-16 at the Puerto Rico Open Feb. 24.
- Lanto Griffin won the second annual Nashville Golf Open (2017) in a playoff with Abraham Ancer by sinking an 18-foot uphill birdie putt on the first playoff hole, the 189-yard 10th hole after both players finished the 72-hole regulation play at 16-under par. Griffin earned $99,000 with the win. Griffin is expected to compete in the 2019 event.
- James Driscoll, inaugural winner of the 2016 NGO, is also scheduled to compete in this year’s event. Driscoll carded a four-round 269 total, 19 shots under par for a three-stroke win. Driscoll is also expected to compete in 2019 event.
- The opening field of 156 players will be cut to the Top 65 and ties following completion of the second round.
- Wesley Bryan was the 2017 NGO first round leader with a then course record 63 en route to a T9 finish. Bryan became the first NGO participant to post a PGA TOUR win on April 16, 2017 when he won the RBC Heritage Classic in Hilton Head with a one stroke victory over Luke Donald.
- The NGO is one of three PGA TOUR-sanctioned events to be contested annually in Tennessee. The PGA TOUR’s World Golf Championship - FedEx St. Jude Invitational is set for July 25-28 in Memphis and the Web.com Tour’s Knoxville Open will be contested May 16-19.
Nashville Golf Open Fact Sheet – 2
GOLFERS WITH TENNESSEE TIES:
These Web.com players with Tennessee ties are expected to participate in this year’s event:
- Dawson Armstrong – 23, from Brentwood. See sponsor exemptions.
- Eric Axley – 43, from Athens, TN and attended East Tennessee State and currently lives in Knoxville TN
Atchley has wins on both the PGA TOUR (2006 Valero Texas Open) and Web.com Tour (2005 Rex Hospital Open in Raleigh, NC and 2018 North Mississippi Classic). He has missed the cut in his three Web.com Tour appearances this year. Turned pro in 1997.
- Lee Hodges – 23, resides in Ardmore. Lee is a first-year member of the Web.com Tour and has made two cuts in his three prior events this year. His top 2019 finish was a T-16 at the Bahamas Great Exuma Classic at Sandals Emerald Bay on Jan. 16. He played collegiately at University of Alabama-Birmingham and turned pro in 2018.
- Rick Lamb – 28, played collegiately at the University of Tennessee (2014) and lives in St. Simons Island, GA. Recorded his top 2019 finish Feb. 17 with a T-3 at the LECOM Suncoast Classic on the strength of a final round 64, the low score of the day at same event where he posted his lone Web.com Tour victory in 2016.
- Braden Thornberry – 21, from Germantown. See sponsor’s exemptions.
- Casey Wittenberg – 34, born in Memphis. He is a three-time winner on the Web.com Tour, with wins at the Chitimacha Louisiana Open in both 2012 and 2017 and the Preferred Health Systems Wichita Open in 2012. Has played five Web.com Tour events this season with a T-14 at the Bahamas Great Exuma Classic at Sandals Emerald Bay his top outing this season.
Ten 2019 NGO Competitors Own 25 PGA TOUR Victories (scheduled to compete)
- Stuart Appleby – nine career wins, most recent 2010 Greenbrier Classic
- Carl Pettersson – five career wins, most recent 2012 RBC Heritage
- Jason Bohn – two career wins, most recent 2010 Zurich Classic of New Orleans
- Matt Every – two career wins, both at Arnold Palmer Invitational in 2014 and 2015
- Frank Lickliter II – two career wins, most recent 2003 Chrysler Classic of Tucson
- Eric Axely – 2006 Valero Texas Open
- Derek Ernst – 2013 Wells Fargo Championship
- Parker McLachlin – 2008 Legends Reno-Tahoe Open
- John Merrick – 2013 Northern Trust Open
- Dicky Pride – 1994 Federal Express St. Jude Classic
SPONSOR EXEMPTIONS – BRADEN THORNBERRY AND DAWSON ARMSTRONG
- Braden Thornberry – 21, from Germantown and attended University of Mississippi. Competed in six professional events as an amateur, with a top finish of T4 at the 2017 FedEx St Jude Classic. Two-time high school state champion and was first team Rolex Junior All-American with the AJGA. College accomplishments include 2017 individual NCAA champion, 2017 Fred Haskins Award presented to top collegiate golfer, and captured 11 tournament wins at Ole Miss. Named United States Junior Golf Tour Player of the Year five times. Top Web.com Tour finish was a T-22 at 2018 North Mississippi Classic.
- Dawson Armstrong – 23, from Brentwood. Turned pro last year and in his first pro start at the NGO, he finished T-30 with a 9-under par 279 in his only 2018 Web.com Tour event. Played balance of 2018 in Canada on the Mackenzie Tour where he made seven of 10 cuts and finished the year 34th on the tour’s Order of Merit (money list) to retain tour playing privileges for 2019. Established many school records at David Lipscomb where he won 10 tournaments and posted 86 under-par rounds in the 142 collegiate rounds played. Played in 2018 NGO rather than compete in individual competition of the NCAA national finals last year. Said he would have played NCAA’s if his team were participating. Thirteen times was named Atlantic Sun’s Golfer of the week, a conference record for any player in any sport. Attended high school at Lipscomb Academy.
Nashville Golf Open Fact Sheet – 3
PGA TOUR CARDS:
- With 50 available PGA TOUR for the 2020 season coming through the Web.com Tour (since 2013), this tour is The Path to the PGA TOUR. Twenty-five (25) TOUR cards are reserved for the leading money winners at the end of the 23-event Regular Season. Another 25 are up for grabs at the four-event Web.com Tour Finals that follow the Regular Season in September.
- Open qualifying: A total of 12 playing spots in the 2019 Nashville Golf Open will be up for grabs at Monday’s two open qualifying tournaments hosted by the Tennessee Section of the PGA. Greystone Golf Club in Dickson, TN and Old Hickory Country Club in Old Hickory, TN are the sites for the two qualifying tournaments and the top six finishers from each site will earn a spot in the Nashville Golf Open field.
ABOUT THE NASHVILLE GOLF & ATHLETIC CLUB:
- Nashville Golf & Athletic Club is a 1971 Bruce Devlin / Robert von Hagge design that has been owned and operated by the Whittemore family for over 35 years. The course has served as host venue for the Tennessee State Open on a number of occasions and hosted the 2016 Tennessee Mid-Amateur Championship.
NASHVILLE GOLF OPEN SCHEDULE: April 28 – May 5, 2019
Sunday, April 28 2 – 4 p.m.: Charley Foundation Junior Clinic, Golf House of Tennessee (Franklin, TN)
Monday, April 29 Time TBD: Course open for participant practice rounds
Time TBD: “Proud Partners” Pro-Am - NG&AC
NGO Open Qualifying Tournaments
Tuesday, April 30 Course open for participant practice rounds
4:30 p.m.: FCA Pro Junior Shootout, NG&AC
Wednesday, May 1 7:30 a.m. (tentative): Nashville Golf Open Pro-Am, morning tee times
12:30 p.m. (tentative): Nashville Golf Open Pro-Am, afternoon tee times
Thursday, May 2 6:30 a.m.: Opening round – first tee time
Friday, May 3 6:30 a.m.: Second round – first tee time – field cut to top 65 and ties
Saturday, May 4 Time TBD: Third round – first tee time
Sunday, May 5 Time TBD: Final round, first tee time
Winner ceremony on 18 green following play
Nashville Golf Open Fact Sheet – 4
TICKET INFORMATION:
- Tickets are available through www.ngogolf.com. Ticket prices start at $10 for a daily pass for one day’s admission and $35 for a weekly pass that provides access throughout the tournament week. Customers can also opt for reasonably priced hospitality suite access that includes food and beverage.
- Proceeds from online ticket sales benefit The First Tee of Middle Tennessee, the Snedeker Foundation and Williamson County high schools. Consumers can select the charity of their choice upon purchase.
- The 2018 NGO generated approximately $130,000 for local charities.
SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES/PRO AM EVENT:
- Opportunities exist for companies to utilize Middle Tennessee’s only professional golf event for hospitality. These range from playing spots in the Pro-Am event on Wednesday, May 1, to purchasing hospitality passes or a dedicated skybox.
- “Our renewal rate from last year’s sponsors is almost 100% and the recent announcement of our ‘Proud Partners’ program is definitely a significant boost to the continued success of the NGO,” said Tournament Director Charlie Clarkson. “The ‘Proud Partners’ are leaders in the business community who have realized that our event has a clear value to their companies, and we are grateful to them and all of our partners for their support. We continue to engage these companies thru our Pro-Am tournaments on-course branding and client entertainment in our hospitality suites. These opportunities allow us to host a first-class event and give back to area charities.”
The NGO has some branding opportunities left in our inventory but the event’s main focus from here to the tournament will be in selling out our hospitality venues. We have added two new Hospitality Suites this year and daily tickets start at 25.00 per ticket.
For more information on purchasing tickets, corporate hospitality, sponsorships or volunteer opportunities, visit ngogolf.com
About the Nashville Golf Open benefitting the Snedeker Foundation (NGO)
- The NGO will be held May 2-5 at the Nashville Golf & Athletic Club. In 2017, the Web.com Tour and Tour Vision Promotions announced that the Snedeker Foundation, founded by PGA TOUR star and Nashville native Brandt Snedeker, will be the official charitable beneficiary of the Nashville Golf Open. The NGO is one of three PGA TOUR-sanctioned event to be contested annually in Tennessee, joining the TOUR’s FedEx St. Jude Classic in Memphis and the Web.com Tour’s News-Sentinel Open presented by Pilot in Knoxville.
- Nashville Golf & Athletic Club is a 1971 Bruce Devlin / Robert von Hagge design that has been owned and operated by the Whittemore family for over 35 years. The course has served as host venue for the Tennessee State Open on a number of occasions and hosted the 2016 Tennessee Mid-Amateur Championship.
About the Snedeker Foundation:
- Founded in 2012, the Snedeker Foundation has raised in excess of $1 million for several different charities across 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. 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.
- “We have worked tirelessly to make sure the Snedeker Foundation creates a meaningful difference in the lives of Middle Tennessee residents – especially children, who represent the future of this great state. Today’s announcement further secures our ability to continue those efforts while working to make this tournament of the premier stops on the Web.com Tour,” Snedeker stated when it was announced on May 3, 2017 that his foundation would be the NGO’s charity partner.
About the Web.com Tour
- Founded (1990), owned and operated by the PGA TOUR, the Web.com Tour continues to identify those players who are ready to compete and win on golf's biggest stage.
- Web.com became the Tour’s umbrella sponsor on June 27, 2012, with a 10-year agreement in place through 2021. In 2013, the Web.com Tour became The Path to the PGA TOUR with all 50 available PGA TOUR cards coming through the Web.com Tour and the season culminating at the four-event Web.com Tour Finals.
- This season marks the 28th year of competition on the Web.com Tour.
- Three out of four PGA TOUR members are Web.com Tour alumni. Tour alumni have won more than 475 PGA TOUR titles, including 23 majors and seven PLAYERS Championships.
- The PGA TOUR, through the efforts of its Tours and their tournaments, sponsors, players and volunteers, has generated over $2 billion in charitable giving.
- To learn more about the PGA TOUR, the Web.com Tour and to follow the season-long quest for a PGA TOUR card, visit PGATOUR.COM, or follow the Tour on social media via Twitter (@WebDotComTour), Facebook (facebook.com/WebDotComTour) and Instagram (Instagram.com/WebDotComTour).