PGA TOUR Champions announces nine-year extension for Regions Tradition

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Regions Tradition, which in 2022 celebrates being part of a now 30-year history of professional golf in the Birmingham/Hoover (Alabama) metro area, has been extended for nine years and will continue being played at Greystone Golf and Country Club through at least 2032, the Tour and Regions Bank jointly announced Wednesday.

“We are grateful to have Regions Bank as part of the PGA TOUR Champions family,” said PGA TOUR Champions President Miller Brady. “Their long-term commitment to our Tour and the Birmingham community is a clear sign of their support and passion. The Regions Tradition has solidified itself as a player-favorite on the Champions Tour because of the impressive fan support and the outstanding course and hospitality, and with an ongoing and growing commitment to charitable giving, I’m excited to see the positive impact this tournament can make for years to come.”

The Regions Tradition, one of five major championships on PGA TOUR Champions, has been played at Greystone Golf and Country Club in Birmingham, Alabama, since 2016. Bernhard Langer, who has won a PGA TOUR Champions-record 11 majors, captured the first two Regions Traditions held at Greystone in 2016 and 2017. Miguel Angel Jimenez (2018), Steve Stricker (2019) and defending champion Alex Cejka have won the last three titles at the Regions Tradition. Regions Bank has been the title sponsor of the event since 2011, with the tournament held at Shoal Creek Club in Shoal Creek, Alabama, from 2011 to 2015. 

“Regions Bank has a longstanding commitment to making life better in the communities we serve, and for 30 years, the Regions Tradition has provided a forum for great, hall-of-fame caliber golf and giving back to the community we call home. We’re honored to continue to sponsor this important event,” said John Turner, President and CEO of Regions Financial Corp. “Over its lifetime, the tournament has raised more than $20 million for local nonprofits, with the highest levels of support going to the tournament’s primary beneficiary, Children’s of Alabama.” 

Fundraising benefits extend beyond Children’s of Alabama hospital in Birmingham, as well. Last year, one of the tournament’s official charity partners, On River Time, was named the 2021 PGA TOUR Champions Charity of the Year. On River Time aims to serve children who are survivors of abuse and neglect through life-affirming programming. Since inception in 2012, On River Time has taken close to 200 youth fly fishing and has presented more than 20 scholarships to graduating seniors and developed year-round programming entitled “SOAR – Success, Opportunity, Attitude and Resilience.” As the Charity of the Year recipient, On River Time receives a $30,000 donation from PGA TOUR Champions, and the funds are used to take teens on fly fishing trips at The Lodge at Palisades Creek in Irwin, Idaho.

Each year, the tournament also hosts the Junior Regions Tradition powered by Alabama Power, a competitive and developmental golf experience celebrating junior golf and advancing growth of the game. 

The predecessor tournament of the Regions Tradition spent its first 14 years in Arizona at Cochise Golf Course at Desert Mountain Club (1989-2001) and the Prospector Course at Superstition Mountain Golf and Country Club (2002). The tournament spent eight years in Oregon at The Reserve Vineyards and Golf Club (2003-06) and the Crosswater Club at Sunriver (2007-10) before moving to Alabama.

Since its inception in 1989, the Regions Tradition and its predecessors have produced a legendary list of champions, including four-time winner Jack Nicklaus (1990, 1991, 1995, 1996). In addition to Langer and Nicklaus, Gil Morgan (1997, 1998), Fred Funk (2008, 2010) and Tom Lehman (2011, 2012) have also taken home multiple titles.

The nine-year extension of the Regions Tradition marks the third-longest extension in PGA TOUR Champions history, joining the 20-year extension of the Charles Schwab Cup Championship and the Charles Schwab Cup, as well as the 10-year extension of the Dominion Energy Charity Classic.