Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation named 2022 Korn Ferry Tour Tournament of the Year

PHOENIX, Arizona – The Korn Ferry Tour bestowed four tournaments, one volunteer, and a charity with its annual season-ending tournament awards Wednesday, December 7 as part of the PGA TOUR’s annual Tournament Meetings.

Following its sixth season as a Korn Ferry Tour event, the Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation earned the prestigious Tournament of the Year Award.

“We are thrilled to name the Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation our 2022 Tournament of the Year,” Korn Ferry Tour President Alex Baldwin said. “There is no better time for us to recognize the outstanding work of Mike Hammontree and the team at Tennessee Golf Foundation, Simmons Bank and the Snedeker Foundation over the last two years as their event joins the reimagined Korn Ferry Tour Finals in 2023.”

As the winner of the Tournament of the Year Award, the Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation succeeded in putting forth a premier tournament on all applicable fronts, including:

• Exceptional amenities and exemplary hospitality for players, caddies, volunteers, staff, and fans

• Unique and creative approach to social media and digital content across a variety of platforms, leading to a greater influence, reach, and awareness of the event in the local market and beyond

• Supporting and generating exposure for multiple charities through tournament-week initiatives, including a pro-am and early-week sponsor events which were best in class and successfully integrated charities, sponsors, and the community of Nashville

• Engaged in the PGA TOUR’s sustainability initiatives, as the tournament provided all players and caddies with a reusable water bottle to utilize at filling stations across the property, thus significantly reducing the amount of plastic water bottles used throughout tournament week

• Complete engagement with and integration of its title sponsor’s priorities, objectives, and branding into the tournament

• Provided unique fan experience elements such as a new and improved Fan Zone, highlighted by a floating guitar-shape island green which fans attempted to hit

The 2023 Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation will be the second of four Korn Ferry Tour Finals events, with the season-ending series transitioning from a mechanism through which additional PGA TOUR cards are awarded, to a four-event series featuring elevated purses and points and serving as the culmination of the season-long race for PGA TOUR cards. This will be the tournament’s first year as a Korn Ferry Tour Finals event. The 2023 playing of the Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation is set for September 14-17 at The Grove in College Grove, Tennessee.

The Memorial Health Foundation, which serves as the main beneficiary of the Memorial Health Championship presented by LRS, received the Charity of the Year honor.

The mission of Memorial Health is to improve lives and build stronger communities through better health. The Memorial Health Foundation provides support to the health system and their communities through education grants and community health initiatives. Educational grants from the foundations provide financial support for current and future colleagues. Moreover, the Healthcare Career Education Grant helps create a pipeline of professional clinical staff and helps ensure Memorial Health has staff needed to provide necessary patient care.

At every turn, Memorial Health worked with the tournament to cross-promote, encourage attendance and educate the community. Memorial Health greatly impacted the Memorial Health Championship presented by LRS through its volunteer service, with 105 Memorial Health colleagues providing over 1,500 hours of service to the event. More than 500 of those volunteer hours were dedicated to healthcare services and screenings – at no cost – for players, caddies, and staff. In addition to those services, Memorial Health also manned an on-site Mobile Memorial space where all tournament attendees could access healthcare services, screenings, and educational materials while at the event.

Proceeds from the 2022 event will be distributed evenly amongst all five foundations of Memorial Health, with funding earmarked for community health grants to expand the charitable reach of the event.

The Korn Ferry Tour will contribute $10,000 to the Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation, $15,000 to Memorial Health, $5,000 to the Volunteer of the Year’s tournament, and $2,500 to the Sales Award and Truck Award winners.

Here are this year’s award recipients:

The 26-event 2023 Korn Ferry Tour season opens at The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic at Sandals Emerald Bay, set for January 15-18. The season-opening tournament will be the first of back-to-back events in The Bahamas.