PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla.– The Korn Ferry Tour announced today a five-year partnership with the Vanderbilt Legends Club at Vanderbilt University to host the annual Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation beginning this season. The 2024 Simmons Bank Open will be played Sept. 12-15 on the North Course at Vanderbilt Legends Club in Franklin, Tennessee, and the Tennessee Golf Foundation (TGF) will continue as the operator and host organization of the event.

“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. The golf teams, staff and membership have been a joy to work with and we look forward to showing the Legends Club to the world in September!”

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 world-renowned 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,” said Candice Storey Lee, Vanderbilt’s Vice Chancellor for athletics and university affairs and athletic director. “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, Mandy and the Snedeker Foundation.”

The courses at Vanderbilt Legends Club, as well as its pristine 19-acre practice facility, are widely recognized among the finest in Tennessee. The club has hosted numerous competitions, including the Tennessee State Open (1993-96), Southeastern Conference Women’s Championship (1995), 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 Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation is a 72-hole tournament that has been a staple on the Korn Ferry Tour schedule since the inaugural playing in 2016 (not played in 2020 due to COVID-19). In 2022, the Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation was honored with the prestigious Tournament of the Year Award as part of the PGA TOUR’s annual tournament meetings. Last year, the tournament became a Korn Ferry Tour Finals event, where players compete for increased purses and points over the final four events of the season to determine the season-long points race and claim one of 30 PGA TOUR cards.

“We are thrilled to partner with the Vanderbilt Legends Club and look forward to showcasing its exceptional course and facilities as host of the Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation,” said Korn Ferry Tour President Alex Baldwin. “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. 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."

The Simmons Bank Open first announced in 2017 that The Snedeker Foundation would be the official charitable beneficiary of middle Tennessee’s only PGA TOUR-sanctioned tournament. The Snedeker Foundation was founded in 2012 by nine-time PGA TOUR winner and 2012 FedExCup champion Brandt Snedeker and his wife, Mandy, to help serve different charities in 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.

"Mandy and I can’t wait to welcome the Simmons Bank Open and the golf world to Vanderbilt Legends Club this September,” said Brandt Snedeker. “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. 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. 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."

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. The Snedeker Foundation has raised in excess of $1 million for charities in the region and The Simmons Bank Open is proud to partner with the Snedekers in support of their mission.

Snedeker is a Nashville native who later played collegiately at nearby Vanderbilt University before earning PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year honors in 2007. Prior to that, Snedeker got his start on the Korn Ferry Tour, where he won twice in 2006 and earned his PGA TOUR card for the 2007 season.

The 2024 Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation will take place Sept. 12-15 and all four rounds of competition will be broadcast on Golf Channel. For more information on the Simmons Bank Open, please visit www.simmonsbankopen.com. For more information on the Vanderbilt Legends Club, please visit www.vanderbiltlegendsclub.com.