FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 11, 2021
CONTACTS
Preston Smith, PGA TOUR, PrestonSmith@pgatourhq.com, 706-844-2100
Angie Muhs, Memorial Health System, Muhs.Angie@mhsil.com, 217-899-9797
Kate Peters, Bruno Event Team, kate@MemorialHealthChampionship.com 217-416-1535
SPRINGFIELD, Illinois – The PGA TOUR’s Korn Ferry Tour and Springfield-based Memorial Health System announced today a five-year partnership in which Memorial, one of the state’s leading healthcare organizations, will serve as title sponsor of the Tour’s annual event at Panther Creek Country Club. The newly named Memorial Health Championship presented by LRS will return to Springfield the week of July 15-18, 2021, with 156 players competing for a $600,000 purse.
“Memorial Health System is a trusted voice in central Illinois and adds a tremendous level of partnership and support towards our vision for the future of this event,” said Korn Ferry Tour President Alex Baldwin. “Together with Memorial Health, we’re excited to impact the Springfield community and pave the way for the PGA TOUR’s next stars.”
“We’re excited for the opportunities the Memorial Health Championship will provide to our organization and our region,” said Memorial Health System President and CEO Ed Curtis. “This event has the potential to provide an economic boost to Sangamon County and beyond, especially the hotels, restaurants and other businesses that have been most impacted by the pandemic.”
Memorial Health System is a community-based, not-for-profit healthcare organization that provides a full range of inpatient and ambulatory services. The Memorial Health Championship will benefit the health system’s five hospital foundations based in Springfield, Decatur, Jacksonville, Taylorville and Lincoln. Each foundation focuses on initiatives to help patients in need and improve the health of the community.
“We’re also pleased that our hospital foundations will be able to reinvest the proceeds from the Memorial Health Championship directly into our communities through patient assistance, educational grants for local healthcare professionals, public health initiatives and more,” Curtis said.
The Memorial Health Championship joined the Korn Ferry Tour in 2016, when Martin Flores secured the first win of his Tour career. Since then, winners have included Adam Schenk (2017), Anders Albertson (2018), Xinjun Zhang (2019) and Brett Drewitt (2020). Future PGA TOUR champions Wesley Bryan, J.T. Poston, Adam Long and Cameron Champ have all notched top-10 finishes in the tournament.
The Memorial Health Championship is managed by Birmingham, Alabama-based Bruno Event Team, with Executive Director Kate Peters overseeing the Springfield event. Bruno also manages tournaments on the PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions and LPGA Tour, as well as motorsports, college events and gameday fan experiences.
“Today’s announcement is fantastic news for our tournament as we look to build on the five years of Korn Ferry Tour golf here in Springfield,” Peters said. “Memorial Health System has been a longtime partner in the community, and their strong brand and community engagement parallels our efforts to create a great tournament for our fans.”
For more information about the Memorial Health Championship presented by LRS, including sponsorship and volunteer opportunities, please visit MemorialHealthChampionship.com
ABOUT MEMORIAL HEALTH SYSTEM
One of the leading healthcare organizations in Illinois, Memorial Health System in Springfield is a community-based, not-for-profit organization that provides a full range of inpatient, outpatient, home health, hospice, behavioral health and primary care physician services. With eight affiliates based in communities around central Illinois, we deliver high-quality, patient- centered care in support of our mission to improve the health of the people and communities we serve.
ABOUT KORN FERRY TOUR
Founded (1990), owned and operated by the PGA TOUR, the Korn Ferry Tour identifies and develops golf's next stars, preparing them to compete and win on the game's biggest stage. The Korn Ferry Tour, which has served as a path to the PGA TOUR since its inception, began providing 50 PGA TOUR cards annually in 2013. Each season, the top 25 players secure PGA TOUR cards via the Korn Ferry Tour’s regular season and an additional 25 players secure promotion through the Korn Ferry Tour Finals. With more than 550 PGA TOUR titles and 24 major championships, Korn Ferry Tour alumni make up over 75 percent of the PGA TOUR’s current membership. To learn more about the PGA TOUR, the Korn Ferry Tour and to follow the season-long quest for a PGA TOUR card, visit PGATOUR.COM or follow the Korn Ferry Tour on social media.
ABOUT KORN FERRY
Korn Ferry is a global organizational consulting firm. We work with clients to design their organizational structures, roles and responsibilities. We help them hire the right people and advise them on how to reward, develop and motivate their workforce. And, we help professionals navigate and advance their careers.