Regions Financial Corporation and the PGA TOUR’s Champions Tour announced today that the Regions Tradition, a major championship on the Champions Tour, will remain in Birmingham through 2018.
“Over the years, the Regions Tradition has been much more than a world-class golfing event. It’s also been a source of community pride, supported numerous charities and generated millions in economic impact,” said Grayson Hall, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Regions Financial Corporation. “Regions is pleased to partner with the Champions Tour and keep this major championship in the Birmingham area for years to come.”
The tournament, which began in 1989 in Arizona and first came to Alabama in 2011, was originally intended to be played at Shoal Creek for just one year. Following a successful tournament in 2011, the club agreed to host for two more years. After recent negotiations, Shoal Creek will again host this year, on May 14-18 when David Frost will attempt to defend his title, as well as in 2015. The Regions Tradition will then relocate just a few miles away to Greystone Golf & Country Club for 2016, ’17 and ’18.
“It’s tremendous that Regions Financial has made this commitment to keep the Regions Tradition in Birmingham,” said Champions Tour President Mike Stevens. “Our players hold this major championship in the highest esteem and they enjoy coming to Birmingham, a city where the Champions Tour has had a presence since 1992. The members of Shoal Creek have graciously allowed us to enjoy their facility for three years and we look forward to two more years, along with the knowledge that Greystone Golf & Country Club, which has successfully hosted Champions Tour events in the past, awaits us with a wonderful welcome.”
"Shoal Creek’s partnership with the Champions Tour has been an outstanding experience,” said Shoal Creek’s President, Mike Thompson. “It’s an honor to host this major championship, The Regions Tradition. We thought we would host it for one year only, but has developed into five years.”
Moving this major championship to different locations in the same region is not uncommon. Two courses hosted The Tradition during its 14-year run in Arizona and two venues were used in the tournaments eight years in Oregon. The championship relocated to Alabama in 2011 at Shoal Creek.
“Our members are thrilled to partner with the Champions Tour and excited to have a major championship come to the club,” said Greystone Golf & Country Club President Dr. Jeff Clifton. “Our course is undergoing renovations in anticipation of the 2016 Regions Tradition, which will be here before we know it. We look forward to hosting some of the greatest names in golf at Greystone.”
Greystone Golf & Country Club, which will be the sixth venue to host the Tradition, previously held the Champions Tour's Bruno’s Memorial Classic from 1992 - 2005 where past winners have included World Golf Hall of Fame members Hale Irwin (2001), Larry Nelson (1999) and Hubert Green (1998).
Regions’ association with the Champions Tour in Birmingham has benefitted Children’s of Alabama and local area charities significantly, donating more than $13 million in total since the first Champions Tour event was held in Birmingham in 1992. Of that $13 million, more than $2 million has been donated since the Regions Tradition came to Shoal Creek in 2011. According to the Birmingham Convention and Visitors Bureau, the estimated economic impact in Birmingham is almost $54 million from 2011 through 2014.
Each of the four rounds of the Regions Tradition will be broadcast live on the Golf Channel, the exclusive cable provider of the Champions Tour, reaching in excess of 205 countries and territories and more than 145 million households.
For more information on the Regions Tradition, please visit www.regionstradition.com.
About the Champions Tour: Collectively, the Champions Tour has the most recognizable and accomplished players in the game, with many of its 32 members in the World Golf Hall of Fame competing regularly in its events. The Tour also counts numerous other major championship winners among its members. The Champions Tour is a membership organization of professional golfers age 50 and older. Conceived in 1980 as the Senior PGA Tour, it started with just four events and purses totaling $475,000. The Champions Tour's primary purpose is to provide financial opportunities for its players, entertain and inspire its fans, deliver substantial value to its partners, create outlets for volunteers to give back, protect the integrity of the game and generate significant charitable and economic impact in communities in which it plays. Points earned in official Charles Schwab Cup events in 2013 determined Kenny Perry as the Charles Schwab Cup champion, the season-long competition designed to recognize the Champions Tour’s leading player. The Commissioner of the PGA TOUR is Tim Finchem. Mike Stevens is President of the Champions Tour. The PGA TOUR’s website is pgatour.com, the No. 1 site in golf, and the organization is headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. Follow the Champions Tour at facebook.com/ChampionsTour and on Twitter @ChampionsTour.
About Regions Financial Corporation: Regions Financial Corporation (NYSE:RF), with $117 billion in assets, is a member of the S&P 500 Index and is one of the nation’s largest full-service providers of consumer and commercial banking, wealth management, mortgage, and insurance products and services. Regions serves customers in 16 states across the South, Midwest and Texas, and through its subsidiary, Regions Bank, operates approximately 1,700 banking offices and 2,000 ATMs. Additional information about Regions and its full line of products and services can be found at www.regions
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