Huntsville Championship, Huntsville Hospital Foundation Announce New Partnership
Huntsville Classic dinner/concert to pair with Korn Ferry Tour event, Huntsville Championship, to benefit Huntsville Hospital Foundation and Community Foundation of Greater Huntsville
The Huntsville Championship and Huntsville Hospital Foundation (HHF) have announced a new partnership for the Foundation’s annual Huntsville Classic event.
The Huntsville Championship, one of four new 2020 Korn Ferry Tour stops, will now provide a week of professional golf instead of the Foundation’s Classic Golf Tournament, usually played Mother’s Day weekend. Now, golf fans will have the opportunity play with the Korn Ferry Tour golfers through the Pro-Am event or watch tournament play through a variety of ticket options. The Huntsville Championship will take place April 20-26, 2020, at The Ledges. The Huntsville Classic dinner and concert will be held two weeks later at the VBC on Thursday, May 7.
Huntsville Championship proceeds will benefit both the Community Foundation of Greater Huntsville and the new Huntsville Hospital Foundation Fund at the Community Foundation.
Huntsville is one of only 28 international cities to offer the Korn Ferry Tour and this professional level of play. The Korn Ferry Tour became The Path to the PGA TOUR in 2013, with all 50 available PGA TOUR cards coming through the Tour and the season culminating at the Korn Ferry Tour Finals. Notable PGA TOUR players who started on the Korn Ferry Tour include major champions Justin Thomas, Jason Day, Bubba Watson and Zach Johnson.
The collaborative partnership strengthens the community impact and enhances the experience of both the golf and dinner/concert events. All Huntsville Classic dinner/concert event proceeds will continue to solely benefit the needs of not-for-profit Huntsville Hospital and patients across North Alabama.
“As our region grows, collaboration and cooperation are more important now than ever before,” said Chris Hanback, chairman, Huntsville Hospital Foundation Board of Trustees. “These exciting changes to our 30-year-old signature event will provide new opportunities for the Foundation’s growth and impact. And, of course, the mission of the Classic remains the same — to raise essential funds needed to support our local, not-for-profit hospital. Without this event, key lifesaving equipment would not be possible.”
“The Huntsville Championship is honored to partner with Huntsville Hospital Foundation. From the beginning, our focus has been about providing a premier Korn Ferry Tour golf event while also giving back to the community,” remarked Tournament Director of the Huntsville Championship Penn Garvich. “Through this new partnership, we look forward to expanding our community impact and providing new opportunities for the supporters of the Huntsville Classic and the greater Huntsville community.”
The Community Foundation improves the quality of life in greater Huntsville through philanthropy. In its first 10 years, this community has donated more than $30 million through the Community Foundation to support charitable causes, granting over $17 million to support nearly 700 different nonprofit organizations.
Huntsville Hospital Foundation inspires philanthropic partners to invest in medical technology and programs that advance Huntsville Hospital’s mission to improve the health patients in its region of 1.1 million residents. Through the generosity of its donors over its 41-year history, it has grown to almost $38.5 million in assets, and has distributed more than $54 million toward Huntsville Hospital’s service to its patients.
The Huntsville Championship tournament is operated by Alabama-based sports marketing and event management firm Knight Eady, with Penn Garvich serving as Tournament Director in Huntsville.
For questions or interview requests, please contact Katie Jernigan, Vice President of Marketing at Knight Eady at katie@knighteady.com, or Katie Coppens, Huntsville Hospital Foundation Communications Director at katie.coppens@hhsys.org.
For more information on the Huntsville Championship, including Pro-Am, volunteer and sponsorship information, please visit HuntsvilleChampionship.com. For more information on the Korn Ferry Tour, please visit PGATOUR.com.
ABOUT HUNTSVILLE CHAMPIONSHIP
The Huntsville Championship is a professional golf tournament on the Korn Ferry Tour. The first edition of the Huntsville Championship will take place the week of April 20-26, 2020 at The Ledges in Huntsville, Alabama. A five-year partnership is in place through 2024. The host course, The Ledges, opened in 2000 as an award-winning design by Hurdzan/Fry GCD, Inc., with designer Mike Hurdzan earning the “Designer of the Year” award by Golf Magazine in 2003 for his work on the course. The tournament is owned and operated by Birmingham-based sports marketing and event management firm, Knight Eady.
ABOUT HUNTSVILLE CLASSIC
Huntsville Hospital Foundation’s Huntsville Classic features a dinner and concert each May at the Von Braun Center Propst Arena. Since 1989, the event has raised more than $7 million and contributed significantly to the growth of Huntsville and Madison Hospitals. The 2019 Huntsville Classic raised a record $520,000 in net proceeds to fund a new pre- and post-op area for the Heart Institute’s Cardiac Hybrid Lab.
ABOUT HUNTSVILLE HOSPITAL FOUNDATION
Huntsville Hospital Foundation is a not-for-profit organization, established in 1978 as the fundraising arm of Huntsville and Madison Hospitals. It works to strengthen relationships between the hospitals and the community. The Foundation accepts gifts—both individual and corporate—on the hospitals’ behalf, and works to fund present and future equipment and program needs. For more information, visit huntsvillehospitalfoundation.org.
ABOUT KNIGHT EADY
Founded in 2013, Knight Eady is a full-service sports marketing and event management agency that works with brands to identify creative ways to elevate their brand through the power of sports. The company has worked with clients such as the NCAA, AHSAA, ESPN SEC Network and the USGA, which selected Knight Eady to be the official marketing and advertising agency for the 73rd U.S. Women’s Open, contested at Shoal Creek Golf Club in Birmingham, as well as the 74th U.S. Women’s Open, contested at the Country Club of Charleston.
# # #