Korn Ferry Tour announces winners of 2024 Tournament Awards

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida – Following the annual PGA TOUR Tournament Meetings, which took place this week at the JW Marriott Grande Lakes in Orlando, Florida, the Korn Ferry Tour announced the winners of eight awards, including the Tournament of the Year, Host Facility of the Year, Charity of the Year, Volunteer of the Year, Best Special Event, Most Improved, Operations Award, and Sales Award.
 
For the first time since its establishment in 2018, the Club Car Championship at The Landings Golf & Athletic Club earned the prestigious Tournament of the Year Award. The Club Car Championship at The Landings Golf & Athletic Club, which is operated by HNS Sports Group and played annually in Savannah, Georgia, was named Tournament of the Year in recognition of its excellence in hosting a premier event across all facets of the tournament experience.
 
“We are excited to congratulate the Club Car Championship at The Landings Golf & Athletic Club on being named the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour Tournament of the Year,” said Korn Ferry Tour President Alex Baldwin. “This event is widely considered one of the favorite stops on the Korn Ferry Tour each season amongst our players, fans and staff, and that is a testament to the incredible work from the tournament operator, HNS Sports Group, and the strong support and commitment from Club Car and The Landings Golf & Athletic Club. We are thrilled that the golf world was able to experience this premier tournament as it became a televised event in 2024, and we’re elated to recognize its success by being named Tournament of the Year.”
 
In addition to the event earning the Tournament of the Year Award, The Landings Golf & Athletic Club was named the Host Facility of the Year, a new award in 2024 to recognize a Korn Ferry Tour Host Facility that demonstrates exceptional performance and engagement in contributing to a best-in-class experience for players, caddies, sponsors and other key tournament constituents.
 
See below for additional information about each award winner:
 
TOURNAMENT OF THE YEAR
Club Car Championship at The Landings Golf & Athletic Club

• Delivered a first-class experience for players, caddies, sponsors, volunteers, fans and staff throughout tournament week
• Engaged with the greater Savannah community through strong charitable efforts, culminating in more than $450,000 raised for charitable organizations in greater Savannah and beyond, bringing the tournament’s seven-year total to more than $1.6 million
• Provided an impressive fan experience, with a variety of activations leading up to and during tournament week, including a 5k, youth clinic, fan zone and Military Appreciation Day
• Increased sales efforts within the local and regional business communities, helping achieve 35% year-over-year revenue growth from 2023 to 2024
• Title sponsor (Club Car) hosted various business activities during tournament week for suppliers, partners and clients, including a “State of the Business” breakfast and a special Pro-Am specifically for Club Car’s guests, in addition to working collaboratively with the tournament on a vendor program that supports the tournaments revenue efforts while generating money for charity
• In 2024, became one of seven Korn Ferry Tour events to be televised on Golf Channel
• Deployed a strong year-round marketing, public relations and social media plan to promote tournament efforts and initiatives and drive fan engagement
• Offered an elevated on-site hospitality experience and utilized clean tournament signage
• Had a vast and dependable volunteer contingent, led by engaged volunteer chairmen who were consistently well-trained and prepared for competition days

• Winner of the first-ever Host Facility of the Year Award
• Led by Executive Director of The Landings Golf & Athletic Club, Steven Freund, the entire staff consistently displayed incredible passion for and was actively engaged with all facets of the tournament
• Played a central role in contributing to the outstanding experience for players, caddies, title sponsor, tournament sponsors and other key constituents
• The club provided generous hospitality for Korn Ferry Tour players through exceptional dining, access to club amenities and a private housing program in partnership with club members
• Approximately 90% of the tournament’s volunteers were members of The Landings Golf & Athletic Club, indicative of the Club’s active and engaged membership
• New in 2024, The Landings Golf & Athletic Club provided additional benefits to the caddies through a caddie hat sponsorship
• In addition to investing as the presenting sponsor of the event, The Landings Golf & Athletic Club also served as a partner in supporting the investment that enabled the tournament to be televised on Golf Channel

• Nationwide Children’s Hospital has served as the tournament’s charitable beneficiary and namesake since the tournament’s establishment in 2007
• The organization is integrated across countless activations during tournament week, including:
  • Pros Fore Patients, which brings Korn Ferry Tour professionals together with patient champions from Nationwide Children’s Hospital to pack care packages for children receiving in-patient treatment at the hospital
  • First Shot to Fight Cancer, the ceremonial first tee shot taken by a cancer patient at Nationwide Children’s Hospital
• Nationwide, which has been the tournament’s title sponsor since 2007, surprised the First Shot to Fight Cancer participant with a college scholarship during event week, and at the conclusion of the tournament, the patient champion closed the week with the Final Putt to Cure Cancer
• During Sunday’s final round, patient champions from Nationwide Children’s Hospital walked the 18^th hole with the final group, and they were introduced to the crowd during the champion’s trophy ceremony
• Since inception, the tournament has donated over $29 million to charitable organizations in central Ohio including more than $25.6 million in support of Nationwide Children’s Hospital’s pediatric cancer program.

• In his ninth year of service as a volunteer at the Memorial Health Championship presented by LRS, Roland “Rollo” Saucier leads the ecology committee for the event
• Saucier embodies the mission of the Memorial Health Championship presented by LRS, which is to build strong communities through local partnerships and charitable giving while bringing fans and sponsors together for a first-class event
• “Some people just have a gift for making everything and everyone around them better, and Rollo Saucier is one of them,” said Kate Peters, tournament director of the Memorial Health Championship presented by LRS. “His dedication goes beyond tasks and projects. He brings a smile and laughter to every event. Rollo doesn’t just show up, he goes above and beyond, making sure everything runs smoothly, whether it’s cleaning up or brightening someone’s day. Rollo’s tireless efforts affect each corner of our community, and he is the heart of every event he touches. There’s no one more deserving of Volunteer of the Year, and we are endlessly grateful for all that he does.”

• Demonstrated a creative and fun opportunity for fans of all ages to embrace their community event
• Secured superheroes to come to the tournament and gifted children with capes and masks to promote the message that “superheroes come in all shapes and sizes”
• Promoted and executed the event in collaboration with the local sponsors as well as the Host Facility in order to drive member and fan engagement

• Demonstrated the strongest year-over-year improvement in key tournament areas, including golf course enhancements, player and caddie amenity operations, overall event look and feel, reimagined hospitality experience for major partners, and several other special events across tournament week

• Demonstrated exceptional operational standards and performance with the tournament build and branding to provide a tremendous on-site experience for fans, players, caddies, equipment representatives, club members and sponsors
• Displayed impressive growth with its hospitality build across numerous holes, with public access areas to watch competition, a military appreciation suite, and a wine chill zone
• Through a strong relationship between the tournament operator and the host facility, the event added hospitality and programming throughout the week for the club’s members
• Offered a no-fee volunteer program and provided a spacious, climate-controlled headquarters along with numerous amenities
• Tournament execution of two Pro-Ams, two offsite Am-Ams, a Sponsor Gala, a Business Forum for Albertsons, and a total of five concerts throughout the week

• Top three performer in total revenue, year-over-year revenue growth and year-over-year percentage revenue growth, achieving a nearly 30% revenue growth from 2023 to 2024
• Was also top five in percentage of accounts and revenue renewed from 2023
• Hosted an event during tournament week to celebrate BMW Manufacturing’s 30^th anniversary in the local market that brought more than 1,200 people together