Blue Hills CC Named Host Venue For KC Golf Classic
- Details
- Category: Inside Golf
- Published: 2018-10-24
By WEB.COM TOUR
KANSAS CITY, Missouri — The PGA TOUR and Blue Hills Country Club announced a five-year partnership to host the Web.com Tour’s longstanding KC Golf Classic event. In addition to a new host course, it was announced that Bruno Event Team has taken over management of the tournament. The 2019 event is set to be contested the week of May 6-12.
“We are thrilled to announce these exciting new developments for the KC Golf Classic,” said KC Golf Classic Executive Director Drew Van Meeteren. “Blue Hills Country Club is a first-class facility with a rich history here in Kansas City. We have no doubt the club and Bruno Event Team will combine to deliver an elevated tournament experience for our fans and partners.”
Established in 1912 and relocated to its current location in 1963, Blue Hills Country Club has consistently been rated among the top courses in the Midwest. The Robert Dunning design features a 7,347-yard layout that has hosted numerous qualifiers for the U.S. Open and other USGA events. Thirty-nine-time PGA TOUR winner Tom Watson, an honorary member of Blue Hills, once hosted the Children’s Mercy Hospital Golf Classic at the course, an event which brought in golf greats such as Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Lee Trevino.
“On behalf of our Board of Directors, our staff and our membership, Blue Hills Country Club is honored to be named the new host course for the KC Golf Classic,” said 2019 Blue Hills Country Club President Mike Wagner. “Today’s announcement ensures the strong future of professional golf in Kansas City. Blue Hills has a long tradition of supporting golf and charitable organizations in Kansas City, and we feel this is an important next step in carrying that into the future. Along with Bruno Event Team, we are eager to build on the tremendous foundation in place as we look to create a memorable debut in 2019 and for many years to come.”
The KC Golf Classic will transition into the leadership of the Bruno Event Team, a Birmingham, Alabama-based event management group that has an extensive history with the PGA TOUR. Bruno, which currently oversees the Web.com Tour’s Lincoln Land Championship presented by LRS, manages four PGA TOUR Champions events (including the U.S. Senior Open) and assists the Western Golf Association with management of the PGA TOUR’s BMW Championship. The Bruno Event Team will focus on integrating sponsorship proposals, developing marketing and grassroots initiatives, and volunteer recruitment to ensure a successful Kansas City event.
"We are honored to join the KC Golf Classic team," said Gene Hallman, CEO of Bruno Event Team. "We value our partnership with the PGA TOUR and Web.com Tour, and we are confident we can help take this outstanding event at this prestigious facility to a new level of excellence."
The KC Golf Classic, which dates back to 2009 at its previous host Nicklaus Golf Club at LionsGate, has attracted an array of stars including recent Safeway Open champion Kevin Tway, who competed four times between 2011 and 2016. In 2016, Wesley Bryan picked up his third win of the season in Kansas City, defeating Grayson Murray and J.T. Poston in a playoff to earn just the 11th battlefield promotion to the PGA TOUR in Web.com Tour history. Marty Dou took home the title the following year, allowing him to become the first Chinese-born player to earn a PGA TOUR card via the Web.com Tour. A win at last year’s KC Golf Classic also helped propel champion Sepp Straka to become the first Austrian-born PGA TOUR member.