PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida — The Korn Ferry Tour honored the Wichita Open, at the PGA TOUR’s annual Tournament Meetings on Wednesday, November 20 at TPC Sawgrass, with the annual season-ending Tournament Awards.
The Wichita Open Supporting Wichita’s Youth, one of the Tour’s original four events dating back to the inaugural 1990 season, claimed the prestigious honor of Tournament of the Year.
“We are thrilled to name the Wichita Open Supporting Wichita’s Youth our 2019 Tournament of the Year,” said Korn Ferry Tour President Alex Baldwin. “For 30 years, this event has helped to establish the foundation of success our Tour enjoys today, and Roy Turner and his team earned this tremendous honor by delivering what we considered to be the best week in tournament history.”
As the winner of the Tournament of the Year Award, the Wichita Open Supporting Wichita’s Youth succeeded in putting forth a top-notch tournament on all applicable fronts, including:
- Record fan attendance, including the highest ticket redemption rate of all time and marking a 10 percent increase over 2018. Tournament developed an enhanced social media campaign to amplify these results.
- Record level of income generated, including a sold-out Pro-Am, sold-out 17th Coors Corner chalet and a 21 percent increase in tournament Ambassadors.
- Successful 30th year campaign featuring a “Birthday Bash” on June 15, ceremonial tournament logo and a Wichita Open anniversary flag signed by 27 past champions and donated to the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame.
- Local cross promotion to generate additional revenue via partnerships with Barker Oil, AETNA, Fagron Sterile and Key Construction.
- Expansion and upgrade of player dining experience.
“What a fantastic honor for our community. It takes a lot of wonderful people and sponsor support to pull off our event, not to mention our great tournament host, Crestview Country Club,” said Wichita Open Tournament Director Roy Turner. “To all who have made this possible – a heartfelt thank you. Go Wichita!”
The 2020 Korn Ferry Tour season will kick off with The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic at Sandals Emerald Bay, set for January.
The Wichita Open will take place at Crestview Country Club beginning on June 11 and ending on Championship Sunday, June 21.