Sanderson Farms extends sponsorship of PGA Tour event in Jackson for 2025 event
10/04/2024 02:25 PM
JACKSON, Miss. — Despite a recent announcement that this week’s Sanderson Farms Championships would be the 12th and final year for the sponsor, there has been a change in thinking.
Wayne Sanderson Farms announced Friday that it is extending its sponsorship through the 2025 tournament.
While its original contract ran through 2026, the company announced on August 9 that it had moved on as the title sponsor, but it would remain as a major sponsor for the tournament. That changed this week.
Tournament director Steve Jent went into the week searching for a 2025 sponsor. Now, he has a little breathing room for a more comprehensive search.
“You always want to talk to your best customer first and that is exactly what we did,” Jent told the Clarion Ledger. “It is the best of all worlds for us right now. This definitely gives us more runway to find that new title sponsor for this area.”
That’s particularly important since starting in 2025, fall events are being asked to pay an additional $125,000 to the PGA Tour, and in the following year, $250,000 to the Tour.
Sanderson Farms: Leaderboard | Photo gallery
The purse for the 2024 event is down $600,000 and the winner's check is a slight $8,000 lighter from 2024.
The tournament has a $7.6 million purse with a $1.368 million winner’s share. Luke List is the defending champion. The field started with 132 players and will have a cut to 70 players after 36 holes.
“(Sanderson Farms) is always looking at their business environment, and they understand how important this tournament is to this community and to Mississippi,” Jent said. “Being the great partner they have been for the last 12 years, coming back for 2025 is exactly the perfect scenario for everyone involved.”
Wayne Sanderson Farms CEO Clint Rivers said he is thrilled to work out the deal for the 2025 tournament.
"We are honored to continue our partnership with Century Club Charities to support all of the local causes that benefit from this event. Wayne-Sanderson Farms and the Sanderson Farms Championship are committed to fostering charitable contributions and driving positive community and economic impact,” Rivers said in a statement. “The life changing work taking place at Children's of Mississippi is something our company is proud to support, and we look forward to another successful Sanderson Farms Championship in 2025.”
The history of PGA Tour in Mississippi
Mississippi has been a PGA stop since 1968 when the tournament was known as the Magnolia Classic and was played in Hattiesburg.
The tournament has had several names and sponsors over the years, including the Deposit Guaranty Classic from 1986–1998, the Farm Bureau Classic from 1999–2006 and the Viking Classic from 2007–2011. In 2012, it was called the True South Classic because it didn’t have a title sponsor. Sanderson Farms has sponsored the tournament since 2013.
Sanderson Farms also spearheaded to the move from Annandale Golf Course in Madison to the Country Club of Jackson, which continues to be recognized as one of the top courses in the nation. It’s ranked fifth among private courses on Golfweek’s Best public-access and private golf courses in Mississippi.
Since becoming title sponsor in 2013, the Sanderson Farms Championship has raised more than $17 million for charity including Children's of Mississippi and other Mississippi-based causes.
