Nonprofits across the state could receive less funding this year from the Sanderson Farms Championship, thanks to restrictions brought about by the coronavirus.
Century Club Charities recently announced that the tournament would be played without spectators, due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The news comes as other offerings related to the tourney are also postponed, including the annual ladies’ day dinner, the sponsor party dinner and other events.
With no spectators and spectator-related events, the tournament will likely generate hundreds of thousands of dollars less this year for local charities. Century Club revenues are generated from sponsporships, social events, ticket sales and other tournament-related events.
Since 1994, Century Club has raised more than $16 million for Friends of Children’s Hospital and other charities across the state.
“We can’t do dinners, parties and events. The pairings dinners, the junior clinic, the Sunday worship service, the sponsor party … virtually every event associated with the tournament has been postponed until next year,” said Century Club Executive Director Steve Jent.
“Hopefully we still can impact charity, but we’ll have to figure out at what level.”
The annual tournament is an early stop on the PGA Tour and a major fund-raiser for local charities.
The championship’s biggest benefactor is Friends of Children’s Hospital, which received more than $1.3 million in proceeds from the 2019 tournament.
Meanwhile, between 40 and 50 other charities received a portion of $300,000 in proceeds.
How much the championship will generate this year remains to be seen.
Last year, the event drew around 30,000 spectators a year. Those individuals purchase tickets, concessions and tournament-related gear, generating hundreds of thousands of dollars for the tournament.
Other tournament proceeds come from its contract with the Golf Channel, which televises the event, and from its numerous corporate sponsors.
Sponsor packages typically include opportunities to play in the pro-am tournaments prior to the professional competition, as well as exclusive access to hospitality tents during the tournament itself.
“The things they get as sponsors they’re not getting this year,” Jent said. “Somebody who signed up to entertain 15 to 20 clients at a hospitality venue are not going to be able to do that this year.”
At press time, the pro-am was still slated to take place. However, the pro-am pairing dinner had been canceled, as had the annual tournament sponsor party. “We’re going to have the 2021 tournament. And we’re going to ask our sponsors if they want to donate that money to Century Club this year or have it roll over for 2021,” he said. “We’re going to work with them to see what they’d like to do.”
Metro Jackson Lions Club President Gayera Trabont hopes those sponsors will make a donation.
“That money can serve a lot of folks,” she said.
Lions has received two grants from Century Club in recent years, funds that have gone to purchase glasses and hearing aids for the needy, and to buy Christmas gifts for children at the Mississippi School for the Blind and Mississippi Children’s Home.
Trabont said the club would be applying for a grant again this year, in part, because several of the club’s fundraisers had been cut out thanks to the virus.
Among projects, Lions operates a parking lot at Jackson State University (JSU) football games. The football season, though, has been postponed to the spring.
Charities are chosen by the Century Club board of directors.
The championship is slated for September 28 to October 4 at the Country Club of Jackson.
It typically draws top names along the PGA Tour, as well as up-and-coming professionals.
It is the fifth tournament slated for the 2020-21 season.
Last year, the championship drew several PGA notables, including Jason Dufner, Brandt Snedeker, Zach Johnson and Kim Si-Woo.
Dufner and Johnson have both won majors, while 2017, Si-Woo made history by becoming the youngest person to win the Players Championship. Snedeker has nine wins on the tour.
This year’s field has not been set at press time.
