In Wake of Rain Out, Mississippi Lands Champions Tour Event

Just a few days after a deluge cancelled the PGA Tour’s Viking Classic at Annandale Golf Club in Madison, Mississippi’s only premiere professional golf tournament, the skies brightened with the announcement that Biloxi’s Fallen Oak Golf Course would host a new Champions Tour event starting in 2010.

The tournament will be called the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic and is scheduled for April 26 – May 2 at the Tom Fazio-designed Fallen Oak Course which is ranked No. 19 by Golf Digest in the publication’s latest installment of America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses.

“We look forward to seeing how Fallen Oak will stand up to some of the legends of the game,” said George P. Corchis, Jr., president and chief operating officer of MGM Mirage's Mississippi Operations, which owns Fallen Oak. “Knowing this course and how unique it is, I have no doubt that these incredible players will find a thorough test of their games when they play it next spring.”

The event will feature a 78-player field that is expected to include the likes of Hal Sutton, Loren Roberts, Fred Funk, Jay Haas, Bernhard Langer, Tom Watson, Hale Irwin, Fuzzy Zoeller and if tournament organizers are lucky, Fred Couples, who just recently became eligible to compete on the 50-and-over circuit.

The Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic will be broadcast on the Golf Channel and will primarily benefit Habitat for Humanity of the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Instead of one main title sponsor such as Outback Steakhouse or Charles Schwab footing the bill for the event, a consortium of businesses chipped in to bring the event to Mississippi. The organizations contributing to the financial foundation of the new event, which includes committing an initial $2.5 million includes the Gulf Coast Business Council, Beau Rivage, IP, Grand Biloxi, Island View, Hard Rock, Habitat for Humanity, Cellular South, the state of Mississippi, Ray Anderson Corp., Yates Construction, Hancock Bank and Southern Company, as well as Harrison and Hancock County’s Tourism Commissions.

The parties involved consider hosting a top-tier golf event as the next stage in the state’s evolution as a prime tourist destination.

“The Gulf Coast Business Council has a vision of seeing the Mississippi Gulf Coast become a tier one tourism destination,” said Anthony Topazi, chairman of the Gulf Coast Business Council. “Achievement of such an ambitious goal requires that we have nationally-recognized events and attractions. This tournament will showcase the Mississippi Gulf Coast’s premier golf, fishing and resort amenities on a national and worldwide basis.”

“Hosting the Champions Tour event on the Gulf Coast, in addition to the PGA Tour’s Viking Classic underscores the high quality of golf courses throughout our great state,” said D. Craig Ray, Mississippi Development Authority Division of Tourism director. “Mississippi is the nation’s third largest gaming destination after Vegas and Atlantic City. We have the hotels, resorts, condos, restaurants and other high-quality attractions and visitor infrastructure which make us an idea venue to showcase the area and the game’s great players.”

Individuals are encouraged to sign up for more information on the tournament, available sponsorship packages, volunteer opportunities and tickets at www.mississippigulfresortclassic.com.

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