As the 12th and final year of sponsorship for Wayne Sanderson Farms at Mississippi’s only PGA Tour event is nearing an end, there is no better way to find a new sponsor than to show off at this year’s tournament.
Wayne Sanderson Farms’ run as a full partner with Jackson and its PGA tournament has been a historic one.
However, the 2024 Sanderson Farm Championship will be the last for the company as the title sponsor of the Jackson PGA Tour stop.
While its contract runs through 2026, the company decided in August to move on as the title sponsor, but remain as a major sponsor for the tournament, which is held at the Country Club of Jackson.
That leaves tournament director Steve Jent searching for a 2025 and beyond sponsor as this year’s tournament gears up to kick off next week.
“I feel really good in general for next week. The weather looks great. It’s going to be a chamber of commerce type setting, for sure,” Jent told the Clarion Ledger.
Also, Jent believes the tournament is on track for its main job, which is raising money for charity. He said early returns look like last year when the tournament helped raise $1.5 million in charitable impact benefiting Children’s of Mississippi and other Mississippi charities.
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.
“With both Mississippi State and Ole Miss on the road next week and with the weather looking great, that should help our crowds,” Jent said. “So, yeah, I feel great about next week.”
But as much as great weather and great crowds and a great field of players will make this year’s tournament great, making this year’s tournament great is important in showing a potential new sponsor the value of signing on for the future.
“We are still working on what 2025 looks like, and we still have some time to figure that out,” Jent said. “But yes, we want to use next week to entertain anyone that might be interested in being the title sponsor. Having said that, the clock doesn’t run out after the tournament ends next week. We have time still to work with the PGA tournament and come up with just the right plan.”
Luke List of the United States celebrates after after a putt on the first playoff hole of the final round of the Sanderson Farms Championship at The Country Club of Jackson on October 08, 2023 in Jackson, Mississippi. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
Sanderson Farms history
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.
The tournament has a $7.6 million purse with a $1.368 million winner’s share. Luke List is the defending champion and the Sanderson Farms Championship has a field of 132 players and a cut to 70 players.
A general view of the Country Club of Jackson water tower during the third round of the Sanderson Farms Championship at The Country Club of Jackson on October 07, 2023, in Jackson, Mississippi. (Photo by Raj Mehta/Getty Images)
What’s next?
Despite the uncertain future of the tournament at the moment, Jent said the future is still bright.
“I believe this cat still has some of its nine lives left,” he said. “Over the course of the history of this tournament, it has definitely seen worse days. I think we’ve built something, between Century Club and our sponsors and everyone that has volunteers, we have built something that will be appealing to someone out there that wants to be our next title sponsor.”
With that in mind, Jent has every intention of putting the tournament’s best foot forward for next week.
“This is a great showcase for us, there is no doubt,” Jent said. “Not only is this a great showcase to the world for Mississippi, it’s a lot of fun. There are great parties, a great atmosphere and great golf. You can cut any way you want to, but there will be 132 of the greatest players in the world here in Mississippi next week. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of that. I think that is how we are really approaching everything.”
Ross Reily can be reached by email at rreily@gannett.com or 601-573-2952. You can follow him on Twitter @GreenOkra1.