Wilson Furr said the PGA Sanderson Farms Championship is great for Mississippi. Defending 2023 champion Luke List thinks it’s a massive deal for the community, and Sanderson Farms Tournament director Steve Jent fought tirelessly to have the sponsor remain and the tournament continue in Jackson.
Those were a few reactions to Friday’s announcement that Wayne Sanderson Farms would remain the title sponsor for the 2025 tournament.
In August, it was announced that Wayne Sanderson Farms would not be the title sponsor but remain a major sponsor for the tournament. A month of talks among Jent and others led to Sanderson remaining the title sponsor for at least one more year.
“I think it just goes back to continuing what they do for all of our charities in Mississippi,” Jent said after the announcement. “… We just know how important it is to everybody to be here in the region and the state. We’ve worked a lot of hours to make all this happen.”
In the fall of 2025, PGA Tour events will be asked to pay an additional $125,000 to the Tour and $250,000 in the following year.
List, the 2023 Sanderson Farms winner, helped out a week before the tournament at an event that included a golf clinic at the Country Club of Jackson for kids picking up the sport and a visit to the Children’s of Mississippi Hospital at the University of Mississippi Medical Center Campus. List said that tournament events like these would be great to have back for another year.
“It’s awesome,” List told the Clarion Ledger after his Saturday round. “Obviously, Sanderson has been a huge deal for this tournament and obviously for the community and the state. So, another year to add to that is fantastic.”
The County Club of Jackson has hosted the tournament since 2014, and Sanderson Farms has been the title sponsor since 2013.
“Any time you can play close to home is pretty special,” PGA Tour pro and Hattiesburg native Davis Riley said. “Spent a lot of time up here. So it’s nice to come back to a place you’ll have some hometown roots, a place you’re familiar with.”
Furr, a Jackson Academy grad, was asked on Wednesday before the news broke what the tournament meant to him and to Jackson.
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“I think it’s really good for Mississippi golfers,” Furr said. “Like younger guys, to be able to come out here, see this, and aspire do it, see what it looks like, and learn something. Hopefully, because that’s what you have to do in this game. But just the states without tour events, you can kind of just forget that it exists.”
Throughout the week, players like Zach Johnson, Mackenzie Hughes and Peter Malnati discussed how much they enjoyed Jackson and the tournament the country club hosts. Even if some do not return next year, Jackson will have a guaranteed place with the PGA for fall 2025.
“Everything I’ve heard from the players this week is, you know, man, this thing has to continue,” Jent said. “They love it here. They love the golf course. Love the hospitality. They really love coming to the city of Jackson.”
Michael Chavez covers high school sports, among others, for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at mchavez@gannett.com or reach out to him on X, formerly Twitter @MikeSChavez.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Why PGA golfers praise Sanderson Farms remaining Jackson event sponsor
