FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 1, 2017
CONTACTS: Alexis Boulos, Pinnacle Bank Championship, 402-991-2525 ext. 101 | David Honnens, Nebraska Section PGA, 402-489-7760
Pinnacle Bank Championship Announces Regional Qualifying Sites
Nebraskans invited to compete for spot in New Korn Ferry Tour Stop
Omaha, Neb. – Golfers with Nebraska ties will have the opportunity to earn a spot in the 2017 Korn Ferry Tour Pinnacle Bank Championship and compete for a share of the $600,000 purse.
Regional qualifier rounds will be held at Riverside Golf Club in Grand Island on May 31st and at Wilderness Ridge Golf Club in Lincoln on June 22nd. The top 20 players and ties at each regional event will advance to compete in the final qualifier at ArborLinks in Nebraska City on July 6th. The winner of that 18-hole final qualifier will earn an exemption into the 2017 Korn Ferry Tour Pinnacle Bank Championship.
“Part of the excitement of this tournament is the opportunity for those Cinderella moments,” said Marc Hock, Pinnacle Bank President. “We’re thrilled to be able to give great golfers from our Nebraska community a shot at making it onto the national stage.”
Any Professional or amateur with a 4.0 handicap index or less with Nebraska ties will be eligible to compete. Current legal residents of Nebraska, Nebraska Section PGA members and apprentices, students and graduates of Nebraska colleges or universities and individuals born in Nebraska and graduated from a Nebraska high school will be eligible.
Each regional qualifier is limited to the first 144 entrants who meet all eligibility and handicap requirements. Entry deadline is May 24th for the Riverside Golf Club qualifier and June 14th for the Wilderness Ridge Golf Club qualifier. Players may enter and compete in either or both regional qualifiers. The entry fee will be $250 for one regional qualifier or $400 for both regional qualifiers. Complete details are available by visiting the tournament website at thepinnaclebankchampionship.com or www.nebraskapga.com.
“Nebraska golfers are going to get the chance to earn their way into a national competition,” said David Honnens, PGA, Nebraska Section PGA CEO. “That’s an exciting prospect for our community and it’s one of the things that makes a tournament like the Pinnacle Bank Championship more fun for spectators and fans.”
The Pinnacle Bank Championship, presented by Heartland Chevy Dealers, is a stop on the PGA’s Korn Ferry Tour and will be held July 17th – 23rd at the Club at Indian Creek. The Korn Ferry Tour’s prior events in Omaha produced champions such as PGA TOUR winners Bo Van Pelt, Johnson Wagner, Heath Slocum and Jason Gore. The tournament’s charity partner, TeamMates, will receive proceeds from the event to help fund education and mentoring programs for Nebraska youth.
For more information about the Pinnacle Bank Championship, please visit thepinnaclebankchampionship.com.
ABOUT PINNACLE BANK
Family-owned since 1938, Nebraska-based Pinnacle Bancorp, Inc., is a $9.7 billion financial holding company operating 140 community banks in seven states including 61 locations in Nebraska. For more information, visit pinnbank.com.
ABOUT THE NEBRASKA SECTION OF THE PGA
The Nebraska Section of the PGA is one of 41 Sections that together comprise the PGA of America. The Nebraska Section PGA is a non-for-profit organization comprised of approximately 244 PGA Members and 25 Apprentices who strive to promote the enjoyment and growth of the game of golf. The Nebraska Section PGA encompasses the entire State of Nebraska, western fifth of Iowa and a small portion of South Dakota including Dakota Dunes and Yankton. The Section office is located in Lincoln, NE and acts as a resource for local and national golf information for the golf professional and amateur players alike. Our members are often referred to as “Club Professionals”, not to be mistaken as PGA Tour Professionals. Each Nebraska Section PGA Professional serves as an expert in the ever-changing business of golf. They are the leading expert players and teachers, skilled business managers, community leaders, and superior merchandisers who have dedicated their careers to the local delivery of these services.
ABOUT THE NEBRASKA GOLF ASSOCIATION
The Nebraska Golf Association, founded in 1966, is comprised of all members of public and private clubs and/or municipal or regional golf associations which utilize an approved handicap service recognized by the USGA and provided by the NGA. The NGA’s mission is to uphold and promote the game of golf and its values to all golfers in Nebraska. Among the duties of the Association include governance of member clubs and service as their handicapping and course rating authority, conduct of state golf championships, local USGA qualifying & other notable competitions, promotion of junior golf, presentation of worthwhile educational programs and support of allied golf organizations in Nebraska.
ABOUT HEARTLAND CHEVY DEALERS
The Heartland Chevy Dealers are made up of 12 local dealers in the Omaha and Lincoln area. Collectively, they work together to further the Chevy brand in the Omaha region. The Heartland Chevy Dealers are active with many events that help the local community in many charitable aspects. Besides being the Official Vehicle of the CenturyLink Center and Ralston Arena, the Heartland Chevy dealers support local events that raise money to help others including the Pinnacle Bank Championship, Maha Music Festival, Omaha Summer Arts Festival, Capital City Ribfest and many more.
The Heartland Chevy Dealers include the following dealers. In Omaha dealers include: Gregg Young Chevrolet, H&H Chevrolet, and Huber Chevrolet. The rest of the dealers based around Omaha include: Beardmore Chevrolet in Bellevue, Copple Chevrolet in Louisville, Duteau Chevrolet in Lincoln, Edwards Chevrolet in Council Bluffs, Husker Auto Group in Lincoln, Jeff Henry Chevrolet in Plattsmouth, Sid Dillon Chevrolet in both Blair and Fremont, and Woodhouse Chevrolet in Missouri Valley.
ABOUT THE KORN FERRY TOUR
Founded (1990), owned and operated by the PGA TOUR, the Korn Ferry Tour continues to identify those players who are ready to compete and win on golf’s biggest stage. In 2013, the Korn Ferry Tour became The Path to the PGA TOUR with all 50 available PGA TOUR cards coming through the Korn Ferry Tour and the season culminating at the four-event Korn Ferry Tour Finals. This season marks the 28th year of competition on the Korn Ferry Tour. Three out of four PGA TOUR members are Korn Ferry Tour alumni. Tour alumni have won more than 450 PGA TOUR titles, including 22 majors and six PLAYERS Championships. The PGA TOUR, through the efforts of its Tours and their tournaments, sponsors, players and volunteers, has generated over $2 billion in charitable giving.
ABOUT TEAMMATES
TeamMates Mentoring Program began in 1991 with the vision of University of Nebraska Head Football Coach Tom Osborne and his wife Nancy. Coach Osborne felt that the athletes in his program could make an impact on the middle school students, and twenty-two football players began meeting with middle school students in the Lincoln Public Schools. Of the 22 original mentees, 21 went on to graduate from high school while one left school early to pursue a successful Motocross career. Eighteen of the original mentees also obtained some form of post-secondary education.
The TeamMates Mentoring Program was formalized statewide in 1998 with 12 chapters and 441 mentor/mentee matches. Since then, TeamMates has steadily grown to over 140 chapters. In the past school year, TeamMates served 8,000 youth through partnerships with local school districts. TeamMates now have chapters throughout Nebraska and Iowa and recently opened its first chapters in Kansas and Wyoming.
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Pinnacle Bank Championship Qualifiers Release
To register for the qualifiers, please click the links below.
May 31 Qualifier at Riverside, register here.
June 22 Qualifier at Wilderness, register here.