FOR RELEASE: December 7, 2017
CONTACT: Stewart Moore, PGA TOUR, 904.540.2765, stewartmoore@pgatourhq.com
Pinnacle Bank Championship presented by Heartland Chevy Dealers earns 2017 Korn Ferry Tour Rookie of the Year Award
First-year event delivers strong week for all as Korn Ferry Tour returns to Omaha
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – The Pinnacle Bank Championship presented by Heartland Chevy Dealers, conducted at The Club at Indian Creek in Omaha, Nebraska, was awarded with the Korn Ferry Tour’s Rookie of the Year Award at the PGA TOUR’s Annual Tournament Meetings on Thursday, December 7 in Boca Raton, Fla.
The Pinnacle Bank Championship presented by Heartland Chevy Dealers claimed the Rookie of the Year Award after delivering one of the Tour’s top events during its first year of existence.
“On behalf of the Korn Ferry Tour, we are pleased to present the Pinnacle Bank Championship presented by Heartland Chevy Dealers the 2017 Rookie of the Year Award,” said Korn Ferry Tour President Dan Glod. “With Pinnacle Bank as a fully engaged title sponsor, the tournament team worked diligently to build a strong first-year event from the ground up, in turn making our return to Omaha a huge success.”
“We are very excited to receive this award, which would not have been possible without the hard work of our sponsors, partners, and volunteers,” said Tournament Director Jessica Brabec. “Each person involved with this event helped us earn it, and we are ready to make 2018 an even better event!”
As the winner of the Rookie of the Year Award, the Pinnacle Bank Championship succeeded in putting forth a top-notch tournament in many key areas, including:
- Player and fan experience during the tournament and Pro-Am rounds
- Climate-controlled dining areas throughout the course
- Charitable efforts benefitting Nebraska’s Teammates Mentoring Program
- Utilizing players leading into the tournament to promote the event via Sonic Youth Day
- Free live entertainment each night at the Michelob Ultra 19th Hole
“Support Nebraska is excited to host one of many strong stops on the Korn Ferry Tour, assisting players on the hunt for their card,” said Brad Strittmatter, Chairman of Support Nebraska. “I know that so many of our tournament’s supporters and patrons are excited to follow Sam Ryder, our 2017 Champion, as he continues his journey on the PGA TOUR in 2018.”
The 2018 Pinnacle Bank Championship presented by Heartland Chevy Dealers will again be played at The Club at Indian Creek the week of July 19-22.
ABOUT PINNACLE BANK
Family-owned since 1938, Nebraska-based Pinnacle Bancorp, Inc., is a $10.3 billion financial holding company operating 149 community banks in seven states including 64 locations in Nebraska. For more information, visit pinnbank.com.
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 has chapters throughout Nebraska and Iowa and recently opened its first chapters in Kansas and Wyoming.
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 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.