Barbasol extends commitment to Barbasol Championship through 2023
5-year deal and new tournament leadership signals bright future for event
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA and NICHOLASVILLE, KENTUCKY – The PGA TOUR today announced that Barbasol has signed a five-year extension as title sponsor of the Barbasol Championship, securing the tournament’s future at Keene Trace Golf Club’s Champions course through 2023. The tournament returns to the Nicholasville facility for the second time the week of July 15-21.
With the sponsorship and venue in Nicholasville in place, the Barbasol Championship also has a restructured leadership to guide its future. New tournament host organization Keene Trace LLC announced Global Golf Management (GGM) will manage the tournament and GGM has tapped Bryan Pettigrew to serve as the new Tournament Director. Pettigrew comes from the Breeders’ Cup where he served as Senior Vice President of Marketing and Sponsorship.
“The Barbasol Championship holds a special distinction as Kentucky’s first PGA TOUR tournament in nearly 60 years,” said Tyler Dennis, Chief of Operations for the PGA TOUR. “We are thrilled that Barbasol and Keene Trace Golf Club share our commitment to the community by maintaining their support of the event over the next five years. Combined with a new leadership structure in place, we strongly believe the Barbasol Championship has a very promising future as it continues to provide an important playing opportunity for our members and a positive impact through its support of local charities.”
The Barbasol Championship became the first PGA TOUR tournament to be held in Kentucky since the Kentucky Derby Open was contested in Louisville from 1957-59. Gary Player claimed his first TOUR victory in the 1958 event. PGA TOUR Champions also held the Bank One Classic in Lexington from 1983-97.
“Barbasol has been a terrific partner of the tournament and PGA TOUR since the Barbasol Championship made its debut in 2015,” said Brian Oliver, PGA TOUR Executive Vice President, Corporate Partnerships. “Not only is it fully committed to the success and growth of the tournament, Barbasol also sponsors 11 of our members [eight on PGA TOUR, two on Web.com Tour and one on PGA TOUR Champions]. We’re excited to continue this relationship through 2023.”
“Barbasol has a long-standing connection to golf that dates back nearly 100 years,” Barbasol CEO Tom Murray said. “We are thrilled to extend our Barbasol Championship commitment at Keene Trace Golf Club Champion’s course as we continue to support an exciting roster of professional golfers over the next five years.”
The Arthur Hills-designed Champions course, located approximately 10 miles from downtown Lexington, opened in 1988 and has played host to a number of championships, including the 1994 USGA Senior Amateur, the 1993 NCAA Division One Men’s Championship, the Southeastern Conference Men’s and Women’s Championships, the Women’s Western Open, the Kentucky State Amateur and multiple Kentucky Opens. It consistently has been ranked as one of the best courses in Kentucky.
Held the same week as The Open Championship, the Barbasol Championship was first held at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail Grand National course in Opelika, Alabama, its first three years before moving to Keene Trace last year. Troy Merritt won the 2018 Barbasol Championship by one stroke over Billy Horschel, Tom Lovelady and Richy Werenski for his second PGA TOUR victory.
About Barbasol
Barbasol is America’s #1 brand of shaving cream. For the past 100 years, generations of men have trusted Barbasol for a close, comfortable shave. Barbasol is proud to offer a comprehensive lineup of shaving cream and razors at retailers nationwide. Barbasol is owned by Perio Inc., a consumer products company headquartered in Dublin, Ohio. For more information on Barbasol, visit www.Barbasol.com.
About PGA TOUR
By showcasing golf’s greatest players, the PGA TOUR engages, inspires and positively impacts our fans, partners and communities worldwide.
The PGA TOUR co-sanctions more than 130 tournaments on the PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions, Web.com Tour, PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada and PGA TOUR Series-China. Members on the PGA TOUR represent the world’s best players, hailing from 25 countries (88 members are from outside the United States). Worldwide, PGA TOUR tournaments are broadcast to 226 countries and territories in 23 languages. Virtually all tournaments are organized as non-profit organizations to maximize charitable giving. In 2018, tournaments across all Tours generated a record $190 million for local and national charitable organizations, bringing the all-time total to $2.84 billion.
The PGA TOUR’s web site is PGATOUR.COM, the No. 1 site in golf, and the organization is headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
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