LITTLE ROCK,
Ark., Sept. 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Three
more of the top players in the current Charles Schwab Cup
standings, No. 3 Steven Alker, No. 6
K.J. Choi and No. 9 Padraig
Harrington, have declared their intention to compete in the
inaugural Simmons Bank Championship, October
21-27, tournament officials announced today.
Earlier, No. 1 Ernie Els, a four-time major
champion, and No. 10 Jerry Kelly
committed to play. Now five of the top ten in the current Charles
Schwab Cup standings are heading to Little Rock.
Harrington, 53, owns eight career titles on the
PGA TOUR Champions, two of those this season. One of those
victories was the DICK'S Open, which he won for the third
consecutive year. Harrington also has made seven starts on the PGA
TOUR this year, with his best finish a T22 at The Open
Championship.
The Irishman won six times on the PGA TOUR,
including three major championships—The Open Championship in 2007,
the PGA Championship and The Open Championship in 2008. Harrington
was a member of Europe's Ryder Cup
team six times and served as Europe's Captain in 2020.
Alker, 63, has eight wins since he started
playing on the PGA TOUR Champions in 2020.The New Zealander has 51
top-ten finishes in 69 starts during that period. One of those was
a T5 on Sunday. The 2022 Charles Schwab Cup champion won four
times that year, including the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship.
This year he owns one title and has been among the top ten 12
times.
Choi, 54, won The Senior Open Championship in
June for his first major title on the PGA TOUR Champions and his
second career win.
The Republic of South
Korea native won eight times on the PGA TOUR between 2002
and 2011. His last win on the PGA TOUR was THE PLAYERS Championship
in 2011. He was on three International Teams for the Presidents
Cup, which is being contested next week in Canada.
The inaugural Simmons Bank Championship presented
by Stephens will be held at Pleasant
Valley Country Club in Little Rock,
Arkansas with activities throughout the week of Oct. 21-27. Tournament play will take place
Friday, Oct. 25 through Sunday, Oct. 27. The tournament will serve as the
second round of the PGA TOUR Champions annual Charles Schwab Cup
Playoffs. The field will consist of the top 54 players in the
standings competing for $2.3 million
in prize money and a chance to earn their spot among the top 36 in
the final event of the season.
Tickets for the Simmons Bank Championship
presented by Stephens—a PGA TOUR Champions playoff event—are now on
sale and more options have recently been added for the general
public. For a complete listing of ticket options or to purchase
tickets, please visit the tournament website at
simmonsbankchampionship.com
Corporate sponsorships and hospitality packages
as well as playing positions and teams in our official Pro-Am golf
experience are also available for purchase. For more information,
visit the website or contact sales@simmonsbankchampionship.com.
The Simmons Bank Championship presented by
Stephens will be the first-ever PGA
TOUR event held in Arkansas, and
the first PGA TOUR-sanctioned tournament held in the state since
the Korn Ferry Tour's Fort Smith Classic, which was last contested
in 2010. Net proceeds from the Simmons Bank Championship presented
by Stephens will used by the
tournament's charitable arm to support multiple nonprofit
organizations in the state of Arkansas.
For more information about the Simmons Bank
Championship presented by Stephens, to
purchase tickets and to stay up to date on tournament news, visit
the tournament website, simmonsbankchampionship.com.
Simmons Bank Championship presented by
Stephens
The Simmons Bank
Championship presented by Stephens, a
PGA TOUR Champions Charles Schwab Cup Playoff event contested in
Little Rock, Arkansas, will be
played at Pleasant Valley Country Club the week of October 21-27, featuring a 54-player field and a
$2.3 million purse. In its inaugural
year, the tournament will focus on charitable giving and making a
lasting impression on the State of
Arkansas. For more information about the tournament, visit
the tournament website (simmonsbankchampionship.com) or follow the
Simmons Bank Championship presented by Stephens on Facebook (@SimmonsBankChampionship),
Instagram (@sbgolfchamp), X [formerly Twitter] (@sbgolfchamp),
TikTok (@sbgolfchamp), LinkedIn (@SimmonsBankChampionship) and
YouTube (@SimmonsBankChampionship).
Simmons
Bank
Simmons Bank is a
wholly owned subsidiary of Simmons First National Corporation
(NASDAQ: SFNC), a Mid-South based financial holding company that
has paid cash dividends for 115 consecutive years. Simmons Bank operates 234 branches in
Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri,
Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas.
Founded in 1903, Simmons Bank offers
comprehensive financial solutions delivered with a client-centric
approach. In 2024, Simmons Bank was
recognized by U.S. News & World Report as one of the
2024-2025 Best Companies to Work For in the South and by
Forbes as one of America's Best-In-State Banks 2024 in
Tennessee and America's
Best-In-State Employers 2024 in Missouri.
Stephens
"Stephens" (the company brand name) is a leading
family-owned investment firm that includes Stephens Inc. (member
NYSE/SIPC), Stephens Investment Management Group, LLC, Stephens
Insurance, LLC, Stephens Capital Partners LLC and Stephens Europe
Limited.
Stephens Inc. is headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas. Founded in 1933,
Stephens Inc. provides securities brokerage, investment banking and
other financial services to a broad client base which includes
corporations, state and local governments, financial institutions,
institutional investors and individual investors throughout
the United States and overseas.
Stephens Inc. (Home Office: 111 Center Street, Little Rock, AR USA, 501-377-2000) is
regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. Member SIPC/NYSE. For more
information, visit www.stephens.com.
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SOURCE Simmons Bank