After a four-year run, UGA will no longer host the Stadion Classic Golf Tournament.
Since 2010, UGA has hosted the Web.com Tour stop at the UGA Golf Course. Known previously as the Athens Regional Foundation Classic and played at Jennings Mill Country Club, the tournament was renamed when Watkinsville-based Stadion Money Management signed on as the title sponsor.
Without a major increase in funding, it has become difficult for the university to sustain the PGA Tour-sanctioned event at the level required to continue. Planners estimate that it would cost an additional $350,000 to secure TV coverage to bring greater recognition and exposure to the event and the university, a goal UGA set when signing on as tournament host.
“Our title sponsor, Stadion Money Management, and a number of others have faithfully supported our efforts,” said George Stafford, executive assistant to the vice president for finance and administration at UGA. “But we have been unable to secure a sponsor at the ‘presenting’ level, which would have made a major difference in our ability to continue operations. We don’t foresee the likelihood that this will change in the future.”
After careful and deliberate consideration, Stafford said, the tournament staff and UGA Auxiliary Services Division management decided it was not in the university’s best interests to continue the tournament.
“The university is appreciative of the opportunity we had to host the tournament,” Stafford said. “We have enjoyed our partnership with the PGA Tour and are grateful for the sponsors, tournament partners and volunteers who have supported this event.”
The Stadion Classic at UGA was the only PGA Tour-sanctioned event hosted and operated by an institution of higher education.
Net proceeds from the event added approximately $70,000 to the university’s need-based scholarship programs. Local charities received a total of $383,835.
