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Winner of State Amateur will earn spot in 2017 Sanderson Farms Championship
JACKSON, Miss. (October 25, 2016) – For the first time in years the winner of the State Amateur Championship will secure a spot in the field of the 2017 Sanderson Farms Championship, tournament officials announced at a press conference earlier today.
The 2017 State Amateur Championship, hosted by the Mississippi Golf Association, is scheduled for June 1-4, 2017, at Canebrake Country Club in Hattiesburg, MS. The field size is limited to 120 players.
The Championship is open to male amateurs who are bona fide residents of the state of Mississippi for at least 60 days prior to the first round of the tournament. Participants must conform to the USGA Rules of Amateur Status.
“This is an exciting development for our state’s amateurs to be able to compete for the chance of playing in a PGA TOUR event,” said Joe F. Sanderson, Jr., CEO and Chairman of the Board of Sanderson Farms.
“We are thrilled to provide an opportunity for the State Amateur champion to join the Sanderson Farms Championship field and support the Mississippi Golf Association at the same time,” said Steve Jent, executive director of the Sanderson Farms Championship. “This will provide a new level of excitement for the State Am participants to know they have a shot at representing Mississippi while playing alongside the world’s best golfers.”
“Century Club Charities is the host organization for the Sanderson Farms Championship,” said Peter Marks, Century Club president. “The mission of our 250 members, 99% who are golfers, is to raise money for charities while promoting the game of golf. I’m thrilled to announce that the winner of the 2017 Mississippi State Amateur Championship will secure a spot in the 2017 Sanderson Farms Championship field.”
Margo Coleman, executive director of the Mississippi Golf Association, agreed. “We are thrilled to partner with the largest professional sporting event in Mississippi in order to promote the game of golf throughout our state,” she said.
About Mississippi Golf Association
The Mississippi Golf Association was formed and exists for the purpose of promoting and conserving throughout the state of Mississippi the best interests and true spirit of the game of golf as embodied in its ancient and honorable traditions, and thereby promoting the common good and general welfare of the people of the state of Mississippi.
About Sanderson Farms Championship
The Sanderson Farms Championship is an annual stop on the PGA TOUR hosted by Century Club Charities, a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to promote the game of golf for the benefit of charity. The tournament’s primary beneficiary is Friends of Children’s Hospital. The tournament has been part of the PGA TOUR schedule since 1968 and is now in its sixth year as a part of the FedExCup. Sanderson Farms (NASDAQ:SAFM), the nation’s third largest poultry producer based in Laurel, Miss., is the title sponsor.
About Century Club Charities
Century Club Charities is a not-for-profit, tax-exempt 501(c) 3 organization whose mission is to promote the game of golf for the benefit of Mississippi charities. Since 1994, Century Club Charities has served as the host organization for Mississippi’s PGA TOUR event, helping to raise over $11 million for statewide charities.
About Sanderson Farms
Sanderson Farms, Inc., founded in 1947, is engaged in the production, processing, marketing and distribution of fresh and frozen chicken and other prepared food items. Employing more than 13,000 employees in operations spanning five states and 13 different cities, Sanderson Farms is the third largest poultry producer in the United States. As a company, Sanderson Farms is committed to adopting a fresh approach in everything they do, not only where products are concerned, but company-wide as well. Though the company has grown in size, it still adheres to the same hometown values of honesty, integrity, and innovation that was established when the Sanderson family founded the company in 1947.
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