Sanderson Farms Extends Tournament Sponsorship by 10 Years
Sanderson Farms Championship Secured on PGA TOUR through 2026
JACKSON, Miss. (November 4, 2015) – Sanderson Farms (NASDAQ:SAFM), title sponsor of the Sanderson Farms Championship since 2013, will continue to sponsor its home state PGA TOUR tournament at The Country Club of Jackson through 2026, officials announced today at the host site. The 10-year extension takes effect once the current agreement expires following the 2016 tournament.
Participating in the press conference were Joe F. Sanderson Jr., Sanderson Farms’ Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board; Andy Pazder, Chief of Operations for the PGA TOUR; Steve Jent, Executive Director of the Sanderson Farms Championship; and Jeff Hubbard, Secretary of Century Club Charities, the tournament’s host organization.
“From the beginning, we’ve felt our involvement in the tournament could significantly impact Blair E. Batson Hospital for Children and the state of Mississippi,” said Sanderson. “Now we are certain of the opportunities the tournament provides, and feel it shows our commitment to both our state and its children. Our greatest hope is that this 10-year commitment will encourage others to respond likewise and reinvest in our great state.”
“Since becoming title sponsor in 2013, Sanderson Farms has taken real pride and ownership of the Sanderson Farms Championship and worked diligently with the TOUR and Century Club Charities to elevate the tournament’s overall impact upon the state and its charitable support throughout the area,” Pazder said. “Sanderson Farms has also been very creative in making the tournament distinctly its own through onsite branding and activities. We are extremely pleased to announce the continuation of this sponsorship through 2026.”
In 2014, the Sanderson Farms Championship generated $1.4 million for charity, with $1.1 million going to Friends of Batson Children’s Hospital and $300,000 to other Mississippi charities. Friends, a nonprofit organization benefiting Blair E. Batson Hospital for Children at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, became the tournament’s primary charity in 2008.
In regard to the tournament’s economic importance to the state, a study commissioned by the Mississippi Development Authority and conducted by Mississippi State University several years ago determined that it had a $22 million impact.
“Serving as host organization for the Sanderson Farms Championship over the past 21 years, our Century Club members have worked diligently to give back to the community through golf,” said Peter Marks, President of Century Club Charities. “All of our members are very excited about the 10-year extension with Sanderson Farms that will solidify our brand, and magnify the charitable and economic impact for Mississippi and our children.”
Sanderson Farms, one of the nation’s leading food corporations, has also increased its activation around the tournament since becoming title sponsor, building a distinct theme related to its business through hospitality, entertainment, signage, and even chicken tee markers that are painted by young patients at Batson Hospital.
The tournament dates back to 1968 when it debuted on the PGA TOUR in Hattiesburg as the Magnolia State Classic. It continued at Hattiesburg Country Club until 1994, when it moved to Annandale Golf Club in Madison. It remained there until 2014, when it relocated to the Country Club of Jackson and moved from the week of The Open Championship in July to its current slot the week of the World Golf Championships-HSCB Champions in China.
Golf Channel televises all four rounds of the tournament. Canadian Nick Taylor, at age 26, won last year’s tournament as a PGA TOUR rookie by way of the University of Washington.
About The 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. Friends of Children’s Hospital is the tournament’s primary beneficiary. The tournament has been part of the PGA TOUR schedule since 1968 and is now in its fifth year as a part of the FedExCup. The Championship is sponsored by Sanderson Farms (NASDAQ:SAFM), the nation’s third largest poultry producer, based in Laurel, Miss.
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 11,000 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 that they do. Not only where products are concerned, but companywide as well. Though the company has grown in size, it still adheres to the same hometown values of honesty, integrity and innovation that were established when the Sanderson family founded the company back in 1947.
About PGA TOUR
The PGA TOUR is the world’s premier membership organization for touring professional golfers, co-sanctioning more than 130 tournaments on the PGA TOUR, Champions Tour, Web.com Tour, PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada and PGA TOUR China.
The PGA TOUR’s mission is to entertain and inspire its fans, deliver substantial value to its partners, create outlets for volunteers to give back, generate significant charitable and economic impact in the communities in which it plays, and provide financial opportunities for TOUR players.
Worldwide, PGA TOUR tournaments are broadcast to more than 1 billion households in 227 countries and territories in 30 languages. Virtually all tournaments are organized as non-profit organizations in order to maximize charitable giving. In 2014, tournaments across all Tours generated a record $140.5 million for local and national charitable organizations, after surpassing $2 billion in all-time charitable contributions early in the year.
The PGA TOUR’s web site is PGATOUR.COM, the No. 1 site in golf, and the organization is headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL.