Brandt Snedeker had high praise for Simmons Bank, which announced Friday a multiyear player sponsorship agreement with four professional golfers on the Korn Ferry Tour.
Simmons Bank became title sponsor earlier this year of the Korn Ferry Tour Nashville event, renamed the Simmons Bank Open for The Snedeker Foundation.
The four players, called Team Simmons Bank, are Dawson Armstrong from Brentwood, Kevin Dougherty, Braden Thornberry and Will Zalatoris.
The fifth annual event, with a $600,000 purse at Nashville Golf and Athletic Club, was scheduled for April 30-May 3, but was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Simmons Bank also announced a new initiative — Drive, Putt, Do Good — to help offset the charitable fundraising component for the Snedeker Foundation that was eliminated with the event’s cancellation. The bank will donate $50 to the Snedeker Foundation for every birdie made by Armstrong, Dougherty, Thornberry and Zalatoris make this season.
“Simmons Bank has been an unbelievable partner already in the short time since they joined on,” said Snedeker, a former Vanderbilt star who has won nine times on the PGA Tour. “We’re awfully disappointed we couldn’t showcase them this year in the event, but going forward we couldn’t have a better partner.”
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Armstrong played golf at Lipscomb before turning pro in 2014. He won on the Mackenzie Tour in Canada in 2019 and ended the season No. 8 to earn 2020 Korn Ferry Tour membership. He is ranked 86th on the Korn Ferry Tour, which develops golfers for the PGA Tour.
“These are definitely strange and difficult times, and the fact that Simmons Bank is willing to support my goals as a professional golfer, and help the charity out as well, says a lot about what they are made of,” Armstrong said.
Snedeker said having a local player like Armstrong on Team Simmons Bank will benefit the fundraising effort.
“I couldn’t think of a better ambassador for anybody,” Snedeker said. “He is the perfect guy to kind of lead the charge and help Simmons show their commitment to the Korn Ferry Tour, to our tournament and what golf means to them.”
Thornberry, who played at Ole Miss, turned pro in 2018 and is 51st on the Korn Ferry Tour.
Zalatoris, who played at Wake Forest, also turned pro in 2018 and is 12th on the Korn Ferry Tour.
Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on Twitter @MikeOrganWriter.