Ever since Simmons Bank executives announced the impending arrival of the Simmons Bank Championship presented by Stephens, the first-ever PGA Tour Champions event in Arkansas, excitement for the tournament has been building. The three-round competition, which will be part of a weeklong celebration of golf, is slated for Oct. 21 to 27 at Little Rock’s Pleasant Valley Country Club.
Simmons Bank, which signed an agreement to host the Classic for five years, has been involved with the PGA Tour since 2019 via the Korn Ferry Tour. The Arkansas-based banking powerhouse proved a fast learner in the successful execution of such events; the Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation claimed 2022 Tour of the Year honors.
The Champions event is an equally impressive plum as the second leg of the PGA Tour Champions’ Charles Schwab Cup playoffs in which the top 54 players in the standings will compete to earn their spot among the top 36 who advance to the final event of the season.
“This was a tough get. I think we were in conversations and trying to get here for almost three years,” said Elizabeth Machen, Simmons’ executive vice president of marketing. “The PGA Tour has a set calendar and a set number of events, and while they adjust and tweak, they’re not necessarily adding a multitude of events every year. I mean if anything, they’re trying to give their golfers a little more balance to the schedule.
“The Tour really wanted to be in Little Rock, and it’s very bullish on what we can do for a tournament. They’ve found great success in mid-size markets, and Little Rock was a sweet spot for them. It’s a combination of several things; when you go into a metro market that’s got several professional sports or other entertainment options, there’s a higher clip of competition to bring out an audience, whereas when you enter a more mid-sized market, you have a more captive audience. As an event, you have more opportunity to stand out on the calendar.”
Native Arkansas golfers in contention to play in the event include Ken Duke, at writing the 32nd ranked player in the playoffs, and Glen Day, who has an outside shot at qualifying from his 65th place ranking. In addition to the chance to make the final championship tournament, top finishers will share in a $2.3 million prize purse, $365,000 of which will go to the winner.
“I don’t think events like this one come available that often,” said Freddie Black, chief community banking officer and tournament chairman. “Our tournament is replacing a tournament called TimberTech that was on the East Coast, which, I assume, they chose not to sponsor again. We wanted a fall tournament just because we have a better chance of good weather, and fortunately, the event happens to be a playoff, too, so it was win-win. It was just a great opportunity.”
Not all of the heavy hitters will be in the competitive field, some are coming from the ranks of Arkansas’ business community, starting with the tournament’s presenting sponsor, investment bank and wealth management titan Stephens. Curtis Jeffries, Stephens senior vice president and director of sports marketing and sponsorships, said the company jumped at the chance to lend its name to the event.
“Let me start by saying, Simmons Bank and Stephens have a decades-long relationship, and we have watched them grow and prosper over the years,” he said. “We saw this event as an opportunity for two great financial institutions to showcase Arkansas and our commitment to golf particularly at the professional level.
“A good business is built on strong relationships. At Stephens, we have built our business over 90 years, working with clients and building relationships with individuals in the state, across the country and on the other side of the Atlantic through our Frankfurt and London offices. We are very much of the attitude of helping clients reach their goals. Our approach is to sit on the same side of the desk and ask what would we do if we owned the business — and yes, we enjoy a fun game of golf with our friends and clients. Participating in this event as a presenting sponsor is really an extension of the Stephens brand, as it is the Simmons Bank brand.”
Black said Pleasant Valley Country Club was the preferred venue from the jump, noting the 7,100-yard par 71 sets up sublimely for the Champions Tour.
“It was the top choice from day one, first for the type of course it is, a real challenging, beautiful course,” he said. “Pleasant Valley is also very amenable to the spectator; where it sits geographically in the city is easier to get into and out of, and it sets up well for viewing, especially the finishing holes around the lake, where the setting is just beautiful.
“You also have to have a club that’s amenable to hosting an event like this, which Pleasant Valley was. They embraced the idea. It took some time to work out all the details, and the PGA had to have the final say, of course, but the membership there immediately saw this as a real opportunity to showcase their property.
Adam Wells, president of Lumber1 Home Center and 2022 president of PVCC, serves as the club’s tournament committee chairman. He echoed Black’s comments, saying the membership was enthusiastic about welcoming the event to Little Rock.
“We were flattered to be asked and also excited because we were very proud of our golf course,” Wells said. “It’s been described many times as one of the hidden gems in the entire southern United States, and we certainly feel that way. We gave the proposal all the due diligence it required, but it really was an easy decision to say yes.”
One fortuitous aspect was the fact that the club had already committed to a massive overhaul and remodel of its aging clubhouse, work that has just recently been completed. Thanks to some $25 million in improvements, the new facility has been transformed to include a stunning new look and amenities befitting a club of its stature.
“The clubhouse opened in 1968, and there have been some very minor renovations throughout the years, but we were certainly due for a major overhaul,” Wells said. “We knew we had to upgrade the HVAC, the plumbing, mechanical systems and all that, but we also made the decision to go ahead and, at the same time, upgrade the clubhouse in a way that really will prepare us for the next 50 years.
“We’re proud of it. The entire clubhouse has been beautified and brought up to modern times with an expanded ballroom, expanded dining facilities. We took our fitness center into a separate building and increased the footprint there. We’re extremely excited that all of this is nearly completed and will be open to the membership just a few weeks before the tournament.”
In addition to the competition itself, organizers are planning various events the remainder of the week, including the Women’s Leadership Summit sponsored by Baptist Health, women’s and junior golf clinics, pro-am tournaments Wednesday and Thursday. There will even be a tailgate party happening for Hogs fans in advance of the University of Arkansas’ road game against Mississippi State on Saturday.
Machen said the positive publicity surrounding the event, spurred by the Golf Channel’s worldwide live broadcast of the actual competition, is just one of the ways Little Rock stands to gain by the event’s presence. The tournament is expected to generate about $15 million in local economic impact, area churches and other groups have the opportunity to earn money by staffing concession stands, and net proceeds from the event will remain in the community.
“The tournament is actually owned by a newly formed 501(c)(3) called Arkansas Champions Trust, a nonprofit organization with the No. 1 goal of driving revenues that can be used for charitable contributions,” she said. “When all is said and done, at the end of the tournament, based off of sales and attendance and this, that and the other, we will have funds to turn around and distribute to selected charities. Our goal is to hit at least a million dollars in charitable contributions from this tournament.”
While ticket sale figures were not yet available, other indications reveal the enthusiasm the event is generating within the community. When organizers put out the call for volunteers, nearly 900 individuals signed up within a month, and there’s now a waiting list of people wanting to participate. All in all, officials are looking for a massively successful event.
“Little Rock is a golf community, a big golf community,” Jeffries said. “There are outstanding clubs here, the Country Club of Little Rock, Pleasant Valley and Chenal and the Alotian Golf Club. There are not many markets of our size that can support four private clubs, and on top of that, you have a tremendous and growing First Tee organization in central Arkansas, so looking at Little Rock as a site, it’s second to none in the state as far as a golf community. This event is going to be a showcase for the Champions tour. It’s going to be fantastic.”
Feature image: Pleasant Valley Country Club in Little Rock will host the Simmons Bank Championship in October. (Photo by Gary Kellner)
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