AdventHealth Announces Full Acquisition of the AdventHealth Championship

MERRIAM, Kan., March 19, 2024 — AdventHealth is excited to announce the acquisition of the AdventHealth Championship, a professional golf tournament in Kansas City, making this annual stop on the Korn Ferry Tour a fully local event.

“Giving back and supporting our local community is a hallmark of AdventHealth,” said AdventHealth Mid-America Region President and CEO Sam Huenergardt. “It’s important for us to do everything we can to be stewards for our community, and by acquiring this event, we can do just that.”

A variation of the event, formerly known as the Digital Ally Open and Kansas City Golf Classic, has been hosted in the Kansas City area since 2009. In 2021, AdventHealth joined as the title sponsor of the event played each May at Blue Hills Country Club in Kansas City, Mo.

“This was a natural progression for the AdventHealth Championship,” said Tournament Director Rick Amos. “The event is now solely Kansas City-based, with all proceeds staying in our local community. The evolution of the championship has brought us to this day and with AdventHealth, their vendors and our existing partnerships, we are poised to make Kansas City one of the best stops on the Korn Ferry Tour.”

This change in ownership comes after 5 years of management by the Birmingham, Ala., based company Eventive Sports. The acquisition ensures all proceeds from the AdventHealth Championship will stay in the Kansas City area and benefit local nonprofits. All PGA TOUR sanctioned events raise money for charities in their local tournament communities. Last year the AdventHealth Championship raised nearly $250,000 for the tournament benefactor, the AdventHealth Kansas City Foundation to distribute through Play It Forward, and for program and community needs. In total, the event has generated nearly $1 million in funds raised for local charities since its inception.

“Bringing the tournament under the AdventHealth umbrella will allow us to really maximize charitable opportunities,” said AdventHealth Kansas City Foundation Executive Director Laurie McCormack. “Kansas City is a sports town and a very generous one at that. We’re excited to utilize the power of sports with the power of charity to support our community.”

The AdventHealth Championship is the only PGA TOUR sanctioned event in Kansas City, and now on the list of locally owned events or teams in Kansas City. The Championship is a week-long stop on the Korn Ferry Tour and features several tournament-related events including Pro-Am’s, youth events, charitable activation, and community partnerships.

“We hope to make this event a cornerstone event in Kansas City,” said Huenergardt. “We are lucky to have great sports teams and traditions here, and it’s time to make professional golf another pillar in our sports ecosystem. The possibilities are endless. We have aspirations for growing professional golf and making this a must-do KC event.”

The AdventHealth Championship is a cornerstone Kansas City event utilizing professional golf to positively impact the KC Heartland and those charities supported. The 2024 AdventHealth Championship will take place May 13-19 at Blue Hills Country Club. For more information about the AdventHealth Championship, please visit www.AdventHealthChampionship.com.

About Korn Ferry Tour

Founded (1990), owned and operated by the PGA TOUR, the Korn Ferry Tour identifies and develops golf's next stars, preparing them to compete and win on the game's biggest stage. The Korn Ferry Tour, which has served as a path to the PGA TOUR since its inception, will award 30 PGA TOUR cards based off its points list in 2023, with the No. 1 player earning exemptions into the following year’s PLAYERS Championship and U.S. Open. With more than 600 PGA TOUR titles, 29 major championships and seven FedExCup champions, Korn Ferry Tour alumni make up 88 percent of the PGA TOUR’s current membership. To learn more about the PGA TOUR, the Korn Ferry Tour and to follow the season-long quest for PGA TOUR cards, visit PGATOUR.COM or follow the Korn Ferry Tour on social media. Select Korn Ferry Tour events are televised annually on Golf Channel in the United States, with tournament coverage available internationally in more than 170 countries and territories via 22 media partners.

About AdventHealth Championship

The AdventHealth Championship, a PGA TOUR sanctioned event on the Korn Ferry Tour, is conducted annually at Blue Hills Country Club in Kansas City, Missouri. This four-day, 72-hole competition features 156 players from around the world vying for a total purse of 1,000,000. As the path to the PGA TOUR, the Korn Ferry Tour features some of the most talented professional golfers who are ready to compete and win on golf's biggest stage.​

About AdventHealth in Kansas City

With a sacred mission of Extending the Healing Ministry of Christ, AdventHealth is a connected system of care for every stage of life and health. A focus on whole-person health and commitment to caring for the body, mind and spirit unify the system's nearly 50 hospital campuses and hundreds of care sites in diverse markets throughout almost a dozen states. AdventHealth in Kansas City includes AdventHealth Shawnee Mission in Merriam, KS; AdventHealth Lenexa; AdventHealth South Overland Park; AdventHealth Centra Care and AdventHealth Medical Group. Visit AdventHealthKC.com for more information.