The Greenbrier’s history as an American resort goes all the way back to 1778. The resort treated its first visitors more than 200 years ago in a valley tucked away in the unending grandeur of the Allegheny Mountains in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.
The Greenbrier has been a standard for excellence and hospitality for more than 200 years and it motivated the state to keep on evolving its recreational industry. You can visit igamingwv.com to find out more about the casino industry of WV, along with the news, articles, guides, and the latest bonuses.
One of the main attractions of Greenbrier is its Classic Golf Tournament. Let’s find out more about it.
The Greenbrier Classic Golf Tournament
Beginning in 2010, the PGA Tour’s Greenbrier Classic golf event was held at the White Sulphur Springs resort each summer. Jim Justice, the proprietor of The Greenbrier, spearheaded the attempt to secure the famous sports occasion, which took the place of the Buick Open, another PGA competition.
Over four days, The Classic was contested on the Old White golf course at The Greenbrier. 156 golfers entered the competition, and they competed on Thursday and Friday. Golfers who made “the cut” had another chance to play on Saturday and Sunday. The winners in 2013 split a total prize pool of $6.3 million. Additionally, the champion received a trophy in the form of the resort’s springhouse.
The Greenbrier Classic, which was televised throughout the country, drew numerous well-known athletes, including Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods. Ted Potter Jr., Stuart Scott Stallings, Appleby, and Jonas Blixt have all won the Greenbrier Classic. The event was a part of the FedEx Series, a competition in which PGA professionals were able to earn points and qualify for the FedExCup playoffs.
The Greenbrier Classic allowed players to remain on the same site where they were participating, unlike several previous PGA Tour competitions. Numerous golfers brought their families, and there were special events scheduled for the kids in attendance. The Classic also included musical performances that took place at the West Virginia State Fairgrounds in adjacent Fairlea. Thousands of people came to see the concerts and the golf competition. Additionally, the resort hosted the Classic with the assistance of around 2,000 volunteers each summer.
Professional golf competitions have previously taken place at The Greenbrier, however, they weren’t PGA events. Arnold Palmer and Ben Hogan, two of golf’s finest players, competed at the Sam Snead Festival in the 1940s and 1950s. The Ryder Cup, which pairs teams of professional golfers from America and Europe, was held at the Greenbrier in 1979. The resort held the Solheim Cup, a competition for female professionals, in 1994.
Greenbrier Classic: Recent Years
Greenbrier County, WV, saw extensive flooding on June 23, 2016, as a result of nine inches of rain falling in one day. Due to the extensive destruction in the area and the lack of time to fix the course before the competition, the 2016 Greenbrier Classic was postponed.
It came back in 2017, and in 2018 it was given the new moniker A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier. It was shifted to September 2019, which resulted in a low turnout. In 2020, the resort and the PGA decided to end the remaining contract through 2026.