PINE BLUFF, Ark., May 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Simmons Bank
announced today it has signed agreements with four professional
golfers currently on the Korn Ferry Tour, the development tour for
the U.S.-based PGA TOUR. The brand ambassadors, collectively known
as Team Simmons Bank, include Will
Zalatoris, Braden Thornberry,
Kevin Dougherty and Dawson Armstrong.
The multiyear player sponsorship agreements follow the
announcement in February of this year that Simmons Bank has assumed
title sponsorship of the Korn Ferry Tour Nashville
event, renamed the Simmons Bank Open for The
Snedeker Foundation. The event was scheduled to begin this
week, April 30 – May 3, with 156 players competing for a
$600,000 purse. It has since been
canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As a result of the tournament's cancellation, Simmons Bank also
announced today Drive, Putt, Do Good, a new initiative to
help offset the charitable fundraising component for the Snedeker
Foundation that was eliminated with the event's cancellation.
Simmons Bank will make a $50 donation
to the Snedeker Foundation for every birdie Zalatoris, Thornberry,
Dougherty and Armstrong make. The Snedeker Foundation, founded by
PGA TOUR player and FedEx Cup winner Brandt
Snedeker and his wife Mandy
Snedeker, supports a variety of charities, including Our
Kids, which provides expert medical evaluations and crisis
counseling services in response to concerns of child sexual abuse.
To further increase the charitable contribution to the foundation,
Simmons Bank will also make a donation for every birdie Snedeker
makes this year.
According to Freddie Black, chief
business development officer for Simmons Bank, moving forward with
Team Simmons Bank and the charitable component allows the
company to join with the players to help offset the financial hit
the charity would have incurred. "Now, more than ever, with the
Nashville Korn Ferry Tour date canceled, it's important for us to
continue our support so that both the players and the charity can
thrive. These players have all demonstrated that dreams are
realized through hard work, focus and dedication, characteristics
that drive our business as well. Supporting these players so they
can achieve their own dreams, and, at the same time, help raise
money and awareness for the Snedeker Foundation is vital and fits
with our mission of Dreams Realized," he said.
Zalatoris, a graduate of Wake Forest
University, is currently 12th on the Korn Ferry
Tour points list and turned pro in 2018. He is a former Walker Cup
Team member, First-Team All-American, ACC Player of the Year and
U.S. Junior Amateur Champion. "I'm excited to sport the Simmons
Bank brand. From the moment I met the team, I could tell it's the
kind of company that has substance and integrity behind its logo,"
said Zalatoris.
Braden Thornberry, a graduate of
the University of Mississippi, turned
pro in 2018 and is currently 51st on the Korn Ferry Tour
points list. He is fully exempt for the entire Korn Ferry Tour
season based on 1st place finish at the final stage of
the tour's Q-School in December. He is a former NCAA Champion,
Walker Cup Team member, World #1 Amateur, Haskins Award winner and
All-American. "I'm careful to partner with sponsors and brands that
mirror my own priorities. Simmons Bank has a long history of giving
back to the community, and that spoke volumes to me," said
Thornberry.
Kevin Dougherty turned pro in
2014 after graduation from Oklahoma State
University. Entering his third season on the Korn Ferry
Tour, Kevin finished 32nd and
26th on the points list in his previous two
seasons, highlighted by seven top-10 finishes. "I'm delighted to
become a brand ambassador for Simmons Bank. They are all about
helping people realize their dreams, and we can all use a little
help in reaching our full potential," said Dougherty.
Dawson Armstrong, a graduate of
Lipscomb University, turned pro in
2014. He won the Mackenzie Tour in 2019 and ended the season No. 8
on the Order of Merit to earn 2020 Korn Ferry Tour membership.
Armstrong also played in four events on PGA TOUR Latinoamerica,
making two cuts and posting one top-10 to finish his year
100th on the Order of Merit. He is currently ranked
86th on the Korn Ferry 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," said
Armstrong.
About Simmons Bank
Simmons Bank is an Arkansas state-chartered bank that began in
1903. Through the decades, Simmons has
developed a full suite of financial products and services designed
to meet the needs of individual consumers and business customers
alike. Simmons has grown steadily and
today operates more than 200 branch locations throughout
Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas. Simmons is
the subsidiary bank for Simmons First National Corporation (NASDAQ:
SFNC), a publicly traded bank holding company headquartered in
Pine Bluff, Arkansas, with total
consolidated assets of $20.8 billion
as of March 31, 2020. For more
information, visit https://simmonsbank.com/.
About the Korn Ferry Tour
Founded in 1990, owned and
operated by the PGA TOUR, the Korn Ferry Tour identifies and
develops those players who are ready to compete and win on golf's
biggest stage. In 2013, the Korn Ferry Tour became The Path to the
PGA TOUR with all 50 available PGA TOUR cards coming through the
Tour and the season culminating at the Korn Ferry Tour Finals. This
season marks the 31st year of competition on the
Korn Ferry Tour. Three out of four PGA TOUR members are Korn Ferry
Tour alumni. Tour alumni have won more than 500 PGA TOUR titles,
including 24 major championships and eight PLAYERS Championships.
To learn more about the PGA TOUR, the Korn Ferry Tour and to follow
the season-long quest for a PGA TOUR card, visit PGATOUR.COM,
or follow the Tour on social media via Instagram (@KornFerryTour),
Twitter (@KornFerryTour) and Facebook
(facebook.com/KornFerryTour).
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SOURCE Simmons Bank