Myrtle Beach Classic to Award Spot to 2024 Hackler Collegiate Medalist
The General Hackler Collegiate Championship, played annually at The Dunes Golf and Beach Club in Myrtle Beach since 2015, just got a whole lot more attractive to the college golfers lucky enough to compete in March 2024.
The individual medalist will earn a spot in the inaugural Myrtle Beach Classic, a dual-field PGA TOUR event sponsored by Visit Myrtle Beach and managed by SPORTFIVE, a global event management company. The event is scheduled for May 6-12, 2024, at The Dunes Golf and Beach Club.
“The General Hackler Championship has definitely grown since its start in 2002, and now the event will have even more luster,” said Jacob Wilner, who is in his second season as head golf coach at Coastal Carolina University, the host school for the championship. “I can only image how excited the golfers will be to have a chance to win the opportunity to tee it up with the professionals on the PGA TOUR, right here in Myrtle Beach.”
The other schools joining Coastal Carolina in the college event, set for March 18-20, 2024, will be announced at a later date. The championship is named in honor of James F. Hackler Jr., who was a major general in the United States Air Force, a pioneer of the Grand Strand’s golf industry, and longtime supporter of Coastal Carolina University. The golf course at Coastal Carolina is also named in his honor.
“The General Hackler Championship has continued to grow in stature over the years. And we hope that by awarding a spot in the Myrtle Beach Classic field to the individual medalist, we can work together to increase exposure for this collegiate event that has showcased many notable future professional golfers,” said Darren Nelson, tournament director for the Myrtle Beach Classic.
Among the household names in golf who have played in the Hackler are Dustin Johnson (Coastal Carolina), Bill Haas (Wake Forest), Cameron Young (Wake Forest), Patrick Reed (Augusta State), Corey Conners (Kent State) and Will Zalatoris (Wake Forest).
A Robert Trent Jones-designed course, The Dunes Club was incorporated in 1948. It was host to the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship on PGA TOUR Champions from 1994 to 1999, with notables Raymond Floyd, Jim Colbert, Jay Sigel, Gil Morgan, Hale Irwin and Gary McCord claiming titles. Twenty-one years earlier, The Dunes Club was the site of PGA TOUR Q-School Finals in 1973, with Ben Crenshaw taking medalist honors.
“Our golf community provides a wealth of opportunities for players seeking to enhance their skillset,” said Karen Riordan, president and CEO, Visit Myrtle Beach. “With over 90 golf courses and the exciting addition of the Myrtle Beach Classic, the Grand Strand continues to expand upon its legacy as the ‘Golf Capital of the World.’”
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About PGA TOUR
By showcasing golf’s greatest players, the PGA TOUR engages, inspires, and positively impacts our fans, partners, and communities worldwide. The PGA TOUR, headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, co-sanctions tournaments on the PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions, Korn Ferry Tour, PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, PGA TOUR Canada and administers PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry and PGA TOUR University.
TOUR members represent the world’s best players, hailing from 24 countries and territories. Showcasing the biggest moments in the sport with history and legacy on the line, the PGA TOUR has long-term domestic distribution partnerships for broadcast coverage on CBS, NBC and Golf Channel and video streaming service on ESPN+. Internationally, PGA TOUR coverage is available across 200+ countries and territories in 26 languages via 44 broadcast and digital partners.
Virtually all tournaments are organized as non-profit organizations to maximize charitable giving, and to date, tournaments across all Tours have generated more than $3.64 billion. Fans can follow the PGA TOUR on the new PGA TOUR app and PGATOUR.COM, and on social media channels, including Facebook, Instagram (in Spanish, Korean and Japanese), LinkedIn, TikTok, Twitter (in English and Spanish), WeChat, Weibo, Toutiao, Douyin, and LINE.
About Visit Myrtle Beach
Visit Myrtle Beach is the destination marketing arm of the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce and Convention and Visitors Bureau, which serves 14 communities that stretch 60 miles along the northeast coast of South Carolina, including Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Little River, Loris, Atlantic Beach, Carolina Forest, Conway, Aynor, Socastee, Surfside Beach, Garden City Beach, Murrells Inlet, Litchfield Beach, and Pawleys Island.
Visit Myrtle Beach promotes tourism through various partnerships and initiatives to advance the economic success of the region, popularly known as the Grand Strand and the “Golf Capital of the World.” Along with world-class golf and over 90 golf courses, Myrtle Beach offers fresh coastal Carolina cuisine, vibrant entertainment and family attractions, shopping and more. For more information, go to VisitMyrtleBeach.com.
About SPORTFIVE
SPORTFIVE is a global sports marketing agency that delivers customer-centric solutions based on trust and transparency, deep industry experience and global relationships, digital intelligence, and innovation. SPORTFIVE strategically and creatively connects brands, rightsholders, media platforms and fans to create and enable contemporary partnerships in sports.
While creating and growing long-term value for all, SPORTFIVE often leads the sports business into the future through innovative digital solutions and strives to be the most progressive and respected partner in sports.
Being at the center of professional sports, SPORTFIVE will use its unique position to make a positive contribution to sustainability and to live up to the social and economic duty and responsibility, which sport and consequently all parties involved, also have. SPORTFIVE operates with a global mindset and network of over 1,200 local experts based in 15 countries around the world, active in soccer, golf, Esports, motorsport, handball, tennis, football, basketball, ice hockey, rugby, Olympics, multi-sport events, and many more.
