Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic announched
COVER STORY
Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic announced
By Ian Thompson
No. 13 at Fallen Oak ( clockwise from bottom center ) Hank Irwin, Tom Kite, Fuzzy Zoeller, Hal Sutton, Craig Stadler, Ben Crenshaw and Fred Funk
T
hese days it seems a professional golf tournament is far more likely to drop off the schedule, so the advent of a new event on the Champions Tour is big news indeed. And, there are multiple Birmingham connections to it. The Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic will be played at Biloxi's Fallen Oak Golf Club, a Tom Fazio design which is rated the number one course in Mississippi by Golfweek Magazine and is an amenity
of the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino. It will be played April 30-May 2. A coalition of area businesses spearheaded by the Gulf Coast Business Council secured the event by pledging the $2.5 million commitment required by the PGA Tour, which operates the Champions and Nationwide tours under its umbrella. The Business Council estimates an economic impact of the event up to $22 million. The Gulf Coast Business Council 14
was established in March 2006 to provide the unified voice of business on matters of public policy important to the region. More than 250 members-strong, it is a voluntary, mission-driven alliance of the top leaders of the Chambers of Commerce, economic development organizations and businesses and industries of the three coastal counties. The organization champions the common economic and business interests of the Mississippi Gulf