The Chattanooga Classic is undergoing a slight transformation that is intended to help ensure its future with the PGA and increase charity within the community.
The tournament now will be known as the Children’s Hospital Classic, with a direct tie to Erlanger Medical Center, and it is set on the Nationwide Tour schedule for next year.
“It’s a new direction. It keeps the PGA Tour here in the Chattanooga community, and it puts all of the focus on children,” tournament director Mickey McCamish said Monday. “It’s all about children, with tournament proceeds benefiting the First Tee of Chattanooga and meeting the needs of youngsters at Children’s Hospital.”
The Classic has been scheduled on a year-by-year basis with no guarantee of one year after the next because it has lacked a title sponsor.
The name change allows Friends of the Festival — the tournament operators — to open new financial avenues and increase its charitable donations.