Rain Doesn’t Damper Enthusiasm for Huntsville Championship

A misty rain and stiff wind couldn’t dampen Penn Garvich’s enthusiasm inside the golf clubhouse at scenic The Ledges atop Huntsville Mountain.

Garvich, tournament director for the Korn Ferry Tour’s inaugural Huntsville Championship, promised some of the country’s finest action when the event unfolds the week of April 26-May 2.

The tournament was scheduled to be played last year, but the pandemic forced a cancellation.

“On April 26 we’ll have 156 of the world’s best professional golfers converging up here on the mountain,’’ Garvich said Tuesday during Media Day. “That’s pretty cool to think about.’’

The Korn Ferry Tour, which is often compared to baseball’s Triple-A, has undergone several name changes since its 1990 inception as the Ben Hogan Tour. Since 2013 the tour has been called “The Path to the PGA.’’

The purse for the Huntsville Championship is $600,000. There are 25 PGA tour cards to be earned during the season and 25 more will be awarded at the end of the 23-stop tour.

Garvich said some the players in the field will eventually become “household names.’’ Among participants are ex-Alabama Crimson Tide golfers Trey Mullinax, Davis Riley (currently ranked No. 3 in the Top 25) and Lee Hodges (ranked No. 4, he also played at UAB).

“These guys are one step away from playing on the big tour with the Rickie Fowlers and Phil Mickelsons and Justin Thomases’ and some of the guys that have gone through the Korn Ferry Tour,’’ Garvich said.

John Hamilton, city administrator for Huntsville, said the tournament would give attendees a chance to see world class athletes in action as they did at last week’s Southeastern Conference Gymnastics Championship.

“It’s certainly our hope, our goal, to put on a great event that’s fruitful for them, that keeps them on their path and gives them an opportunity to really display their absolutely incredible skills,’’ he said. “To see excellence performed, to see something performed at a level of excellence that many of us will never achieve, is pretty amazing.’’

Not only that, Hamilton sees the tournament as being a financial boost to the city and an asset to local lifestyle.

“As city administrator I get up every day trying to figure out how to make this place a little bit better to live, play, raise your family, enjoy your life and I think these kind of events is an important part of that,’’ he said.

Ginger Harper of the Community Foundation of Greater Huntsville, which is sponsoring a scholarship program for local high school and college students in conjunction with the tournament, agreed with Hamilton.

“It increases revenue,’’ she said, “and does so much for the quality of life.’’

Since last season’s cancellation, Garvich said 80-90 percent of the sponsors rolled over for this year as did most volunteers.

Meanwhile, CEO David Spillers of tournament sponsor Huntsville Hospital and a frequent player at The Ledges said he thinks the golfers will have a high opinion of the course.

“When the pros leave here I think they are going to say it is one of the best layouts they’ve played,’’ he said.