(FRANKLIN, Tenn.) –
Tennessee Challenge Cup heads to Colonial Country Club for 57th playing
Get ready for the 57th edition of the beloved Tennessee Challenge Cup, a thrilling Ryder Cup-style event showcasing the best amateur and professional golf in the state. This year, the tournament will take place from October 28th to 29th, 2024, at the prestigious Colonial Country Club in Memphis, Tennessee, featuring the top 16 amateur golfers competing against 16 elite PGA professionals.
Officials from both the Tennessee Golf Association, which selects the amateur team, and the Tennessee Section PGA, which chooses the professional team, are excited about this year’s battle for the John Deal Cup trophy.
“The Cup matches continually prove to be the most exciting event on our calendar,” said Clayton Hromadka, Executive Director of the Tennessee Section PGA. “The camaraderie that each of the participants experiences is tough to match in any other event.”
“While the camaraderie is certainly enjoyable, that doesn’t eliminate the intense competition that goes on once they tee off,” Hromadka continued. “I always enjoy watching the matches unfold as the players on each side give everything they have for their respective teams.”
Allison Brown, the executive director for the Tennessee Golf Association, added, “Colonial Country Club is an incredibly special host site for this year’s Challenge Cup. The history of golf in Tennessee cannot be told without Colonial. This prestigious site will give our players the chance to compete on an outstanding golf course, while also enjoying a great setting for the social functions for the event.”
The Challenge Cup dates back to 1968. The event came to fruition thanks to the efforts of Old Hickory amateur John Deal, Cookeville amateur Bobby Greenwood, and Cookeville professional Hubie Smith, who was president of the Tennessee Section PGA at the time.
Since then, the professional team has built a 32-24 advantage in the overall series, though it’s been even in the last ten meetings, with the pros and the amateurs each winning five. The event went to its current format in 1975, with one round each of four-ball, foursomes and singles matches played over the two-day tournament. The Amateurs edged out a 17-15 win in last year’s showdown at Council Fire Club.
“Amateurs in Tennessee play in our championships and local invitationals throughout the year to make this team,” Brown said. “There is a lot of pride amongst our amateurs and they love competing against the wonderful PGA professionals in our state.”
Each team is comprised of 16 players, six of which are seniors. The professional team is selected using the Tennessee Section PGA’s season-ending Professional and Senior Professional Rolex Player of the Year rankings. The amateur team is chosen based on the Tennessee Golf Association’s season-ending Amateur and Senior Amateur Player of the Year rankings.
A Historic Venue
Founded in 1913 by a visionary group of Memphis business leaders, Colonial Country Club stands as one of the premier private clubs in the Mid-South. Its impressive facilities include an 18-hole championship golf course, a fully stocked pro shop, a sprawling 35,000-square-foot clubhouse with multiple dining options, an Olympic-size swimming pool, and tennis courts, all set against a backdrop steeped in golfing tradition. Colonial has played host to numerous landmark events in the sport.
A Legacy of Excellence
Colonial’s storied history is closely intertwined with the PGA TOUR, beginning in 1958 with the Memphis Open, which started with a modest purse of $20,000. Over the years, this event evolved into the FedEx St. Jude Classic, becoming a staple of the PGA Tour schedule. The tournament has produced an impressive roster of champions, including legends like Gary Player, Lee Trevino, and Jack Nicklaus.
The tournament has also delivered unforgettable moments, such as President Gerald Ford’s hole-in-one and the first sub-60 round in PGA Tour history. Ford, a passionate golfer, made headlines in 1977 when he aced the fifth hole during the Danny Thomas Memphis Classic Pro-Am, a moment dubbed the “Shot Heard Round the World.”
Just two days after Ford’s ace, Al Geiberger etched his name in history as the first golfer to score a 59 in a PGA Tour event, achieving this remarkable feat during the second round of the same tournament.
Celebrating a Golfing Icon
Among the influential figures in Tennessee golf history is Curtis Person, Sr., a long-time member and former president of Colonial Country Club. Known for his extraordinary achievements as an amateur, Mr. Person dominated senior championships in the late 1960s, winning 69 out of 72 matches and achieving the elusive “Grand Slam” in a single season. His tireless advocacy for the sport helped secure a PGA TOUR stop in Memphis.
Mr. Person’s accolades include induction into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame, Tennessee Golf Hall of Fame, and several other prestigious halls of fame. In addition, the Tennessee State Open trophy is named after him, a tournament Person won twice as an amateur. Throughout his illustrious career, he captured an astonishing 149 golf tournament victories.
Kelsey Ludwigsen, Communications Manager