Wichita Open receives best tournament of the year honor after record-breaking summer
Wichita has a claim for hosting the best golf tournament on its tour in the country.
The Korn Ferry Tour announced Wednesday that the Wichita Open was selected as the 2019 tournament of the year. The Wichita Open is one of the tour’s four original events dating back to the inaugural 1990 season.
“We are thrilled to name the Wichita Open our 2019 tournament of the year,” Korn Ferry Tour president Alex Baldwin said in a statement. “For 30 years, this event has helped to establish the foundation of success our Tour enjoys today, and Roy Turner and his team earned this tremendous honor by delivering what we considered to be the best week in tournament history.”
The numbers seem to back up the claim.
This past summer the Wichita Open saw record fan attendance, a 10% increase from the 2018 event that included the tourney’s highest ticket redemption rate. Along with that, the Wichita Open generated a record income, including selling out the Pro-Am and the 17th hole chalet.
“What a fantastic honor for our community,” said Turner, the tournament director for the Wichita Open, in a statement. “It takes a lot of wonderful people and sponsor support to pull off our event, not to mention our great tournament host, Crestview Country Club. To all who have made this possible — a heartfelt thank you. Go Wichita!”
The Wichita Open will take place at Crestview Country Club next summer, starting on June 11 and ending on championship Sunday, June 21.
This story was originally published November 21, 2019 at 9:35 AM.
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