Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship showcases future stars of the game as the official Korn Ferry Tour Finals event is set to kick off the week of August 22 – 28 at The Ohio State University Golf Club – Scarlet Course

Tournament receives increased purse and Korn Ferry Tour Points allocation in 2023  

FIRST SHOT TO FIGHT CANCER CEREMONY AND PATIENT CHAMPION DETAILS ANNOUNCED

Columbus, Ohio – The 16^th playing of the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship will feature world-class golf and showcase some of the best talent on the Korn Ferry Tour the week of August 22 – 28, 2022, at The Ohio State University Golf Club – Scarlet Course.

The list of winners from the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship boasts an impressive group, who, for more than a decade have excelled on golf’s biggest stages. Two of this year’s major championship winners have hoisted the prized Korn Ferry Tour trophy. Current World No. 1 and reigning Masters champion Scottie Scheffler, and Justin Thomas who won his second PGA Championship title in May at Southern Hills Country Club.

So far this season, Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship winners account for 24 top-10 finishes on the PGA TOUR, including five wins. Overall, some of the top players in the game have battled for the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship title since 2007.

In fact, from the current FedExCup points list, seven of the top-10 players, and 17 of the top-25, have competed in the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship. Names like Scheffler, Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Xander Schauffele, 2022 Open Championship winner Cameron Smith, Tony Finau with back-to-back PGA TOUR wins in the past two weeks, Sam Burns, Viktor Hovland, and Will Zalatoris. Plus, the 2021 champion of the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship, Adam Svensson, has recorded three top-10 finishes on the PGA TOUR this season.

In June of this year, the Korn Ferry Tour reaffirmed the quality of the competition on the circuit and the importance of rewarding season-long performance by revealing that the 2023 season will culminate with an unprecedented 30 PGA TOUR cards awarded to the top players on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List. 

The additional five PGA TOUR cards available via the Korn Ferry Tour were announced in concert with widespread changes to the PGA TOUR’s qualification process. It was also announced that 10 TOUR cards would be awarded to the top performers on the DP World Tour, and Q-School would award PGA TOUR cards to the top five finishers and ties. It will mark the first time in a decade that Q-School will offer PGA TOUR status. 

It was also released in June that the Korn Ferry Tour Finals will no longer be a competition for TOUR cards between the top 75 on the Korn Ferry Tour and Nos. 126-200 in the FedExCup standings. Beginning in 2023, Finals will refer to the final four events of the season, where members will compete for increased purses and points allocations. The four Finals events—which will include the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship—will feature $1.5 million purses and award 600 points to each winner. The 2023 Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship will be third of the four Finals events, featuring a field of 120 players. The fields for the Finals will be progressively reduced, starting with 156 players for event No. 1, 144 players for event No. 2 and finishing with 75 players in the final event. The preceding 22 events on the schedule will have a minimum purse of $1 million – a 67% increase from 2021 to 2023 – and award 500 points to winners. The 2023 Korn Ferry Tour season is scheduled to run from January to October.

“We are looking forward to the evolution of the Korn Ferry Tour coming in 2023 and our inclusion as one of the four Finals events,” said tournament director Kip McBride. “It will be the start of a new chapter for the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship and the event’s elevated status will provide added excitement for the players and our fans.”

In additional news, tournament officials announced today the details surrounding the 16^th annual ceremonial first tee shot, named First Shot to Fight Cancer. The shot will mark the beginning of tournament competition for the 2022 Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship. The First Shot to Fight Cancer ceremony will begin at 7 a.m. on Thursday, August 25, immediately prior to the tournament’s first starting time. Professional tee times for Thursday and Friday start at approximately 7:15 a.m. on tee Nos. 1 and 10.

Hitting theFirst Shot to Fight Cancer at the 2022 Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship will be Neil Taylor, 16, from Dublin, Ohio.

Neil was diagnosed with Mixed Phenotype Acute Leukemia on January 11, 2019, after being sick for several weeks with what was thought to be a stubborn virus that would not go away. This diagnosis, a rare type of leukemia, was devastating to Neil and his family.

When Neil learned of his diagnosis, he was scared and surprised. He didn’t know what would happen next.

Throughout his treatment, Neil remained positive, although he faced several rare side effects, including kidney and gastrointestinal complications, red man syndrome, and he inexplicably lost the ability to walk early on in his fight.

Neil has completed his chemo treatments and is participating in “normal” activities again. He enjoys spending time with friends, playing video games and watching his favorite shows. Neil is an entertainer with a great sense of humor, laughing and joking with hospital staff every time he is admitted or when he must visit the emergency room.

Neil was in treatment for over two years, but he has worked hard to regain mobility and get healthy again, all while keeping his sense of humor. He loves telling stories and jokes to any audience and wants to help other kids going through the same thing or facing similar challenges.

The 2022 Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship will mark the last time the tournament will feature a blended field of the top 75 players on the Korn Ferry Tour points list along with players 126-200 on the PGA TOUR’s FedEx Cup points list. At the end of the three Finals events, a second set of PGA TOUR cards will be awarded to those top 25 players who earn the most cumulative points in the three Finals events.

The top 25 from the Korn Ferry Tour Regular Season will carry their points into the Finals. Their order of priority will be determined at the conclusion of the Finals.

Exempt status on the PGA TOUR will be awarded to one member inside of the Korn Ferry Tour Regular Season Top 25 at the conclusion of the three Finals events, using combined Regular Season and Finals points. Therefore, any Top-25 player can earn the coveted No. 1 position if he performs well enough in the three Finals events. A second full exemption will be awarded to the highest cumulative earner among the three Finals events, if different from the No. 1 player among the Top 25.

The field for the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship will compete over 72 holes of stroke play, with a cut to the top-65 players and ties after 36 holes. Golf Channel will broadcast tournament coverage from Thursday’s opening round to the trophy presentation on Sunday.

For general Tournament information, including how to become a volunteer, please visit www.ncc-golf.com or call (614) 764-GOLF. Stay connected with the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship on Twitter (@NCHC_Golf), Instagram (nchcgolf) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/NationwideChildrensChampionship).

ABOUT THE NATIONWIDE CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL CHAMPIONSHIP

The Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship is owned and operated by Champions of the Community, Inc., an Ohio non-profit corporation. The event is one of three Korn Ferry Tour Finals tournaments that will determine the 50 players who earn PGA TOUR playing privileges for the 2021-2022 season and their eligibility position under the TOUR’s enhanced qualifying system.  Featuring a purse of $1,000,000 the tournament is conducted to showcase the best golf on the Korn Ferry Tour on one of the most challenging venues in the world, The Ohio State University – Scarlet Course, for the enjoyment of spectators and to benefit charitable organizations in central Ohio. For more information, call 614-764-GOLF or visit our website at www.ncc-golf.com.

ABOUT NATIONWIDE CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL

Named to the Top 10 Honor Roll on U.S. News & World Report’s 2021-22 list of “Best Children’s Hospitals,” Nationwide Children’s Hospital is one of America’s largest not-for-profit freestanding pediatric health care systems providing wellness, preventive, diagnostic, treatment and rehabilitative care for infants, children and adolescents, as well as adult patients with congenital disease. Nationwide Children’s has a staff of more than 13,000 providing state-of-the-art pediatric care during more than 1.6 million patient visits annually. As home to the Department of Pediatrics of The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Nationwide Children’s physicians train the next generation of pediatricians and pediatric specialists. The Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital is one of the Top 10 National Institutes of Health-funded freestanding pediatric research facilities. More information is available at NationwideChildrens.org.

ABOUT KORN FERRY TOUR

Founded (1990), owned and operated by the PGA TOUR, the Korn Ferry Tour identifies and develops golf’s next stars, preparing them to compete and win on the game’s biggest stage. The Korn Ferry Tour, which has served as a path to the PGA TOUR since its inception, will begin awarding 30 PGA TOUR cards based off its points list in 2023, with the No. 1 player earning exemptions into the following year’s PLAYERS Championship and U.S. Open. With more than 600 PGA TOUR titles, 28 major championships and six FedExCup champions, Korn Ferry Tour alumni make up over 80 percent of the PGA TOUR’s current membership. To learn more about the PGA TOUR, the Korn Ferry Tour and to follow the season-long quest for a PGA TOUR card, visit PGATOUR.COM or follow the Korn Ferry Tour on social media.

ABOUT THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS DEPARTMENT

The Ohio State University Department of Athletics is completely self-supporting and receives no university monies, tax dollars or student fees. The Department of Athletics sponsors 36 fully funded varsity teams – 17 for women, 16 for men and three that are co-educational – and is committed to providing the very finest in academic and athletics support in an effort to provide its more than 1,000 student-athletes with a quality, life-changing experience at Ohio State. 

ABOUT HNS SPORTS GROUP

HNS Sports Group is a Dublin, Ohio-based LLC founded in 2000. The company offers over 125-plus years of collective experience and is committed to providing professional, efficient and effective client representation in the categories of sponsorship consultation, event management, hospitality management, sales representation and tournament operation within the golf market. To learn more about HNS Sports Group, visit www.hnssports.com.

COURTESY NATIONWIDE CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL CHAMPIONSHIP