Great golf starts in the Caribbean, where 132 professionals swung into The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic at Sandals Emerald Bay, hosted January 15-18. This year’s PGA TOUR-sanctioned event marked the sixth year Sandals Resorts has hosted the Korn Ferry Tour Season Opener, the first stop for players competing for one of 30 coveted cards on “The Path to the PGA TOUR” in 2023.
Great golf starts in the Caribbean, where 132 professionals swung into The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic at Sandals Emerald Bay, hosted January 15-18, 2023. Golf fans are invited to reserve their 2024 resort stays for the next Bahamas Great Exuma Classic, taking place during January 11-17th, 2024, at Sandals Emerald Bay.
A series of engaging events teed up to an energizing week ahead, starting with a Pro-Am Draw Party attended by the Hon. I. Chester Cooper, Deputy Prime Minister of the Bahamas. The Sandals Pro-Am Competition paired 80 amateurs, including Sandals Emerald Bay guests, with 40 Korn Ferry Tour pros for an 18-hole round – with the winners honored at the official VIP Pro-Am Awards Party.
Supported by the Sandals Foundation, a champion for youth sports, Korn Ferry Tour pros hosted the annual Youth Golf Clinic with the Nelson’s Rangers. The local community program, committed to uplifting underserved children, invited 45 local youth to perfect their swings with expert coaching, while off the links, players and guests traded their spikes for swimsuits and enjoyed an exotic escape to swim with Exuma’s famous pigs.
Excitement continued to build as the official Korn Ferry Tour competition kicked off on January 15th. After four rounds of captivating gameplay against the Caribbean’s brightest blue waters, Texas native Chandler Phillips emerged victorious at four under par and was named champion at the winner’s trophy presentation and closing ceremony – celebrated by attendees who included esteemed members of the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Korn Ferry Tour President Alex Baldwin, and Sandals Emerald Bay General Manager Jeremy Mutton.
All ‘Fore’ 2024
Ever looking forward to one of the Caribbean’s most anticipated golf events, Sandals Resorts capped the week with official dates announced for the next Bahamas Great Exuma Classic, taking place during January 11-17th, 2024, at Sandals Emerald Bay. Golf fans are invited to reserve their 2024 resort stays, which include complimentary spectator passes for all Sandals Emerald Bay guests, immersing them in the heart of the action. Enhanced Pro-Am and VIP guest experiences for next year’s event will soon become available, with inclusions ranging from playing positions in the official Pro-Am to special event invitations, daily VIP course hospitality and spectator gallery access, and more.
Golf in the Caribbean is Better at Sandals Resorts
Located at Sandals Emerald Bay Golf, Tennis & Spa Resort, and designed by Greg Norman, the award-winning Emerald Bay Golf Course in Great Exuma, Bahamas, is renowned for its cliff-side views, six signature holes, and prevailing trade winds, as much as its bold layout and year-round 80-degree weather. Guests travel here for the golf and unique vacation experience alike, enjoying a la carte dining at eleven restaurants, unwinding at the Red Lane® Spa, and swimming along one mile of Exuma’s electric blue coastline.
Recently announced at all of Sandals Resorts’ award-winning collection of golf courses across the Caribbean, guests can now enjoy an expanded selection of Titleist and FootJoy products as part of a new partnership with Acushnet Company. Products available to rent include an assortment of men’s and women’s FootJoy shoes and sets of Titleist clubs with its industry-leading woods and irons, iconic Vokey Wedges, and Scotty Cameron putters, as well as its premium line of TOUR golf balls available at Sandals’ practice facilities – where green fees are always complimentary for resort guests.
To learn more about the award-winning Sandals Emerald Bay Golf Course, please visit https://www.sandals.com/golf/bahamas/. To book your stay for the 2024 The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic, visit: https://www.sandals.com/emerald-bay/.
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, 27 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.