Popular Ole Miss and Mississippi State head football coaches to participate in PGA Tour Champions event during 2017 Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic
Biloxi, Miss. (March 21, 2017) – Two popular college football head coaches will take a brief break from recruiting and spring practice to sharpen their golf games when they participate in the C Spire Pro-Am golf event on Thursday, March 30 at Fallen Oak held in conjunction with the 2017 Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic.
Mississippi State’s Dan Mullen and Ole Miss’ Hugh Freeze will headline a group of 200 amateurs playing alongside 50 professional golfers from the PGA Tour Champions in the Pro-Am event.
The MGRC tournament, now in its eighth year with a $1.6 million purse, features two-time Masters champion and World Gold Hall of Fame inductee Jose Maria Olazabal and two-time PGA major winner John Daly, a fan favorite. Both players are making their first appearance in the three-day, 54-hole tournament at the award-winning Tom Fazio-designed course.
Olazabal and Daly will join fellow Hall of Famer and former European Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie in the field. Montgomerie was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2013 and is a four-time PGA Tour Champions winner, including three majors. 2016 MGRC champion Miguel Angel Jimenez also is returning to defend his title.
Freeze, who is playing for the third time in the Pro-Am and entering his sixth season as Rebels head coach, has led the team to post-season bowl appearances in four of the last five years. “I’m excited about returning to the Gulf Coast, which holds a special place in my heart,” said Freeze, a University of Southern Mississippi graduate. “I’m looking forward to a great day of golf and fellowship.”
Mullen, who is entering his ninth season as the Bulldogs head coach, has led the school to seven straight post-season bowl appearances. “It’s great to play alongside some of the world’s best golfers,” Mullen said. “The Mississippi Gulf Coast is an important part of our state and I’m looking forward to participating in an event that has such a significant economic impact on the region.”
C Spire, a Mississippi-based diversified telecommunications and technology services company, is one of 11 consortium partners and lead sponsor of the tournament’s Pro-Am event. The company has invested over $4 million in the tournament in the last seven years. “We’re excited about Hugh and Dan participating in the C Spire Pro-Am and we look forward to a great day of golf as we continue to contribute to the economic health of the Mississippi Gulf Coast,” said Jim Richmond, vice president of Marketing for C Spire.
The tournament, scheduled for March 31- April 2, has generated over $100 million in direct economic impact on the Mississippi Gulf Coast since its inception in 2010 and has generated over $1.5 million in donations to Mississippi charities during its run. The three-day tournament will air on the Golf Channel, exposing the region to over 85 million U.S. households during the weekend rounds.
For more information or tickets to the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic, go to www.2017mgrc.com. Children 16 and under accompanied by a ticketed adult receive free admission along with all active and retired military and their families with military issued identification. Proceeds from the tournament benefit the Habitat for Humanity of the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
About C Spire
C Spire is a diversified telecommunications and technology services company that provides world-class service and a superior, comprehensive suite of customer-inspired wireless communications, ultra-high speed Internet access and a range of other telecommunications products and services to consumers and businesses. This news release and other announcements are available at www.cspire.com/news. For more information about C Spire, visit www.cspire.com or follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cspire or Twitter at www.twitter.com/cspire.
About The Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic
The Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic is uniquely funded by a group of consortium partners, who see this event as an ideal way to promote the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The 2017 major contributing partners are: Mississippi Power, C Spire, IP Resort & Spa, F.E.B. Distributing, Hard Rock Biloxi, Harrah’s Gulf Coast, Hancock Bank, Coca-Cola and Beau Rivage Hotel & Resort-Fallen Oak. The tournament is administered through the MGRC Foundation, Inc. whose mission is to promote tourism on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
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