Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship extends agreement with Korn Ferry Tour through 2029

Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship extends agreement with Korn Ferry Tour through 2029

Tournament Will Continue as Finals Event at The Ohio State University Golf Club - Scarlet Course

Columbus, OH - Tournament Officials announced today an extension of the agreement between the Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship and the PGA TOUR that ensures the tournament will continue as a Korn Ferry Tour Finals event through 2029. Additionally, an agreement with The Ohio State University Golf Club was announced, confirming the Scarlet Course will continue to host the popular Korn Ferry Tour Finals event.

"We are thrilled to extend our partnership with the Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship and The Ohio State University Golf Club, ensuring this long-running tournament continues on the Korn Ferry Tour schedule as one of our critical, season-ending Finals events," said Korn Ferry Tour President Alex Baldwin. "This tournament not only provides career-defining opportunities for our players as they pursue their PGA TOUR dreams but also delivers an extraordinary impact in Columbus through its unmatched support of Nationwide Children's Hospital."

Since the tournament began in 2007, the pediatric cancer program at Nationwide Children's Hospital has been the primary beneficiary of the Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship. The 2024 Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship raised a total of $3,802,610 for central Ohio charitable organizations, including $3,607,590 for pediatric cancer research and treatment at Nationwide Children's Hospital. This marks the largest single-season charitable donation raised for the hospital in the 17-year history of the Korn Ferry Tour Finals event. It's also the third year in a row the event has exceeded the $3 million mark. Since its inception, the Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship has donated nearly $30 million in support of the hospital's pediatric cancer program.

"We're proud to continue hosting this best-in-class tournament in Columbus as part of the Korn Ferry Tour Finals," said Jim McCoy, vice president of sports marketing for Nationwide and president of the tournament's host organization, Champions of the Community. "It's an honor to support an event that not only showcases rising talent in professional golf but also plays a vital role in supporting Nationwide Children's Hospital's commitment to delivering exceptional care and transforming health outcomes for kids locally and around the world."

Thanks to continued corporate and community support, the Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship is poised yet again to raise the charity bar and significantly increase donations to the Hospital.

"The PGA Tour and Nationwide have been remarkable partners to the hospital with the Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship for nearly two decades," said Tim Robinson, CEO of Nationwide Children's Hospital. "We are especially grateful this year for the ways the tournament has broadened the impact of its support. The golf championship is vital to raising funds that help us achieve our mission of best outcomes and health equity for all children, ensuring every child has access to the best care regardless of their ability to pay. We see it every day at the hospital, especially in our cancer unit, where funds from the championship are helping our most vulnerable patients."

Together with the tournament's focus on charitable giving, the other constant for the event will be the host venue, The Ohio State University Golf Club - Scarlet Course. The Scarlet Course has served as the home of the Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship from its inception and remains one of the truest tests of golf on the Korn Ferry Tour.

"The Ohio State athletics department and The Ohio State University Golf Club are excited about extending our partnership with the Korn Ferry Tour and Nationwide Children's Hospital to continue to host future Korn Ferry Tour Finals events at our Scarlet Course," said Shaun Richard, executive associate athletic director at The Ohio State University. "This event will allow us to showcase the terrific facilities at OSU Golf Club and will surely prove a tough test for the professionals vying for a PGA TOUR card. Most important, it will reinforce our partnership with Nationwide Children's Hospital and the families it serves both here in Columbus and nationally."
The Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship is managed by HNS Sports Group, an Ohio-based event management LLC specializing in golf.

The 19th playing of the Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship begins tomorrow, Thursday, September 18th, as the second of four Finals events and will play a pivotal role in determining who will earn PGA TOUR membership for the 2026 season. The top 20 players in the season-long standings at the conclusion of the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour Championship will earn PGA TOUR membership for the 2026 season.

The four Finals events - which includes the Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship - feature $1.5 million purses and award 600 points to each winner. The 2025 Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship features a field of 144 players. The fields for the Finals will be progressively reduced, starting with 156 players for event No. 1, 120 players for event No. 3 and finishing with 75 players in the final event. The preceding 22 events on the schedule will have a minimum purse of $1 million and award 500 points to the winner.

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 in high definition.

General admissions for the 2025 Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship is FREE.

For general tournament information, including how to volunteer, please visit https://www.ncc-golf.comor call (614) 764-GOLF. Stay connected with the Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship on X (@NCHC_Golf), Instagram (@nchcgolf), and Facebook (https://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 four Korn Ferry Tour Finals tournaments where players compete for increased purses and points allocations. Featuring a purse of $1,500,000 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 https://www.ncc-golf.com.

About Nationwide Children's Hospital

Named to the Top 10 Honor Roll on U.S. News & World Report's 2024-25 list of "Best Children's Hospitals," Nationwide Children's Hospital is one of America's largest not-for-profit free-standing pediatric health care systems providing unique expertise in pediatric population health, behavioral health, genomics and health equity as the next frontiers in pediatric medicine, leading to best outcomes for the health of the whole child. Integrated clinical and research programs, as well as prioritizing quality and safety, are part of what allows Nationwide Children's to advance its unique model of care. Nationwide Children's has a staff of more than 16,000 that provides state-of-the-art wellness, preventive and rehabilitative care and diagnostic treatment during more than 1.8 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 free-standing 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, annually awards 20 PGA TOUR cards based off its points list, with the No. 1 player earning exemptions into the following year's PLAYERS Championship and U.S. Open. With more than 700 PGA TOUR titles, 35 major championships and eight FedExCup champions, Korn Ferry Tour alumni make up 82 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 PGA TOUR cards, visit PGATOUR.COM or follow the Korn Ferry Tour on social media. Nine Korn Ferry Tour events in 2025 are televised on Golf Channel in the United States, with tournament coverage available internationally in more than 170 countries and territories via 23 media partners.

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 https://www.hnssports.com.