LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Unbridled Tour returns to Central Kentucky with professional golfers battling for a purse that could exceed $150,000 with a full field when the action begins at the University Club of Kentucky in October. The 54-hole, three-day tournament that will be played without spectators will include a pro-am on Monday, Oct. 12, 2020 followed by tournament rounds on Oct. 13-15. The mini-tour’s first event was played in May at Boone’s Trace National Golf Club in Richmond.
“This Tour has provided much-needed playing opportunities in 2020 that were severely limited given the impact of COVID-19,” said Brooks Downing, CEO of bdG Sports which launched the tour. “And given that fall is an ideal time for golf in Kentucky, we expect a full field with a winner’s share of $40,000.”
The three previous Unbridled Tour stops have featured impressive professionals such as Ollie Schniederjans, a veteran of the PGA TOUR with more than $3 million in winnings, Scott Jamieson, a past winner on the European Tour, Chase Koepka, the younger brother of Brooks, and Jack Nicklaus award-winner Norman Xiong, along with Kentuckians Chip McDaniel, Cooper Musselman and Billy Tom Sargent.
McDaniel, a former UK star, won the inaugural Unbridled Tour event at Boone’s Trace National Golf Club in Richmond this past May. The tour moved south in June for two tournaments in Jacksonville. Eddie Olson won the first tournament at Fleming Island Golf Club while Carson Young took home the second title at Hidden Hills Golf Club.
The Unbridled Tour will be played on University Club’s Big Blue Course (par 72, 7,013 yards) which is the home course for the University of Kentucky golf teams. The tournament will feature a Pro-Am for local sponsors on Oct. 12 followed by the 54-hole tournament over the next three days. There will be a cut to 60 and ties following the second round. Those interested in supporting the tournament or competing in the Pro-Am can contact bdG Sports for more information (859.494.3932 or [email protected]).
Mini-tour events were once the primary route to earning a PGA TOUR card. But at the PGA Tour launched its MacKenzie Tour in Canada and the Latinoamérica Tour throughout Central and South America, participants could earn status through both on the Korn Ferry Tour, and subsequently, mini-tours lost popularity. The global pandemic has suspended the foreign tours for 2020, elevating the need for the 2020 mini-tours to re-emerge.
The Unbridled Tour event will be hosted in compliance with all local and state public heath guidelines to include:
- Social distancing will be required by players and club/tournament staff
- Only one person will be permitted in a golf cart if utilized
- The course will not be open to fans
- Clubhouse access will be restricted
bdG Sports, a Lexington-based sports management firm that annually manages the Korn Ferry Tour’s Great Exuma Classic and Great Abaco Classic events in the Bahamas, owns and operates the Unbridled Tour.
Full event information and daily scores can be found at www.UnbridledTour.com. Registration is open until Oct. 11 at midnight.