- Regions Charity Classic
The Regions Charity Classic, formerly known as the Bruno's Memorial Classic, is an American
golf tournament that is part of theChampions Tour . It is held atRoss Bridge Golf Resort and Spa , one of ten courses on theRobert Trent Jones Golf Trail , located inHoover, Alabama (a suburb of Birmingham).Through
2006 , the tournament was normally scheduled to end on the first Sunday of May of each year, or a few days close to that day. In2007 , the tournament schedule was moved roughly two weeks later, toMay 17 throughMay 20 . The first two tournaments were held in August — frequently a time of hot, humidclimate inAlabama . The dates were moved to June for three more years, then finally to the early May/late April period.History
The tournament was first held in
1992 as the Bruno's Memorial Classic, withBruno's Supermarkets as the title sponsor. The name stems from the founders, Angelo and Lee Bruno (brothers of Bruno's founder Joseph Bruno), who were killed in anairplane crash shortly after the 1991 press conference announcing the tournament's inception. From the beginning, the tournament was staged at theGreystone Golf & Country Club , in the Inverness section of Hoover.Since its inception, the Bruno's Memorial has been one of the most popular stops on the Champions Tour, usually attracting all of the top money winners. With the loss of the annual
Iron Bowl college football game between Alabama and Auburn, which was formerly played at Birmingham'sLegion Field , the golf tournament has become Metro Birmingham's largest sporting event.In
2006 , Bruno's Supermarkets — which had undergone a series of financial struggles, various ownerships, and the loss involvement by Bruno family members — announced it would reduce its sponsorship commitment to the tournament.Regions Financial Corporation , a banking and financial services company based in Birmingham, stepped in as the title sponsor, with Bruno's remaining as a presenting sponsor. At the same time, tournament organizers announced that the site would move to the new Ross Bridge course, approzimately 15mile s (25km ) west of Greystone at the other end of the city of Hoover.Winners
Regions Charity Classic
*2008Andy Bean
*2007Brad Bryant
*2006Brad Bryant Bruno's Memorial Classic
*2005D. A. Weibring
*2004Bruce Fleisher
*2003Tom Jenkins
*2002Sammy Rachels
*2001Hale Irwin
*2000 John Jacobs
*1999Larry Nelson
*1998Hubert Green
*1997Jay Sigel
*1996John Bland
*1995Graham Marsh
*1994Jim Dent
*1993 Bob Murphy
*1992George Archer Bruno Event Team
The team that organized and managed the first tournaments drew applause for their efforts, so much so that they were asked to perform the same functions for other events. This led partners Ronnie Bruno, whose father started Bruno's Supermarkets, and
Gene Hallman to form the Bruno Event Team, a sports event management firm that now operates year round. The team currently manages the Women's U.S. Open andUnited States Senior Open for theUnited States Golf Association , various championship events for theSoutheastern Conference , and races at Birmingham'sBarber Motorsports Park .External links
* [http://www.regionscharityclassic.com Official website]
* [http://www.brunoeventteam.com Bruno Event Team official website]
* [http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/s564/ PGATOUR.com's tourament website]
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