The Derby Days of Golf

Enjoy with family, friends at Regions Traditions, May 10-14

BY MITZI EAKER

Regions Tradition has quite the legacy in Alabama.

The Bruno Supermarket family of Alabama started the golf tournament as the Bruno’s Classic. The first tournament was held at Greystone in 1992, back before there was a neighborhood and even before Greystone had an actual clubhouse.

Just days after the first tournament was announced, tragedy struck the Bruno family. Nine people, including several top executives and the Bruno brothers Angelo and Lee, were killed when their corporate jet crashed. The first tournament was renamed to the Bruno’s Memorial Classic to memorialize the people who had lost their lives.

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Both the tournament and Bruno’s businesses have morphed over the years. Still, the core values of the tournament remain to provide the best care for the players, players’ families, sponsors, volunteers, media members and spectators.

Gene Hallman, the original tournament director and owner of Eventive Sports, formerly the Bruno Event Team, built one of the bestattended and longest-standing golf tournaments by creating a culture of taking “good care of the people.”

Regions took over as the title sponsor in 2006. It became a major championship in 2011. The event was played for five years at both Ross

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Bridge and Shoal Creek before returning to Greystone in 2016.

Today, the Regions Tradition is still known for supporting local charities and annually gives to Children’s of Alabama and many more Alabama 501-c3s through Birdies for Charity which matches funds dollar for dollar that the non-profits raise. The tournament has provided more than $22,000,000 to various charities in Alabama.

Gene Hallman’s vision behind the ProAm, where celebrity guests play the first day of the tournament with professional golfers, has proved very successful for the golfers and the fans. It is like Derby Day at Greystone when parents and students skip work and school for a day of fun at the course interacting with professional golfers and celebrities.

Tournament Director George Shaw said,

“This year’s tournament which will be May 1014, promises to be one of the best ones yet. As our favorite golfers will be returning along with a star-studded group of celebrities, including Condoleezza Rice, Randy Owens, Riley Green, Trent Dilfer, Hugh Freeze, Kirby Smart, Nate Oats, Charles Barkley, Paul Finebaum, Bo Jackson, Dale Murphy and many more.”

This year promises more diversity in concessions as there will be several local food trucks and with the full return of the Watering Hole on the 10th hole. Also, check out EnjoyHoover.com to see what band will be performing at the Saturday night concert which is included with the regular ticket price.

Shaw shared they just signed a long-term agreement for the Regions Tradition, the PGA TOUR, and Greystone through 2032.

Tickets can be purchased at www. regionstradition.com. Kids 18 and under are free.