NEW YORK – World Long Drive (WLD) is set to tee off the 2024 Military Long Drive Championship (MLDC) presented by LifeLock by Norton this week with the first of 12 qualifier events across the country.
Each qualifying event is a one-day competition that will take place at 12 Army golf courses. The winners from each of the 12 installations will advance to WLD Fort Jackson for the Military Long Drive Championship, a televised World Long Drive event, held July 19-22 at Fort Jackson Golf Club in Columbia, South Carolina.
The winner of the MLDC will receive $10,000, courtesy of Leading Points, and will be granted exemption into the WLD World Championship, held August 8-11 in Atlanta.
“We’re honored to bring back the Military Long Drive Championship this year,” said Zane Smith, vice president of business operations for World Long Drive. “We are thankful for our military members and their service and dedication to our country. It promises to be a very fun event in July.”
The MLDC is open to all active duty service members (all branches), retired, reserve and National/Coast Guard members as well as service-related disabled Veterans at least 18-years old with valid ID.
Each entrant will hit eight drives. The longest drive of the day is the winner of the qualifier and will advance. Participants must use USGA-approved drivers (maximum 48 inches long) during competition. All participants will play with the same golf ball, the Bridgestone e9 Long Drive Golf Ball.
The 12 qualifier locations and dates are:
About World Long Drive:
The World Long Drive Championship is the largest annual domestic professional golf event not associated with the PGA of America, the PGA Tour, or the LPGA. It was first held in 1974, and since 2000 consisted of Open, Women’s, Seniors (over-45s), and Amateur events. The World Long Drive tour is comprised of nine events domestically and over 30 events internationally all culminating for the season finale World Long Drive Championship. World Long Drive tour and championship is owned and operated by GF Sports and Entertainment based out of New York, NY.
World Long Drive has partnered with PIVOT Agency out of the San Francisco Bay area to reintroduce the brand and sport into the corporate market leveraging partner relationships.
PIVOT Agency is a full-service sports marketing agency, built at the nexus of brands and culture, and forming alliances between consumer brands, athletes, sports, the arts, causes, business and media. Today it has grown into four (4) unique and successful divisions, encompassing Property Representation, Brand Consulting, Travel and Hospitality. PIVOT’s property division consults with top organizations in the sports and entertainment world including GF Sports & Entertainment, Pro Pickleball Association, Athletes Unlimited, Cedar Fair, OpTic Gaming, NRG, Spacestation Gaming, Illinois State University and a growing portfolio of professional and collegiate properties.
About GF Sports and Entertainment:
GF Sports & Entertainment is a global events and operations company that elevates the experience of live sports, entertainment and interactive events. The company owns two of the ATP Tour’s longest running American tennis tournaments, the Dallas Open and the Atlanta Open, as well as the National Lacrosse League New York Riptide. GF Sports & Entertainment also incubates new and emerging sport concepts, this includes Wolf Pack Ninjas, which operates ninja-focused events globally and just completed the purchase of World Long Drive, an international long drive tour.
GF Sports & Entertainment was founded in July 2015 by New York-based private equity firm GF Capital. For additional information, please visit
www.gfsportsandentertainment.com.
Contact:
Jonathan Deutsch | Tony Fay PR | 469.534.8525
Reeves Eddins | Tony Fay PR | 901.647.9697
