WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, WV. – The eighth edition of the Greenbrier Classic is set to tee off over the Fourth of July weekend, with a proposal for a name change in the works.
"Tomorrow, we will be requesting for the PGA to change the name of the Greenbrier Classic to 'A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier,'" Greenbrier owner and West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice said.
"The emphasis this year is going to be a huge tribute to our military, both active and retired, so they will be able to attend for free at no charge. We're also going to have a military appreciation day, so I have more details that will follow on that as well," executive tournament director Habibi Mamone said.
What hasn't changed substantially is the Old White TPC, which obviously underwent major renovations after the flood, but still follows the original intention of its designers. That is to the liking of former U.S. Open champ Jim Furyk, who returns to the tournament this summer.
"I grew up in in the northeast so playing golf courses that were built or designed around 1900- That's my comfort zone, that's where I'm comfortable. The Old White course, you know, it's more about placing the ball in the proper positions and with some of the slopes on those greens its about putting the a ball in the right place where you can putt from, " Furyk said.
As with any PGA tour event, there's the Tiger factor. Tournament officials say they have had conversations with the 14-time major champion, and they are hopeful he can return to the tournament for the first time since 2015.