Purse, dates set for Bass Pro Legends golf tournament

Officials have set the purse and dates for the 2015 Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf at Big Cedar Lodge.

The second tournament of a five-year contract, the PGA Tour event in Ridgedale is scheduled April 22-26, according to a news release. The 2014 event was held in June.

Players will compete for a $2.75 million purse, even with the first tournament. During the 2014 competition, PGA Champions Tour golfers Fred Funk and Jeff Sluman split the $460,000 first-place earnings, finishing at a 20-under par 159 in the 50-and-older PGA circuit. In the Legends field, for players 65 years and older, Jim Colbert and Jim Thorpe split the $120,000 winnings, according to Springfield Business Journal archives.

Players at the spring event are slated to include Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Gary Player, Colin Montgomerie, Davis Love III and Ben Crenshaw.

The tournament will be played at Top of the Rock, the only par 3 course in a PGA-sanctioned event, and the nearby Buffalo Ridge.

“Missouri is proud to again be the host state for this world-class golf tournament where spectators, volunteers and players can enjoy a rich variety of outdoor activities in the Ozarks region,” Gov. Jay Nixon said in the release.

The inaugural event brought in roughly 14,000 attendees who generated an estimated $3.46 million for the local economy, according to SBJ archives.[[In-content Ad]]