HUNTSVILLE- The third installment of the Korn Ferry Tour’s stop in Huntsville is set for April 24-30 as the newly named HomeTown Lenders Championship will tee it up at The Ledges located atop Huntsville Mountain in Southeast Huntsville near Jones Valley. According to Justin Belanger, Tournament Director, “This event is much more than golf.”

With 156 of the newest stars of professional golf set to tee up on the Par 71, 7,136-yard layout at The Ledges Thursday through Sunday (April 27-30), at least 400 volunteers and the entire community will be there to welcome the young lions of golf to the Rocket City for their efforts to win the Korn Ferry Tour event and hoist what tournament administration call “the coolest trophy in al of sports,” a replica of the Saturn V rocket. Last year’s winner, Harrison Endycott, raised the trophy in victory formation with pride.

With the opening round taking place on Thursday the cut will be after two rounds for the final weekend rounds ending on Sunday for the tourney which is one of 22 stops for the Korn Ferry Tour.

The main entry to the tournament for the thousands of patrons expected to converge on Huntsville Mountain will be located behind hole No. 9.  Hospitality opportunities remain available for businesses who want to get involved in what has quickly become one of the sports highlights in the Tennessee Valley. Ticket information is available on the tournament website with daily passes starting at $11.75, but Belanger was eager to point out the tournament is patron friendly from the get-go. All active and retired military veterans are admitted free and youngsters 15-under are admitted free with a paying adult.

On Monday, April 24, The HomeTown Lenders Championship is hosting a Junior Golf Clinic from 4:30-5:30 p.m. Two yet to be named players from the Korn Ferry Tour will be hosting the clinic assisting young golfers with their game and a chance to learn from the best and speak with those players about the concept of playing professional golf. Admission is free, but space is limited and those wanting to attend are asked to RSVP by emailing chris@knighteady.com by April 20.

The tournament also announced the inception of the Drive, Chip, Putt For Success Junior Initiative which instills the sport of golf through the areas schools as 640 students in grades four through six will make a field trip to the golf tournament on Monday, April 24, 10:00-11:30 a.m. In addition, a special “Practice Like The Pros,” presented by SportsMED Orthopedic Surgery and Spine Center, will be hosted from 4:30-6:00 p.m. as select Korn Ferry Tour players will conduct a Q&A session with attending guests talking through how they prepare for competition.

HomeTown Lenders is a rapidly emerging leader in the national mortgage lending industry with over 100 branch locations. Its CEO Billy Taylor has led HomeTown Lenders from locations in Alabama to nationwide in just three years. Joining the Huntsville stop on the Korn Ferry Tour was a natural for Taylor and his business. “This is a great honor for us as we want to live up to the expectations,” said Taylor. “My success began with local residents from our first office located in Hazel Green and we’ve been very lucky. Like being a part of this tournament, we want to bring to the table more than just a loan. We want to be part of the community.”

Part of the week-long festivities surrounding the HomeTown Lenders Championship is the annual R. Steven Denney Pro-Am on Wednesday of tournament week. The tourney is named in honor of R. Steven Denney, founder of The Ledges. His daughter, Kimberley Denney, part of The Ledges ownership team, said of the Pro-Am and her family’s involvement with the area on Huntsville Mountain. “I think back to the journey of The Ledges, not just my father, but special partnerships that ultimately had my dad’s vision. Faith and family, those were my dad’s followings, and this tournament follows his vision.”

Steve Denney died on Aug. 16, 2021 at his home after battling a rare, aggressive form of brain cancer at age 67. His death came just months after the first Korn Ferry Tournament on his home course and the first Pro-Am held within the tournament’s schedule. Kimberley spoke of her memory of that year as she was out of town early in the day before she returned just in time to meet up with her father who was playing in the Pro-Am. She said, “I met up with my mom and dad at the 14^th hole, which my dad’s favorite hole on the course. I was there and thinking of the hard work and energy he spent to make his vision come true. It hit me that I remembered all the tough times they went through to get to this point. I walked with my dad the rest of the way in the tournament. I am very proud the Pro-Am is named in my dad’s honor.”

Presented my Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Alabama, the tourney includes more than just playing on Wednesday along side most of the professionals who will tee it up for the HomeTown Lenders Championship. Details on entering the Pro-Am are available on the tournament’s website: www.huntsvillechampionship.com.

“We have personally experienced the first-class tournaments on the PGA Tour and Korn Ferry Tour,” added Taylor. “We recognize the parallels with the Korn Ferry Tour and are eager to walk side-by-side in excellence as a business and as people. We see this tournament as a great opportunity to say thank you and to continue building relationships that we have to date.”