DALLAS, Texas
– Today, the Northern Texas PGA announced a multi-year agreement with Higginbotham Insurance Agency, Inc. as the title sponsor of the Texas State Open. The championship will be named and referred to as the “Higginbotham Texas State Open.”
The Higginbotham Texas State Open will be played July 27 – July 30. It will be the 51st playing of this historic event.
The tournament will be played at The Cascades Club in Tyler, Texas, for a record 10th time. It was played at the club from 2006 – 2011 and from 2018 to present.
“Partnering with the Northern Texas PGA is a perfect fit for Higginbotham because both of our organizations are committed to positively impacting the communities, we serve through exceptional people who live by the core values that guide us,” said Higginbotham Chairman and CEO Rusty Reid. “At Higginbotham, we’re family to our employees, accountable to our clients, teammates to our carriers and generous to our communities. This partnership gives us a new avenue to drive those values in our community with the creation of the Higginbotham Texas State Open Scholarship. Providing opportunities to young talent has always been important to us, and with the Northern Texas PGA and their Foundation, we can help develop our future leaders.”
“Over the past several years, the Texas State Open has gained a lot of momentum thanks to the support of our corporate partners and the leadership and membership at The Cascades Club,” said Mark Harrison, Executive Director / CEO of the Northern Texas PGA. “Higginbotham is an iconic Texas brand with its roots running deep in the state, and we couldn’t be more excited to partner with Higginbotham to enhance the Texas State Open and continue the tournament’s positive momentum. Like Higginbotham, the Northern Texas PGA, who conducts the Texas State Open is unassailably Texan, with long histories that carry the Lone Star spirit in their DNA.”
“It is also fitting that this year will mark the 10th year that The Cascades Club will host the championship, which is a record for any facility in the storied history of the championship. The membership at the club, as well as the entire community of Tyler embrace the Texas State Open. Our team is very excited to continue to work with the exceptional team at The Cascades Club lead by PGA General Manager Matthew Cohen," said Harrison.
“The Cascades Club membership and staff are exceedingly proud and honored to once again be selected as the host venue for the 51st Higginbotham Texas State Open. Hosting the best state open in the country for a record-setting 10th time, and doing it again alongside the incredible Northern Texas PGA team is special. The outpouring of East Texas hospitality and support the Tyler and Cascades community provides for this event, the players, their caddies and families I believe is a big reason we have been fortunate enough to host on so many occasions. We look forward to providing another great test of championship golf and a great tournament experience for all the competitors and spectators again this summer,” stated Matthew Cohen, PGA General Manager at The Cascades Club.
The Texas State Open has crowned many past and future stars over its 50-year history. Three-time Texas State Open Champions include: Ben Crenshaw (’75, ’79 and ’80), Jeff Maggert (’88, ’90 and ’94) and Kelly Grunewald (’02, ’05 and ’06). Lee Trevino leads the list of those with two Texas State Open victories. 2020 champion Mitchell Meissner of San Antonio, Texas, has his sights set on defending his title this year.
The Higginbotham Texas State Open is open to all professionals, competitive amateurs and junior golfers with advanced tournament experience. Qualifying for the championship will be conducted from June 7 – July 15. Registration is now available at
www.ntpga.com. The entry deadline is June 3.
Proceeds from the tournament will benefit the Northern Texas PGA Foundation’s scholarship program with the creation of the Higginbotham Texas State Open scholarship. The scholarship will be designated for an NTPGA Junior Tour Member from the Tyler area who will be attending college this fall. This year alone, the Northern Texas PGA Foundation will be awarding more than $450,000 in scholarships to approximately 50 high school seniors from North Texas.
ABOUT HIGGINBOTHAM INSURANCE AGENCY, INC.
Employee owned and customer inspired, Higginbotham is a single source solution for insurance, financial and HR services. The firm is ranked as the nation’s 21st largest independent insurance firm, making it the largest Texas-based broker. Serving thousands of businesses and individuals across 10 states, Higginbotham’s approach to finding insurance, employee benefit and risk management solutions is more individual and less institutional. By understanding customer priorities, eliminating inefficiencies and committing to transparency, Higginbotham is a place that leads with values so value leads.
ABOUT THE CASCADES CLUB
The Cascades, a Master-Planned 5-Star community, is the most comprehensive community in East Texas. This luxury lake front golf, tennis, fitness and residential community sits on 386 acres and is located just five miles from downtown Tyler, Texas. The Cascades is also conveniently located midway between Dallas, Texas, and Shreveport, Louisiana. The Cascades Club golf course was re-designed by PGA Tour player Mark Hayes to challenge players at any skill level. Lush, tour-quality greens and broad fairways wind among tall oak and pine trees, with many holes set alongside scenic lakes on the golf course, and a stunning back drop framed by Lake Bellwood greeting you on your first tee shot of the day.
ABOUT THE NORTHERN TEXAS PGA
The Northern Texas PGA is one of 41 Sections of the PGA of America, and its geographic territory includes the State of Texas north of the 31st latitude, or just north of Austin. The Northern Texas PGA is comprised of approximately 850 PGA Members and Associates employed at more than 300 facilities.
The Northern Texas PGA has 14 full-time staff members and is currently headquartered in Dallas. The Northern Texas PGA will be joining the PGA of America national office relocation to Frisco in 2022 with its own state of the art headquarters on the PGA Frisco campus.
In addition to managing the day-to-day affairs of the Section, the Northern Texas PGA also operates a non-profit and charitable foundation that focuses on five pillars: junior golf, college scholarships, inclusion, fellowships, and military & veterans. The mission of the Northern Texas PGA Foundation is positively impacting lives and communities through golf.
Contacts:
Higginbotham Insurance Agency, Inc.
Lane Gallagher, Director, Strategic Marketing and Communications
Tel: 817-347-7068
Email: lgallagher@higginbotham.net
www.higginbotham.net
The Cascades Club
Matthew Cohen, PGA General Manager
Tel: 903-525-0002
Email: matthew@cascadesoftexas.com
www.cascadesoftexas.com
Northern Texas PGA Section
Mark Harrison, Executive Director / CEO
Tel: 214-420-7421
Email: mharrison@ntpga.com
www.ntpga.com
