The Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship in Baltimore is a “major” deal. One of the Champions Tour?s five major tournaments, the Senior Player?s Championship will run Oct. 1-7 at the Baltimore Country Club?s Five Farms, East Course. Sponsors are hoping for the event, which will air on NBC, to play a substantial role in developing business.
“This gives Baltimore County national exposure and provides us with an opportunity for customer relationship building and corporate branding opportunities, where we can show Baltimore County quality of life off with business [executives] who make very important decisions relative to extension, expansion and retraction in some of our sectors,” said David Iannucci, executive director of Baltimore County Department of Economic Development, one of the event?s sponsors.
Previously, the championship was held in Dearborn, Mich., where it took place 16 times at the Tournament Players Club. The event was sponsored for the last 14 years by the Ford Motor Company, under the title of Ford Senior Players Championship.
Locally, Constellation used to sponsor the Constellation Energy Classic at Hayfields Country Club in Hunt Valley, where the tournament was played since 2003. By swapping out the Hayfields? event for the relocated major, the Baltimore region has a chance to take advantage of the change.
“Our decision to expand our partnership with the Champions Tour is just another example of our corporate commitment to the economic viability of Baltimore, the state of Maryland and the mid-Atlantic region,” Mayo Shattuck III, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Constellation Energy, said in a statement.
Economic impact for the event is estimated at about $35 million annually, Shattuck indicated. The tournament has raised more than $1.5 million for charity over the last three years.
Area groups such as the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Kennedy Krieger Institute and the Living Classrooms Foundation have benefited from the donations.
“This is a big opportunity for the business community to once again step forward and show its commitment to the region and the impact that these types of sporting activities have on the regional economy,” said Donald Fry, president of the Greater Baltimore Committee.
