World Long Drive Association Announces New Event in Northeast Tennessee for 2018

Multi-Year Partnership will Bring Sanctioned Long Drive Event to Johnson City, Tennessee Region in Summer 2018; Part of Official 2018 WLDA Schedule

(ORLANDO, Fla.) – The World Long Drive Association announced a new televised event in partnership with Niswonger Children’s Hospital, an affiliate of Mountain States Health Alliance in Johnson City, Tennessee, which will bring an officially sanctioned WLDA competition to the region next summer (2018).

The announcement was made earlier today, live, on Golf Channel’s Morning Drive during the hospital’s annual charity golf event. A multi-year partnership will stage an event on Golf Channel in primetime, showcasing the top Long Drive competitors in the world.

“We are excited to be partnering with the World Long Drive Association as part of the Niswonger Children’s Hospital Classic,” said Alan Levine, president and CEO of Mountain States Health Alliance. “The Classic is the largest annual fundraiser for our region’s only children’s hospital, and we have appreciated the support from a number of WLDA competitors in years past. This new partnership is a terrific way to expand on those relationships and bring more visibility to both the children’s hospital and the WLDA in our region.”

“The outstanding work being done by the team at Niswonger Children’s Hospital makes them an exceptional fit as a partner to the World Long Drive Association and in bringing an official event to the Johnson City area,” said Phil Piazza, senior vice president of programming, Golf Channel. “Fans in attendance, along with those tuning in on Golf Channel next summer will have an opportunity to witness the electrifying atmosphere being displayed by the top Long Drivers in the world, as the event joins the growing list of official WLDA competitions being showcased live and in primetime throughout the year leading up to the Volvik World Long Drive Championship.”  

This past weekend, Justin James claimed the title at the Bluff City Shootout (moving him to 5th in the World Long Drive rankings), staged as part of the 2017 official WLDA schedule. The World Long Drive Association continues building its momentum toward the Volvik World Long Drive Championship (Aug. 31-Sept. 6), highlighted by next month’s Mile High Showdown in Denver, airing live and in primetime on Golf Channel, Tuesday, July 25, from 7-9:30 p.m. ET.

The 2017 Open Division schedule consists of qualifying events spanning from March through August, with competitors from each event advancing to the Volvik World Long Drive Championship, which will feature a 96-man field competing for a $270,000 purse. The Women’s Division will feature a field of 32 competitors vying for a purse of $40,000. The event will return to WinStar World Casino & Resort (Thackerville, Okla.) for a third consecutive year, following a multi-year extension as the host site.

For the full 2017 World Long Drive Association schedule, visit https://www.worldlongdrive.com/schedule/.