Oxford, AL – Sunny King Classic officials are suspending online registration to create a buffer for the allotment of sponsor teams, those registering now will be placed on the waiting list
By Al Muskewitz
That was fast. Seven days after opening the portal, Sunny King Charity Classic officials have halted on-line registration for the tournament to provide a buffer for the remaining sponsor teams yet to be assigned to the field.
In effect, the tournament has sold out – 71 days before its Sept. 16 starting date. And they thought last year it went fast.
“I guess everybody loves September,” tournament chairman Brett Key said. “I assumed we would sell it out. I assumed it would take three to four weeks, not seven days.”
The tournament traditionally would have started Friday, but last year when it returned from a 2020 COVID postponement officials moved the event to September to steer clear of the oppressive July heat. They got the favorable weather, but they also got an historic six-hole playoff that played well into the night won by Ott and Dalton Chandler (who ironically aren’t on the current confirmed list and have been trying to get on the wait list).
There are nearly 195 teams currently in the queue. Several tournament sponsors have not confirmed the teams they’ll be able to fill, hence the suspension. Tournament officials are prepared to accommodate 210 teams across the three venues – Silver Lakes, Cider Ridge and Anniston CC.
A traditional full field is 204 teams, but it stretched to 210 last year.
“I hope we get in it,” said Ott Chandler, who advocates defending champions being exempt into the following year’s tournament.
Teams can still register, but will be placed on a waiting list. Those registering now are asked not to pay for their slot until their name is called on a first-come, first-served basis. Entry fee is $770 per team and includes pre-paid mulligans for all three days, guaranteeing an additional $25,000 to the tournament’s charities with a full field.
“This tournament continues to surprise you year after year,” Key said. “Now, I’ll just have 15 people ask me questions about expansion.”
He has a quick answer to that, almost as quick as it took to fill the field.
“Not as long as I’m involved,” he said. [*** click to see more sports stories]
