ARDEN, N.C. (828newsNOW) — The Biltmore Championship Asheville, the first PGA Tour golf tournament in the Asheville area in over 80 years, has been a major draw for Western North Carolina, Explore Asheville said.
The event runs from Sept. 17-20 at The Cliffs at Walnut Cove in Arden, N.C., and according to the PGA Tour, the remaining days have entirely sold out.
“The inaugural championship has seen an overwhelming response, with Friday, Saturday and Sunday sold out and tens of thousands of fans expected throughout the week,” said PGA Tour in a statement.
Those fans will have a massive impact on WNC businesses and exposure for the area. Explore Asheville projected that PGA Tour players, their teams and families and fans will draw over $10 million in spending in the area. The tournament will be shown nationwide on the Golf Channel and be broadcast in 200 countries in over 30 different languages.
“So, from a impact standpoint, for lack of a better word, this is a really big deal for this region,” said Kyle McCurry, director of public relations for Explore Asheville.
There was a constant flow of fans at the event, with Ashevillians and visitors exploring the massive campus in their best colorful polos and slacks. McCurry said that he hopes attendees will explore the rest of the region, too.
“When we looked at Biltmore Championship Asheville, and we knew that it was gonna draw thousands of people to the Cliffs at Walnut Cove, we also wanted to make sure that there was some mechanism in place to encourage visitors to come and see the other parts of the county, right?” McCurry said. “It’s not just Asheville, it’s Black Mountain, it’s Woodfin, it’s Weaverville. It’s the Arden area. We want to make sure it’s Fairview. We want to make sure that the championship is felt throughout the county as a really important part of what we do year in and year out.”
That mechanism is called “Play Through the Mountains,” an online hub intended to connect more than 140 local businesses with Asheville residents and visitors through discounts, dining packages and other deals.
Read more about in our story here: 140+ Buncombe County businesses to participate in PGA TOUR promotional map
McCurry said that the enthusiastic response to the tournament is something the region should feel proud of, especially as the two year anniversary of the devastation wrought by Tropical Storm Helene approaches.
“I was born in Asheville, raised in Weaverville. I am so impressed, speaking for my organization and everyone else, with what we’ve been able to accomplish in just a little bit of time,” McCurry said. “You think back to that day two years ago and the way we all felt… For many, it was the worst day in Buncombe County’s history. So, to think about that, and now see where we are, if I’m a fan, if I’m a local, if I’m somebody who lives near this region, I would be pretty, pretty proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish together.”
Check out our photos from the event:
A previous version of this story had errors in two quotations. Those quotes have been fixed.
