Last October, a cloud of worry hung over the Country Club of Jackson’s greens because after 13 great years, Wayne Sanderson Farms finished its run as the main sponsor. This puts a historic streak dating back to 1968 at risk for the Magnolia State’s only professional golf show. So now, if a new sponsor does not step up soon, this long-running tradition will vanish forever.

Tournament Director Steve Jent shared some very tough news with the Clarion Ledger this Tuesday afternoon, admitting that the state will most likely not host the tournament during the 2026 season. This is because the clock is ticking fast, and the runway for finding a new partner is almost empty. However, there is still a small flicker of hope for the fans in Mississippi, as Jent believes the chances of the event returning in 2027 are around 80 percent.

“There most likely won’t be a tournament for 2026. As the calendar flips, we are working hard to see what we can do for 2027, whether that is a PGA Tour or a Champions Tour. The Centuries Club’s mission remains the same: to impact Mississippi charities through golf. “We just have to figure out what that looks like,” Jent shared on Golfweek.

Jent also said that he needs to figure out what the future looks like for the event. Whether it stays on the main tour or moves to the senior circuit, it requires a sponsor. “It takes that title sponsor. So, if we can work with some companies and find a partner, we can go back to the PGA and make it work,” the director said.

Jent prefers a local Mississippi company, but he is open to help from anyone. Wayne Sanderson Farms has been the primary sponsor of this event since the 2013 season. Last year, the company had a last-minute change of heart to sponsor the 2025 event, and that one-year extension gave organizers a small window of hope to find a new permanent partner.

Fall events must now pay an extra $125,000 just to stay on the active schedule, and that fee will double to a massive $250,000 for the upcoming season very soon. These financial rules of the PGA Tour are also making things much harder for everyone.

Despite the uncertainty, the 2025 event proceeds allowed Century Club Charities to donate $1 million to the Friends of Children’s Hospital. So it would be a blow to several Mississippi charities, and especially the Children’s Hospital, if the event is canceled, as it has raised nearly $19 million for Children’s of Mississippi and $2.75 million for other Mississippi charities since 2013. That is why the event is so important.

And while the future looks cloudy, let’s look back at how this golfing heartbeat first began on the Mississippi soil.

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From Hattiesburg to Jackson, a half-century of survival on the fairways

This legendary journey began on May 19, 1968, in Hattiesburg. It was first called the Magnolia Classic and played at the Hattiesburg Country Club. A rookie named B.R. “Mac” McClendon won the very first trophy in a nine-hole sudden-death playoff against 53-year-old Pete Fleming and earned only $2,800 for his win. Since that humble start, the event has survived for 57 years.

Throughout this journey, the tournament has changed its name many times as different companies stepped up to help. It was the Deposit Guaranty Golf Classic from 1986 to 1998. Then it became the Southern Farm Bureau Classic for several years in the early 2000s. After that, Viking Range took over from 2007 to 2011 to keep the dream alive, with each name representing a new era of survival for this beloved Mississippi golf tradition.

And this is not the first time the tournament has faced a scary moment without a sponsor. Organizers called the tournament the True South Classic because it had no main backer in 2012. That temporary fix bridged the gap until America’s third-largest poultry producer, Sanderson Farms, took over the lead in 2013. They spearheaded the move to Jackson and helped the tournament grow into a premier event where players like Payne Stewart and Craig Stadler once played.

The PGA Tour will announce the full fall schedule for 2026 in the next month. Until then, Steve Jent and his dedicated team will keep hunting for a new sponsor.