Sandals Emerald Bay Welcomes Korn Ferry Tour Professionals

Great Exuma, Bahamas (January 25, 2023) – “It’s hard to have a bad week in The Bahamas,” was a familiar mantra for many Korn Ferry Tour players competing in the 2023 The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic at Sandals Emerald Bay, Jan. 15-18. Chandler Phillips, a 26 year-old from Texas, carded a final round 4-under 68 for a two-stroke victory over Cody Blick and Peter Knade at 14-under par for the tournament.

Chandler Phillips, winner of the 2023 Great Exuma Classic at Sandals Emerald Bay.

“It’s been great. I mean, hard to have a bad week in the Bahamas,” said Phillips after his first win on tour. “I played one practice round, that’s all I needed to see…”

The 2023 tournament marked the sixth year that the 18-hole, par 72 Sandals Emerald Bay Golf Course has hosted the Korn Ferry Tour event. The 7,001-yards, Greg Norman-designed golf course is recognized as one of the most scenic ocean-side golf courses in the Caribbean with unparalleled views from its six signature ocean-side holes featured on the back 9.

“It’s obviously very nice to be back, very comfortable. It’s hard not to be happy starting the year in The Bahamas,” said defending tournament champion Akshay Bhatia after carding a 5-under 67 in the first round of the 2023 event.

Located directly on property at Sandals Emerald Bay Golf, Tennis & Spa Resort, Emerald Bay Golf Course hosts a series of exclusive events throughout the year, including the annual PGA TOUR-sanctioned season opener event for the Korn Ferry Tour.

During the summer of 2022, Troon® and Luxury Included Sandals® Resorts and Beaches® Resorts, announced a new sales and marketing collaboration that is enhancing the resort companies’ marketing strategies and elevate the guest experience across their golf destinations throughout the Caribbean. The partnership is benefiting Sandals’ and Beaches’ growing portfolio of golf resorts, including Sandals Ochi, Sandals Royal Plantation, and Beaches Ocho Rios in Ocho Rios, Jamaica; Sandals Emerald Bay in Great Exuma, Bahamas; Sandals Regency La Toc and Sandals Halcyon Beach in Castries and Sandals Grande St. Lucian in Gros Islet, Saint Lucia.

To book your stay for the 2024 The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic, visit: https://www.sandals.com/emerald-bay/. To find out more information about the annual Korn Ferry Tour event, please visit https://www.pgatour.com/korn-ferry-tour.html.

About Sandals® Resorts

Sandals Resorts offers two people in love the most romantic, Luxury Included® vacation experience in the Caribbean. With 16 – and soon to be 17 – stunning beachfront settings in Jamaica, Antigua, Saint Lucia, The Bahamas, Barbados, Grenada, and Curacao, Sandals Resorts offers more quality inclusions than any other resort company on the planet. Signature Love Nest Butler Suites® for the ultimate in privacy and service; butlers trained by the Guild of Professional English Butlers; the Red Lane Spa®; 5-Star Global Gourmet™ dining, ensuring top-shelf liquor, premium wines, and gourmet specialty restaurants; Aqua Centers with expert PADI® certification and training; fast Wi-Fi from beach to bedroom; and Sandals Customizable Weddings are all Sandals Resorts exclusives. Sandals Resorts is part of family-owned Sandals Resorts International (SRI), founded by the late Gordon “Butch” Stewart, which includes Beaches Resorts and is the Caribbean’s leading all-inclusive resort company. For more information about the Sandals Resorts Luxury Included® difference, visit www.sandals.com.

About Troon

Headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., Troon is the world’s largest golf and golf-related hospitality management company providing services at 900-plus locations in 45-plus states and 35-plus countries, including operational responsibility for 575-plus 18-hole equivalent golf courses. In addition to golf, Troon specializes in homeowner association management, private residence clubs, estate management and associated hospitality venues. Troon’s award-winning food and beverage division operates and manages 600-plus food and beverage operations located at golf resorts, private clubs, daily fee golf courses and recreational facilities. Troon’s family of brands includes Troon Golf, Troon Privé, Troon International, Indigo Sports, CADDIEMASTER, ClubUp, Cliff Drysdale Tennis, Peter Burwash International, True Club Solutions, RealFood Hospitality, Strategy and Design, Casa Verde Golf, ICON Management and Eventive Sports. For additional news and information, visit www.Troon.com, TroonMagazine.com or connect with Troon on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Troon Chronicles, Press Room, and via The Turn Podcast.

Media Contact

Rob Myers
Troon
480.477.0506
rmyers@troon.com