BILOXI, Miss. – The Veteran Golfers Association (VGA) will host its National Championship in Biloxi, Miss., Sept. 18-21 at Fallen Oak, the Tom Fazio-designed championship course ordinarily reserved exclusively for guests of MGM Resort International’s renowned Beau Rivage Resort & Casino.  The tournament features a field of regional winners that qualified over the course of the year for the opportunity to play for the title.

For the VGA, the 2023 season-ending event will showcase the determination and accomplishments of players and their families, as wounded veterans and Purple Heart recipients will make up nearly half of the field. Competitors range from enlisted personnel to three-star generals, spanning the Korean War through Post 9/11 veterans. The field features 94 players advancing from four regional championships that will compete for a coveted Red Jacket, which is ceremoniously awarded to the overall male and female VGA National Champions from four divisions of competition: Male Veteran, Female Veteran, Combat Wounded (Purple Heart), and Family Member. Each division contains four flights of competitors as determined by their handicap index.

For the players, the opportunity to travel and compete for the VGA National Championship is an honor in itself, as the season encompassed 1,100 tournaments for over 19,000 VGA members from 49 states over an eight-month period. Since being founded in 2014, the VGA has hosted over 3,500 golf tournaments and more than 200,000 rounds of golf nationwide for Veterans and their family members.

“Fallen Oak and Beau Rivage are honored to be the destination of choice for this year’s VGA National Championship,” said Beau Rivage President and COO Brandon Dardeau. “Hosting an event like this is another way for us to show appreciation for the extraordinary sacrifices of the brave men and women who have served our country. This is more than just golf, it’s about camaraderie, sportsmanship and competition on our award-winning course. We could not be more excited to welcome them back to Coastal Mississippi.”

“The VGA utilizes golf as an alternative therapeutic activity, offering Veterans and their families an impactful way to connect and compete on the golf course,” said VGA President and CEO Joshua Peyton, a retired Army Captain and Army Ranger.

VGA membership is open to all U.S. veterans – wounded, non-wounded, disabled, active duty and retired – as well as to their family members, who are at least 18 years of age. More information is available at www.vgagolf.org.   

The 2023 VGA Championship opening ceremonies on Monday, September 18, at 8:30 a.m. will feature a parachute demonstration. The public is encouraged to attend the championship and cheer on the troops.

Media credentials, images and videos are available to interested media.

ABOUT VETERANS GOLF ASSOCIATION

The VGA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to promoting the game of golf to veterans and their family members. The organization develops programs that allow members to compete, socialize and remain physically active. For more info, visit www.vgagolf.org. 

ABOUT BEAU RIVAGE

MGM Resorts International’s AAA Four Diamond Beau Rivage recently completed a $55 million room remodel of its 1,740 elegantly appointed guest rooms and suites. The resort is home to 12 restaurants, four bars and lounges, and an 85,000-square-foot gaming area. The resort also offers live entertainment in its 1,550-seat theatre, an upscale shopping promenade, a world-class spa & salon and Fallen Oak, a Tom Fazio-designed championship golf course. For more information and reservations, call (888) 567-6667 or visit www.beaurivage.com.

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CONTACTS:

Charles Upchurch, Veterans Golf Association, cupchurch@fwv-us.com, 919.396.1588

Mary Cracchiolo Spain, Fallen Oak/Beau Rivage Resort & Casino, mspain@mgmresorts.com, 228.547.8473