ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA | It was in August 2024 when Vic Isley, president and CEO of Explore Asheville, began discussions with the PGA Tour about bringing an event to the western North Carolina mountains, doubling down on the city’s nationally known food scene and its surging tourist business.
Having held a similar position in Bermuda where she helped get the Butterfield Bermuda Championship up and running, Isley sensed an opportunity to capitalize on both the thriving mountain setting and the moment.
Then Hurricane Helene happened.
Less than two months after discussions with the PGA Tour had begun, the devastating storm ripped through western North Carolina, particularly the Asheville area where more than more 40 residents of Buncombe County died, approximately 2,300 structures were effectively destroyed and the city was left without running tap water for 53 days.
Almost two years to the day Helene arrived, the inaugural Biltmore Championship Asheville will be played at The Cliffs at Walnut Cove Sept. 17-20, kicking off the PGA Tour’s fall season.
“We were patient restarting conversations. Helene provided a platform, another reason for the revitalization. Conversations picked back up in the spring of 2025. Ultimately, the announcement was made last November,” said Nate Goldsnider, the tournament’s executive director.
At a time when the PGA Tour is regenerating its operating model, Asheville is making its long-awaited return to the tour schedule.
It has been 84 years since the final Asheville Land of the Sky Open was played, an event that Ben Hogan won three times. The new event is the first of eight on the schedule in the aftermath of the FedEx Cup playoffs and it is set immediately in front of the Presidents Cup at Medinah near Chicago.
It began with an idea and a phone call.
“I’ve often joked that when Vic Isley gives you a phone call you always answer it. She leveraged her experience working with the Bermuda tourism authority and running the Bermuda championship and when she called to say, ‘I have a phone call with the PGA Tour, are you interested?’ I said absolutely,” said Mark Hemphill, the chief marketing officer for Asheville’s Biltmore Estate and its hospitality brand.
“To me this was a wonderful opportunity to showcase the power of the PGA Tour brand to help elevate and expand the reach of the Biltmore brand. More importantly, it’s an opportunity to help our community out of the enduring impact [from Helene] on the community and the economy.”
Biltmore is a part of the Asheville experience for both visitors and locals. It is centered around the French château-style home built by George and Edith Vanderbilt in the late 1800s, a 250-room, 178,000-square foot mansion that is the largest private home in the United States. The property spans 8,000 acres including extravagant gardens, a winery and overnight properties.
In recent years, the Biltmore brand has expanded with the estate being featured in made-for-television movies along with licensed home goods and wine.
Adding its name to the new event was a natural fit.
“We saw a wonderful opportunity to partner with the PGA Tour and bring professional golf back to this area,” Hemphill said.
“We are so incredibly lucky to have such a resilient community. Our economy and our community has really rallied and recovery is everywhere. We have an incredibly vibrant economy and community right now, looking forward to welcoming guests here to watch PGA Tour golf.”
When a portal opened to accept volunteer registration in April, more than 650 people signed up within the first two days. Now, the volunteer list exceeds 1,100 names from 37 states.
“Every time we’ve asked the Asheville community to jump, the answer has always been how high.” – Nate Goldsnider
More than 20 local and state vendors are involved in the event including several representatives of Asheville’s renowned craft brewing culture, including Wicked Weed, Green Man and Highland Brewing.
“Every time we’ve asked the Asheville community to jump, the answer has always been how high,” Goldsnider said.
“We are over the moon with the support.”
The tournament will be played at the Jack Nicklaus-designed Walnut Cove course, part of a high-end community less than 20 minutes from the heart of Asheville. It is one of seven courses in The Cliffs portfolio based in western North and South Carolina.
Tucked close to the Blue Ridge Parkway and the French Broad River, the course plays through a valley, lacking the big elevation changes common to many mountain layouts while offering panoramic views of the surrounding Blue Ridge Mountains.
“It’s not a one-hit wonder. This is a commitment through at least 2029 and we hope long after that,” Isley said.
“We anticipate there will be in excess of $10 million in direct spending for area businesses the first year. That means a lot for businesses that have really fought hard to come through this and it’s coming through in September, just before our fall leaf-peeping season and the holiday season with Biltmore and the Grove Park Inn.”