ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — With less than a month to go before the Biltmore Championship Asheville, tournament officials and co-sponsors of the PGA event held a media day on Aug. 19, unveiling the championship trophy at The Cliffs at Walnut Cove.

Officials also shared photos of the trophy at the golf course, the Biltmore Estate and other places around Asheville. The Cliffs at Walnut Cove will host the tournament, which is the first PGA event held in Asheville in 80 years, on Sept. 17-20.

Tournament Director Nate Goldsnider gave all the credit for the tournament being in Asheville to Vic Isley, the president and CEO of Explore Asheville and the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority.

“A lot of credit goes to Vic Isley. She has past experience with the PGA TOUR when she was in Bermuda. She understood the impact of a PGA TOUR event. It was her brainchild that got us to a point to where the announcement was made last November,” Goldsnider told News 13.

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Isley also made comments at the event, telling media how excited the community was to have the PGA back in Asheville for the first time in eight decades.

“After more than 80 years, the PGA TOUR is back in Asheville and Buncombe County,” said Vic Isley, president and CEO of Explore Asheville and the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority. “That means more than 100 players, thousands of spectators, millions of dollars in direct spending for area businesses and hours of national television shining a light on the Asheville area. There is no better introduction to the Blue Ridge Mountains than early fall, when the color is just starting to come down the ridgelines.”

Co-sponsors of the event are Explore Asheville and Biltmore.

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Officials provided details on different aspects of the tournament. Those are listed below:

THE TROPHY

The championship trophy features more than five pounds of silver with gold accents incorporated into the stem and nameplate. It is mounted on a black walnut base crafted from a tree on Biltmore Estate that was felled during Hurricane Helene. The base was assembled by the Biltmore Carpenter team and mirrors the distinctive edge details found throughout Biltmore House. Designed by Aubrey Cecil Baliles, founder of Avermore and great-great-granddaughter of George and Edith Vanderbilt, and created in partnership with Biltmore, Explore Asheville, Avermore and Marthaler Jewelers, the trophy also features an engraved ridgeline depicting the mountainscape from Mount Pisgah to Mount Mitchell and dogwood blossoms, North Carolina’s state flower.

A LOCAL FLAVOR

Tournament officials highlighted several local food and beverage partners that will be featured throughout tournament week, including Poppy’s Handcrafted Popcorn, Devil’s Foot Distillery, Friend of the Devil, Biltmore Wine and Wicked Weed Brewing. Fans will also be able to enjoy local favorites such as Bear’s Smokehouse BBQ, The Outpost and The Hop Ice Cream. The championship will also introduce the Asheville Beer Hall, showcasing breweries from across the region, including Wicked Weed Brewing, Highland Brewing, Burial Beer and Green Man Brewery. Across the championship’s hospitality venues, guests will experience products from local partners including Hickory Nut Gap Farms, Biltmore Estate, Joyce Farms, Dynamite Coffee, Asheville Tea Company, Lusty Monk Mustard and Sorrell Trout Farm.

TOURNAMENT OPERATIONS

Tournament officials also provided an overview of preparations underway ahead of championship week. Originally planned with 20 hospitality venues, the tournament’s footprint has more than doubled to 48 hospitality spaces to accommodate demand. Preparations include the construction of more than 21,500 square feet of hospitality and event infrastructure, installation of more than 8,000 feet of fencing and deployment of more than 250 golf carts throughout tournament week.

VOLUNTEERS

Organizers also highlighted continued growth in the championship’s volunteer program. More than 1,130 volunteers representing 27 states have registered to support tournament operations. Volunteer registration exceeded 650 individuals within 32 hours of opening, and volunteers range in age from 13 to 87 years old.

MORE INFORMATION

To learn more about the Biltmore Championship Asheville, visit: https://www.biltmorechampionship.com/