Getty Kelly Kraft puts on the18th green during round three of A Military Tribute At The Greenbrier held at the Old White TPC course on July 7, 2018 in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.
The PGA Tour is making a stop this week in West Virginia for A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier. The winner of the event will take home $1.314 million in prize money from a purse of $7.3 million. The prize money increased a bit this year, as Xander Schauffele won $1.278 million in 2017.
The Old White TPC in White Sulphur Springs at The Greenbrier is host to the tournament, which has previously been known as The Greenbrier Classic and has been a PGA Tour event since 2010. It was renamed for this year’s tournament to honor the U.S. military’s history at The Greenbrier site, according to the Charleston Gazette-Mail.
“The entire tournament will be dedicated to the military, veterans and active military as well,” West Virginia Governor Jim Justice said in June, according to the Gazette-Mail. “It’s been in the making a long time. I don’t think there’s any place that has a military history like The Greenbrier that would be more suited to have an event that would be a tribute to the military.”
The Greenbrier was taken over by the military from 1942 to 1946 during World War II to be used as a hospital. It also housed a now-decommissioned secret government fallout shelter that would have been used for member of Congress. Active-duty military personnel and veterans are able to enter the tournament for free.
The tournament was started in 2010 and has been played every year since, except for when it cancelled in 2016 because of the effects of severe flooding. Along with Schauffele, the tournament has been won by Danny Lee, Angel Cabrera, Jonas Blixt, Ted Potter Jr., Scott Stallings and Stuart Appleby.
After three rounds Harold Varner and Kelly Kraft were tied for the lead at this year’s tournament at 14-under after three rounds, according to PGATour.com. Schauffele, the defending champion, and Kevin Na were tied at 13-under. The tournament has a history of close finishes, as it has been decided by two or fewer strokes every year it has been played, according to the PGA Tour website. It has ended with a playoff three times.
“I’m pretty hungry,” Varner told PGATour.com after the third round. “I’m ready to see what happens. This is what you work for. This is what I get so pumped up to do. … You know, if I shoot 90 tomorrow, I’m going to be able to go home and my mom is going to give me a kiss and say, You’re still a winner. I’m going to be mad, but that’s just how it is. And then if I win, she’s going to humble me and be like, You’re not better than me, and I thoroughly enjoy that. I’m going to mow my parents’ grass on Monday, so that’s just what I’m going to do.”
Kraft told the Bluefield Daily Telegraph, “I’m just going to stay patient tomorrow. I hit a lot of good shots today. The greens got really kind of crusty and hard out there, different than the first couple days and especially on the back nine.”
Here is what the top 50 will be paid this year:
A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier Purse 2018
| PLACE | PRIZE MONEY |
| 1st | $1,314,000 |
| 2nd | $788,400 |
| 3rd | $496,400 |
| 4th | $350,400 |
| 5th | $292,000 |
| 6th | $262,800 |
| 7th | $244,550 |
| 8th | $226,300 |
| 9th | $211,700 |
| 10th | $197,100 |
| 11th | $182,500 |
| 12th | $167,900 |
| 13th | $153,300 |
| 14th | $138,700 |
| 15th | $131,400 |
| 16th | $124,100 |
| 17th | $116,800 |
| 18th | $109,500 |
| 19th | $102,200 |
| 20th | $94,900 |
| 21st | $87,600 |
| 22nd | $81,760 |
| 23rd | $75,920 |
| 24th | $70,080 |
| 25th | $64,240 |
| 26th | $58,400 |
| 27th | $56,210 |
| 28th | $54,020 |
| 29th | $51,830 |
| 30th | $49,640 |
| 31st | $47,450 |
| 32nd | $45,260 |
| 33rd | $43,070 |
| 34th | $41,245 |
| 35th | $39,420 |
| 36th | $37,595 |
| 37th | $35,770 |
| 38th | $34,310 |
| 39th | $32,850 |
| 40th | $31,390 |
| 41st | $29,930 |
| 42nd | $28,470 |
| 43rd | $27,010 |
| 44th | $25,550 |
| 45th | $24,090 |
| 46th | $22,630 |
| 47th | $21,170 |
| 48th | $20,002 |
| 49th | $18,980 |
| 50th | $18,396 |
