VGA Champ Kautzmann receives exemption into 2020 A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier

VGA Champ Kautzmann receives exemption into 2020 A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier

WHITE SULPHUR SPRING, W.Va. — (October 31, 2019): A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier announced Thursday that it is extending an exemption to Veteran Golfers Association champion Colter Kautzmann to participate in the 2020 PGA TOUR stop at The Greenbrier.

Kautzmann, 35, won the 36-hole VGA Championship— which was contested on The Greenbrier’s Meadows course on Tuesday and The Old White TPC, the host course for A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier, on Wednesday — with an even-par score of 140 over the two days. He learned at Wednesday night’s champions dinner that the victory also came with an opportunity to tee it up with the best golfers in the world September 7-13, 2020.

“I’m extremely excited and appreciative,” said Kautzmann, a Montana native, who played collegiate golf at the University of Idaho before serving as a Medevac pilot in the U.S. Army. “It’s a dream come true, and I can’t wait.”

Now in its fifth year, the Veteran Golfers Association is dedicated to enriching the lives of veterans and their families through the sportsmanship and camaraderie of golf. The organization hosts more than 350 tournaments around the country each year, and players earn points toward qualification in one of four regional qualifiers. Twenty golfers from each regional qualify for the national championship, which picks a new location to hold its championship each year.

The 2018 national championship was held at the Olympic Club in San Francisco, and the 2020 national championship will be held at Trump National Doral in Miami.

This year, The Greenbrier served as the host on its legendary courses, and 96 players competed in four different divisions — men’s veterans, women’s veterans, wounded veterans and family. Along with Kautzmann’s victory in the men’s veteran division other winners included Anthony Bilich (wounded veterans), Laurel Gill (female veterans) and Adam Columbia (family).

Each of these winners will take part in the Monday round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February, and all flight winners will take part in Tuesday for the Troops at the Masters in April

Kautzmann, though, received the biggest prize of them all, with the exemption into the first event of the 2020-21 PGA TOUR season.

“We’re extremely proud to welcome Colter Kautzmann to the field for A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier next September,” said Robert Harris, Executive Tournament Director, A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier. “Our tournament motto is ‘honoring and serving those who serve us,’ and Colter, like all of the players at the VGA national championship, has served all of us. He has proven himself on The Old White TPC, and it will be our incredible honor to have him back competing with our defending champion, Joaquin Niemann, and the other professionals.”

Kautzmann now lives in Dallas with his wife Sara and their daughter, Preslee. He lost his mother, Cassie, to a rare form of cancer in 2016. His father Duey, a retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel, was at The Greenbrier to see Colter’s win on Wednesday. 

For more information on the Veteran Golfers Association, visit vgagolf.org. To learn more about The Greenbrier, visit Greenbrier.com. 

About A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier

A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier, formerly The Greenbrier Classic, is an annual PGA TOUR event that began in 2010 on the historic Old White TPC Course on the grounds of The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va. One of the most popular family events on the PGA TOUR, the tournament has drawn top-level golfers including Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Jordan Spieth, Tom Watson, Nick Faldo, Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas, Sergio Garcia, Bubba Watson and many others to the famed grounds of The Greenbrier’s 11,000-acre playground. Past champions include Stuart Appleby, Scott Stallings, Ted Potter Jr., Jonas Blixt, Angel Cabrera, Danny Lee, Xander Schauffele, Kevin Na and Joquin Niemann. The event is carried live on Golf Channel Thursday through Sunday. Follow A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier on Facebook A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier, on Twitter @GBRMilitary or on Instagram at amilitarytribute.

About The Greenbrier

The Greenbrier is a luxury mountain resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. With a history dating back to 1778, the 710 perfectly appointed Signature Resort Rooms, Classic and Historic Suites, Legacy Cottages and Estate Homes are situated on The Greenbrier’s breathtaking 11,000-acre playground. Play championship golf courses or experience more than 55 activities. America’s only private casino features table games, slot machines and FanDuel Sportsbook. The Greenbrier’s full-service mineral spa is widely recognized as one of the most luxurious in the world, and the Retail Collection is comprised of 36 boutiques, shops and hand-crafted works of art. The Greenbrier Restaurant Collection includes 20 restaurants, cafés and lounges. The Greenbrier Clinic has been practicing diagnostic medicine since 1948, and The Greenbrier Sporting Club is the pinnacle of luxury real estate. Follow The Greenbrier on Facebook at The Greenbrier, on Twitter at @the_greenbrier or on Instagram at the_greenbrier.