The tournament began in 1938 and was played at City Park Golf Course; the winner was Harry Cooper.
The tournament has been played annually since 1958.
New Orleans is the 11th-oldest host city on the PGA TOUR.
TPC Louisiana is the fourth venue to host the New Orleans Classic. Past courses include City Park Golf Course, Lakewood Country Club, and English Turn Golf and Country Club. Past winners include Billy Casper, Byron Nelson, Jack Nicklaus, Davis Love III, David Toms, and Vijay Singh.
First National Bank of Commerce (FNBC) was the tournament’s first corporate sponsor in 1975.
The Classic’s second corporate sponsor, USF&G Insurance, dedicated 10 years of sponsorship, which helped the Classic become a major event on the PGA TOUR.
The tournament’s new title sponsor, Zurich Financial Services, is an insurance-based financial service provider with a global network that focuses its activities on its key markets in North America and Europe.
In the last five years, the Fore!Kids Foundation, the Classic’s host organization, has raised more than $5 million to help local children in need.
The Zurich Classic generates more than $25 million annually for the local economy.
The Zurich Classic provides an additional $16 million annually in national television exposure.
Over the four days of television coverage, the tournament is seen around the world in 114 countries.
The 2005 purse reached $5.5 million.
In 2005, the tournament had more than 40 charity recipients.
In 2006, The Zurich Classic was the 1st nationally televised sporting event after Hurricane Katrina. Many players committed their earnings from the tournament to Hurricane relief.
The purse reached $6.0 million in 2006 and $6.1 million in 2007.
Zurich Financial Services showed their support of New Orleans and the tournament when they renewed their contract as title sponsor for an additional two years, bringing them through 2010.
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