$65 million for sporting events in North Carolina? State Senate signs off on plan

State lawmakers want to spend tens of millions of taxpayer dollars on sporting events already scheduled in North Carolina, either to keep them in the state or to boost their preparations.

The state Senate on Tuesday voted to approve a newly rewritten version of House Bill 268, which details how the money would be spent. The wide-ranging bill contained dozens of changes to various parts of state law and went through with little debate, and none on the sporting money. The chamber is expected to hold a final vote on the bill Wednesday before sending it back to the House.

The bill sets aside up to $40 million, spread over four years, to keep a longtime golf tournament in Greensboro and among the top PGA Tour events. There’s also up to $25 million available for organizers of the World Military Games, to be held in Charlotte next summer.

The bill also earmarks $250,000 for the Samantha and Kyle Busch Bundle of Joy Fund, a nonprofit that supports couples struggling with infertility by helping them pay for expensive IVF treatments. Busch, a popular NASCAR driver, died in May at age 41 as he was preparing to race in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

PGA in Greensboro

Greensboro has hosted a golf event on the PGA Tour since 1938, first as the Greater Greensboro Open and now the Wyndham Championship. Winners of the event include golfing legends Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson, Gary Player, Seve Ballesteros and Sam Snead, who won the event a record eight times.

The $40 million proposed by lawmakers aims to keep the event on the PGA Tour’s top level.

The PGA Tour is planning massive changes to its structure for the 2028 season, creating an upper-tier tour, called a Championship Series, for the top 120 or so players and a lower-tier tour called a Challenger Series. There are expected to be about 24 events on the Championship Series, including major championships, playoff events and the Players Championship.

That leaves about 15 spots for regular tour events. There were more than 40 PGA Tour events this season. The PGA Tour is looking to add more events in major cities as part of its changes, which could threaten Greensboro’s status on the main tour. But North Carolina lawmakers want to make sure the longtime event stays on the top tier.

The bill would give the money to organizers if the PGA Tour signs an agreement to play a Championship Series event in Greensboro each year from 2028 to 2031, allocating $10 million in 2026-27 with the intention of providing $10 million in each of the next three years.

This year’s Wyndham Championship will be played Aug. 6-9 at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro. It is the final event of the PGA Tour’s regular season.

North Carolina hosted or will host three PGA Tour events in 2026: The Truist Championship in Charlotte in May, the Wyndham Championship and the Biltmore Championship Asheville in early September, which is part of the seven-event fall series.

Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, said Tuesday that he considered the money to be more about economic development.

Military World Games

The bill also would provide $7.5 million to UNC-Charlotte to prepare for the Military World Games. And if organizers can show they’ve gotten at least 50 nations to compete in 2027, including at least 7,500 participants, the state would put another $17.5 million toward the games.

The contest hasn’t been held since 2019 when the games were in Wuhan, China. Organizers say the 2027 event would be their 8th contest, the first ever held inside the U.S. The event is expected to feature thousands of competitors from 142 nations.

The event is expected to include general athletic contests such as basketball and swimming as well as more militaristic events such as shooting, parachuting and pentathlon.

They’d be held on campus at UNC-Charlotte, the U.S. National Whitewater Center, the Mecklenburg County Sportsplex and other local facilities.