Rex Hospital Open Renames Media Cup Trophy to Honor Jim Connors
Media Teams to Compete for Cup Named after TWC News North Carolina’s Late Sports Director
RALEIGH, N.C. -- The Rex Hospital Open, part of the Web.com Tour, is proud to announce that the annual Media Day Golf Challenge trophy has been renamed to honor Jim Connors, the highly regarded sports anchor and Raleigh sports director for Time Warner Cable News North Carolina (TWC News North Carolina) who passed away unexpectedly last November.
On Wednesday, April 13, local media teams will compete at TPC Wakefield Plantation for the Jim Connors Memorial Media Cup. Connors, an award-winning journalist who had a passion for North Carolina sports, was an avid golfer, and regularly covered the Rex Hospital Open.
Connors anchored sportscasts in Winston-Salem and New Bern as well as Bluefield, W. Va., and Billings, Mont., before joining Time Warner Cable News in 2002. He was part of the team who helped start News 14 Carolina.
The Media Day Golf Challenge is held to preview the upcoming Web.com Tour’s Rex Hospital Open, taking place May 9-15 at TPC Wakefield Plantation. The annual Media Day Golf Challenge allows media to familiarize themselves with the tournament, golfers and charitable focus of the Rex Hospital Open before the event, while also providing the opportunity for a fun round of golf and competition.
Connors’ wife Kim is scheduled to attend and his son Brice plans to share a few remarks about his father and compete on the TWC News North Carolina team.
“As we began planning this year’s Rex Hospital Open and Media Day, we recognized the loss we felt knowing that Jim Connors would not be with us,” said Rex Hospital Open Tournament Director Brian Krusoe. “We chose to rename the Media Cup to honor his legacy for excellent sports reporting. Jim was a gentleman and a pro.”
"Jim Connors set the bar high for himself every day and his dedication to the job greatly benefitted our viewers,” said Rick Willis, News Director TWC News Raleigh. “We are touched by UNC REX’s decision to recognize Jim's work by naming the media trophy in his memory."
Professional golfers from around the world travel to TPC Wakefield Plantation every year to participate in the Web.com Tour’s Rex Hospital Open, and vie for their coveted PGA TOUR card. The tournament’s charitable efforts, coupled with its family and fan-friendly environment, attract thousands of golf fans each spring. Rex charity golf has raised more than $9 million for patients, programs and services at UNC REX Healthcare. Funds raised this year will support the new North Carolina Heart & Vascular Hospital, an eight-story, 114-bed tower under construction at UNC REX’s main Raleigh campus.
