Grasslands Club set to host the Tennessee State Open for the second-straight year
GALLATIN, Tenn. — The 2026 Tennessee State Open will kick off at the Grasslands Club’s Fairvue Course on July 15, returning to the Gallatin staple for the second consecutive year. At last year’s championship, Harrison Ott was crowned 2025’s champion on the Foxland Course. Although the championship will be contested on a different set of 18 holes this time around, the Curtis Person Sr. Trophy remains the ultimate prize.
Formerly known as The Club at Fairvue Plantation, the Fairvue Course is a gradually challenging set of 18 holes, with the championship tees set to play as a par-72 at around 7,116 yards. Designed by Bill Bergin, the course was finished in 2004 and carries a rating of 74.1. During the State Open, the nines will be flipped, with the traditional ninth hole that finishes in front of the clubhouse serving as the 18th.
Ott will return to the Grasslands club to attempt a two-peat, but the road to victory won’t be easy. Four other champions are also attempting a second State Open title: Brad Hawkins (2022), Nolan Ray (2021), Jonathan Hodge (2017) and Jason Millard (2016), the latter having won the title the last time the championship was hosted on the Fairvue Course. The last State Open Champion to win two in a row was Andrew Pratt in 2005 — those two championships were also hosted by the same club, taking place at Nashville Golf & Athletic Club in Brentwood. Only five golfers have ever won two or more consecutive State Open Championships — a feat first achieved by Pat Abbott in 1955.
The 2026 Tennessee State Open will be the 16th TGA event hosted at Grasslands Club since the venue became a TGA championship host in 2010, when it hosted the Tennessee State Amateur Championship on the current Foxland Course.
Notable Players:
Brad Hawkins (Maynardville): Brad Hawkins returns to the State Open seeking to hold the Curtis Person, Sr. Trophy for the second time after etching his name on the cup in 2022. Earlier this year, Hawkins notched a win and a third-place finish in two Tennessee PGA events.
Nolan Ray (Spring Hill): The 2021 State Open Champion returns to Gallatin looking to add more hardware to his collection. Ray is also the 2019 State Amateur champion, and has some momentum from his 3rd place finish at last year’s State Open contest. The Spring Hill native will be looking to keep climbing the podium at the Fairvue Course this week.
Jonathan Hodge (Jefferson City): After winning the State Open in 2017 at Foxland Harbor Golf & Country Club, Jonathan Hodge will look to win a second time just down the street at the Fairvue Course. The 2017 champion returns to the field for the first time since 2023.
Jason Millard (Murfreesboro): The 2016 State Open Champion has been busy so far in 2026. Jason Millard has finished in the quarterfinals at the Four-Ball Championship, the Round of 32 in the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball and won the amateur division of the Kids Play Free Pro-Am. The Murfreesboro native sits at T15 in the Tennessee Player of the Year standings and T8 on the Tennessee Amateur Cup Team Leaderboard.
Griffin Law (Chattanooga): Griffin Law comes to Gallatin after most recently finishing tied for 9th at the Tennessee State Amateur Championship at Memphis Country Club, propelling him to T20 in the Tennessee Player of the Year Standings. After finishing 10th in the State Open last year, Law is ready to keep moving up the leaderboard.
Braxton Head (Murfreesboro): Braxton Head makes the short trip to Gallatin looking to win his second TGA event of the year, having won the 2026 Junior Amateur Championship at Westhaven Golf Club. The 17-year-old currently sits tied for the last spot on the podium on the Junior Player of the Year leaderboard.
Walker Webb (Brentwood): Walker Webb has been lighting up the course in 2026. The Iowa State commit is currently 2nd in the Junior Player of the Year Rankings, having most recently finished T13 in the Tennessee State Amateur and 3rd at the Tennessee Junior Amateur Championship. Webb was also 3rd in the TPGA Junior and a local U.S. Open qualifier.
Brad Burling (Knoxville): Brad Burling’s five qualifying tournaments in 2026 have put him at 7th place in the Tennessee Player of the Year standings and 4th on the Amateur Cup Team leaderboard. The Knoxville native won the Shine Co Pro-Am, finished 4th in the Knox County Amateur and finished tied for 6th in this year’s Tennessee Mid-Am Four-Ball Championship. Burling has also notched a top-10 finish in the Kids Play Free Pro-Am and a top-20 finish in the Tennessee State Amateur Championship.
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