The 2014 Forrest Wood Cup on Lake Murray in Columbia, S.C., was recently named the 2015 Champion of Economic Impact in Sports Tourism for the mid- to large market category by Sports Destination Management magazine.

Recognized in the magazine’s November/December 2015 issue and online at sportsdestinations.com, the 2014 Cup was hosted by Capital City/Lake Murray Country Regional Tourism Board.

Sports Destination Management cited total economic impact of the Cup as $25,754,745, and attributed more than 9,900 total room nights to the tournament and accompanying expo.

The runner-up event in the mid- to large market category was the USSSA Fastpitch Eastern World Series conducted by the Mid-Atlantic Amateur Sports Alliance and Maryland Sports/TEAM Maryland in Salisbury/Ocean City, Md., with $19,885,037 in total economic impact.

Finishing third was the 2015 Bassmaster Classic on Lake Hartwell with more than $17,000,000 in economic impact. That event was hosted by Visit Greenville, S.C., and Visit Anderson.

Nominations for the award came from a variety of team and individual sports, across all disciplines and all levels of play.

Sports Destination Management is written for sports event managers and tournament directors with a focus on the important issues surrounding event location decisions and event management. Learn more about the Champion of Economic Impact in Sports Tourism award by clicking here.