SAS Championship Returns with Family-Friendly Events and Community Impact

CARY, N.C., Oct. 5, 2026 /CourierPR/ -- The 2026 SAS Championship takes center stage Oct. 12-18 as the long-running tournament returns to Prestonwood Country Club in Cary, North Carolina. For more than 25 years, the SAS Championship has brought golf legends, fans, and community partners together, celebrating sport, technology, education, and community impact.

This year, the tournament will feature a variety of programs that extend its purpose beyond the course. On Friday, Oct. 16, from 4 to 7:30 p.m., the family-friendly Fairway to Fun event will once again bring together families, students, and fans. The event will include an AI experience zone with hands-on activities and giveaways, and every family that completes the course will receive a free one-week YMCA membership pass. A selection of local food vendors will be on site, and the event will conclude with a fireworks display.

New to the 2026 SAS Championship is the Fairway Forecast, a mobile web application developed by SAS. Powered by SAS analytics and AI, the experience provides player insights, tournament trends, and an interactive chat feature that allows fans to explore competition data in real time. Visitors can track live results, explore the SAS Index, a proprietary analytics rating that measures projected player competitiveness, and make predictions on holes 17 and 18 to compete for prizes and leaderboard recognition.

The SAS Championship is more than a signature golf event; it reflects the company's long-standing role as a business and community partner in Cary and across the Triangle. This year, the tournament will again focus on the YMCA Annual Campaign, helping to fund their STEM programs. For decades, SAS has supported the Triangle community, investing in students, families, and future leaders.

Among the highlights of championship week is the return of Fairway to Fun, which extends the tournament's community impact into an evening built for families, students, and fans. The event will feature an AI experience zone with hands-on activities and giveaways, and every family that completes the course will receive a free one-week YMCA membership pass. Local food vendors, including BareBakedPizza, Big Mike's BBQ, BO's Kitchen, Cousins Maine Lobster, Holy Fries, MoMoMandu, and Two Roosters, will be on site, and the event will conclude with a fireworks display.

The 2026 SAS Championship will also include the HBCU Invitational, now in its fifth year, which welcomes 15 teams from 12 historically Black colleges and universities competing for $30,000 in honoraria from SAS for their golf programs. Students will also attend a Career Day on Oct. 16th at SAS headquarters in Cary for networking, mentorship, and career exploration.

Additionally, the Women's Day event, now in its 13th year, will offer inspiring sessions on health, mindset, and leadership under the theme "Redefining Luck." The program will explore how today's women leaders are navigating change, embracing risk, and creating their own paths forward.

Folds of Honor Friday will be a moving tribute to service members and first responders, featuring ceremonies, patriotic displays, and 13 scholarships awarded to local students. SAS will also contribute $30,000 to Folds of Honor to fund life-changing scholarships for families of America's fallen or disabled service members and first responders.

The YMCA of the Triangle, a 501(c)(3) charity and one of the region's largest and most trusted community-based organizations, serves Raleigh, Durham, Cary, and surrounding communities since 1857. Each year, more than 235,000 people connect with the Y through 19 branches, three overnight camps, and hundreds of program sites. Supported by more than $10.9 million in philanthropic giving, the Y helped more than 28,000 people in 2025 with access to programs and services that advance its vision of a community where everyone is healthier, every child and teen is resilient, and no one feels alone.

For more than 50 years, SAS has been a global leader in data and AI, helping organizations make confident decisions with AI they can trust. As SAS celebrates its 50th anniversary, the Championship continues to bring people together around golf, community, and the power of innovation. For decades, the tournament has reflected SAS' commitment to the Triangle, not only as a global data and AI company headquartered here, but as a dedicated community partner investing in students, families, and future leaders.