ONEflight International, a co-title sponsor of the PGA Tour’s ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic, is in the midst of a financial crisis.
The private aviation company headquartered in Denver has suspended operations for at least 30 days, according to a message posted on its website on Sept. 16.
The statement reads:
“Effective immediately, ONEflight is pausing all flight activity for the next 30 days, or until further notice, while we conduct a comprehensive evaluation of our current operations and status.”
The fourth ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic is scheduled to be played next May 13-16 at The Dunes Golf and Beach Club.
PGA Tour vice president of tournament business affairs Kelly Jensen said Monday the 2027 tournament will be played as scheduled regardless of ONEflight’s plight.
“The PGA Tour is committed to coming back to Myrtle Beach in May of next year, so we’ll be here,” Jensen said.
No representatives of ONEflight were present for this year’s tournament charity check presentation on Monday at The Dunes Club.
Uncertain future
The inaugural four-year contract between the tour and co-title sponsors ONEflight and the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce expires following the 2027 tournament, and no extension or renewal has been signed.
Tournament representatives are in talks with PGA Tour officials about an extension and a decision should be made sometime in January.
Myrtle Beach Classic executive chairman Tracy Conner, the former interim chamber president who assists the tournament in securing sponsorships, said in May that tournament organizers are planning to meet with PGA Tour officials in November to begin earnest discussions about continuing to host an event in 2028 and beyond.
Conner echoed Jensen’s affirmation that the 2027 tournament will be held. “The tournament will go on with or without [ONEflight],” he said Tuesday, adding that it’s “too premature” to determine if another significant sponsor will be sought.
ONEflight was added as a co-title sponsor, joining the chamber, which is a sponsor through its Visit Myrtle Beach marketing arm, following the initial event in 2024.
It figured to be the lynchpin to the tournament’s possible existence in 2028 and beyond, and ONEflight CEO and founder Ferren Rajput said in May following the 2026 tournament that he was committed to continuing the event.
“I’m going to take it as far as I can go, 100 percent,” Rajput said. “My objective is to have my own week. Hopefully the kind of attention we’re bringing to the Myrtle Beach Classic is able to give us our own week down the road. I believe the Myrtle Beach Classic will continue.”
It will again be an opposite field event in 2027 with an estimated $4 million purse, which sponsors are generally required to cover. It is being played simultaneously with the $20 million Truist Championship in Charlotte, N.C., which features the top 70 or so players on the PGA Tour.
The tour is reorganizing the structure of its tournaments in 2028 and beyond, and will feature a Championship Series and a Challenger Series, according to PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp.
The Myrtle Beach Classic would likely fit into the Challenger Series, which will feature purses of at least $4 million – the purse for Myrtle Beach in each of its first three years – or a series of fall events.
ONEflight was responsible for celebrity participation in the Myrtle Beach Classic’s Wednesday pro-am.
It leveraged its business connections to bring stars including actors Kevin Costner, Kurt Russell, Rob Riggle, Greg Kinnear and Jennie Garth, Formula 1 racecar driver Lando Norris, tennis legend John McEnroe, retired baseball player Nick Swisher, Shark Tank’s Robert Herjavec, and sports broadcaster Melissa Stark.
Business woes
ONEflight generally operates as a charter flight broker that sells prepaid jet cards and private flight hours to clients, and pays third-party jet charter operators to fly its clients.
Forbes magazine and other news outlets have reported ONEflight has millions of dollars in customer funds for future flights that are at risk if the company dissolves or files bankruptcy. At least three clients have recently filed lawsuits against ONEflight.
Myrtle Beach Classic 2026 winner Brandt Snedeker received a bonus of a $250,000 ONEflight flight credit, according to Rajput, while the other 75 players who made the cut all received $5,000 flight credits.
The Denver Business Journal reported that Formula 1 racing team McLaren has suspended its multiyear sponsorship deal with ONEflight, and that the aviation company missed payroll payments to employees as of late last week.
The tournament’s other primary sponsors are the Golf Tourism Solutions marketing, technology and events operation agency that promotes the Myrtle Beach market, in partnership with the Myrtle Beach Area Golf Course Owners Association; and the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism.
“Visit Myrtle Beach is excited to continue its sponsorship of the tournament in 2027 and looks forward to working with the PGA Tour, Dunes Golf and Beach Club, SportFive and the local community to build upon the success the event brings to our region,” said Visit Myrtle Beach president Stuart Butler.
SCPRT director Duane Parrish said his agency has contributed $250,000 annually to the Myrtle Beach Classic, but would consider contributing more in the future with legislative approval.
Jack Milko, national communications and public relations manager for SportFive, the sports marketing and events agency that operates the tournament, said Monday he wasn’t in a position to comment on ONEflight’s status with the tournament.
Both Milko and Jensen referred any questions regarding ONEflight’s financial stability and participation in the tournament to the company, which has been silent in the media since its Sept. 16 announcement.
Forbes said ONEflight’s situation is similar to previous failures in the private jet industry over the past decade, as companies including JetSuite, Jet It, AeroVanti, Zetta Jet, Imagine Air and Verijet left customers and vendors with significant losses after closures or bankruptcy filings.
Additionally, Forbes reported that Wheels Up had $692 million in jet card deposits when it was likely saved from filing bankruptcy in 2023 with a $500 million investment by a group headed by Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian.
Executive change
The Myrtle Beach Classic is also undergoing a leadership change, as the tournament is expected to soon have a new tournament director.
Darren Nelson, who has been the tournament director since the tournament’s inception, is no longer in the role.
He is apparently no longer with SportFive, as his LinkedIn profile has an ‘Open to Work’ banner and end date with the company listed as August. Nelson did not respond to a text message Tuesday afternoon seeking comment.
“There is a transition in place,” Milko said. “An announcement will be forthcoming.”
