Posted by Robert Taylor
Tickets are now on sale for the inaugural ClubCorp Classic presented by Choctaw Casinos & Resorts, April 19-24 at Las Colinas Country Club.
The unique format pairing PGA TOUR Champions – the world’s best golfers 50 and older – with sports and entertainment stars is two tournaments within one, promising a memorable event with celebrity sightings, a week of special activities and great golf.
Tickets for the competitive rounds, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, April 22, 23 and 24 are available online at https://clubcorpclassic.com/tickets/ with prices ranging from $35 for a single-day ticket to $75 for a 3-day grounds pass.
Shining stars of a regional flavor include longtime Cowboys favorites Tony Romo, Emmitt Smith and DeMarcus Ware, as well as Hall of Famers Pudge Rodriguez of Texas Rangers fame, and area resident and NFL star receiver Tim Brown. The lineup of 50 celebrities also features current NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers, and golf superstar Annika Sorenstam, NBA legend Ray Allen and NFL Hall of Fame linebacker Brian Urlacher. Entertainers include Larry the Cable Guy, Alfonso Ribeiro, Anthony Anderson, and Brian Baumgartner.
Top names and major winners from the PGA TOUR Champions include Vijay Singh, a three- time majors winner including a Masters and two PGA Championships among his 34 Tour wins, as well as four PGA TOUR Champions events; John Daly, with two majors, the PGA Championship and The British Open; Mark Calcavecchia, a British Open win, 13 PGA Tour and four TOUR Champions victories; and Colin Montgomerie, one of the top European players in history with a record eight European Tour Order of Merit titles, including a streak of seven consecutively. And 42 worldwide victories.
“The great part of this event is that professional players and the celebrities are having fun with it,” said DeMarcus Ware, former Dallas Cowboys superstar. “People can come out, interact with the celebrities and see some of the best Champions golfers in history. Plus, we’re raising money for the Momentous Institute, which helps youth.”
Large galleries are expected for professional golf’s return to Irving for the first time since the AT&T Byron Nelson Championship finished its 35-year run in 2017.
“Spectators will have a chance to see sports celebrities competing in a totally different realm,” said John Smoltz, Hall of Fame pitcher and Fox Sports color commentator. “When you get a chance to play with great players, there’s nothing better to advance your game. And comfort zones are really great when you play in your own sport, but I’d rather throw a 3-2 slider with the bases loaded to Barry Bonds than hit a 50-yard chip shot out of the sand.”
Setting the stage for an unforgettable week of live sports and entertainment is the ClubCorp Classic Kickoff Concert starring country superstar Cole Swindell at The Pavilion at the Toyota Music Factory, Tuesday, April 19, at 8 p.m. CST. Swindell boasts 10 career No. 1 hits and will be performing coming off his “Down To The Bar Tour.”
Opening is Dee Jay Silver. Tickets range from $34.50 to $64 and are available at: https://concerts.livenation.com/event/0C005C440185611B
Premium tournament hospitality options for the golf tournament are also available online, while sponsorship package information for Pro-Am golf, concert and special events is available at www.clubcorpclassic.com/sponsorship.
The tournament will benefit two children’s non-profit organizations, Momentous Institute, and the First Tee Greater Dallas and First Tee Fort Worth.
“While I’ve played in a number of the celebrity events, I’m not that good but I am competitive,” said Pudge Rodriguez, the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame catcher. “It’s always a good time but what makes it special is how the tournament helps non-profits.”
Tournament competition includes PGA TOUR Champions professionals in 54 holes of stroke play for a purse of $2 million, along with the celebrities playing for a separate, $500,000 purse under a modified Stableford scoring format. The ClubCorp Classic will be televised live all three days on GOLF Channel, the exclusive cable-television partner of PGA TOUR Champions.
A group of amateur ClubCorp members will compete in a qualifying system to earn a tournament playing spot with the TOUR pros and celebrities.
With its status as the leader in the private Golf Club industry, ClubCorp embraces its role as a leading lifestyle company bringing people together through extraordinary experiences, impeccable service and opportunities to build meaningful relationships. The recent re-imagination of Las Colinas Country Club as a premier golf and country club showcases the company’s commitment to delivering exceptional experiences across its unmatched portfolio.
The ClubCorp Classic is operated by Mike Flaskey Entertainment. Flaskey, the founder and tournament executive director, is the former president and CEO of Diamond Resorts International and has extensive experience conceiving and overseeing top-tier golf events with both the LPGA Tour and PGA TOUR Champions, plus All-Stars and Hall of Famers from NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL teams.
