By Robert Taylor
PGA TOUR Champions and ClubCorp officials today announced the debut of an exciting new tournament joining the biggest names in golf with the biggest names in sports and entertainment at the ClubCorp Classic at Las Colinas Country Club in Irving, Texas from April 22-24, 2022.
The four-year agreement in place through 2025 will showcase the very best on PGA TOUR Champions alongside celebrities, as well as a truly unique amateur competition that will bring ClubCorp members inside the ropes to compete in the action.
The ClubCorp Classic will feature 78 PGA TOUR Champions professionals and 50 sports and entertainment stars.
The PGA TOUR Champions professionals will play 54 holes of stroke play for a purse of $2 million, along with the celebrities in a separate $500,000 competition utilizing a modified Stableford scoring format.
The celebrities confirmed to compete include World Golf Hall of Fame member and 72-time LPGA winner Annika Sörenstam, 11-time MLB All-Star Pitcher Roger Clemens, Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver and Heisman Trophy winner Tim Brown, MLB Network Analyst and 12-year MLB standout Kevin Millar.
“We are excited to partner with ClubCorp to bring PGA TOUR Champions golf to the Dallas area at Las Colinas Country Club,” said PGA TOUR Champions President Miller Brady. “I am confident our players will enjoy a tremendous week of competition in Irving, while providing local golf fans with a unique, incredible experience, and we look forward to making a positive impact in the greater Dallas community for years to come.”
A group of amateur ClubCorp members will compete in a qualifying system that includes regional and national events to earn a spot alongside the stars during the official tournament rounds to play in their own modified stableford, low gross and low net format. The celebrities, amateurs and the professionals will be paired together all three days of competition, and those days will be broadcast on Golf Channel.
“This event will be ClubLife personified with some of the biggest names in sports and entertainment playing alongside PGA TOUR Champions players, as well as a high-end, vibrant and fun experience for our fans outside the ropes. Additionally, our members have a one-of-a-kind chance to qualify and earn a spot in the ClubCorp Classic,” said ClubCorp CEO David Pillsbury. “Las Colinas Country Club is the perfect venue for this event given the total transformation of the facility and love for golf and entertainment in the greater Dallas community. With the team we have assembled to bring this tournament to life, there is no doubt in my mind that this will quickly become one of the premier events in the area and ultimately will have a tremendous impact with charities like the Momentous Institute, First Tee Greater Dallas, and First Tee Fort Worth.”
As the largest owner and operator of private clubs, ClubCorp embraces its roles as a dynamic lifestyle company that brings people together through extraordinary experiences, impeccable service and opportunities to build meaningful relationships.
The recent transformation and re-imagination of Las Colinas Country Club as an overall golf and lifestyle venue is a shining example of the work and effort being made across the entire ClubCorp brand and portfolio to bring ClubLife to its members and communities.
The ClubCorp Classic will be 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.
Las Colinas Country Club, which was classically designed in 1963 by Joe Finger, was named among the top 100 courses in Texas by the Dallas Morning News and selected as one of 2019 Best Country Clubs by Avid Golfer.
The 18-hole course recently underwent a multi-million-dollar renovation and now features Trinity Zoysia fairways, Tif Tuf Bermuda rough and G12 Bermuda Greens. A brand-new practice facility that covers more than 10 acres was designed by Golf Hall-of-Famer, Lanny Wadkins.
