PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – The Champions Tour announced today its 2017 tournament schedule, featuring 26 official tournaments and two “Challenge Season” events. The 23-event regular season will again highlight the Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs, which will be used to determine the season-long Charles Schwab Cup champion. The Tour will contest events in four countries and 18 states, with total prize money of $55.7 million (U.S).
The 2017 season will feature five tournaments with new host venues, including Trump National Golf Club outside Washington D.C., Salem Country Club in Peabody, Mass., Caves Valley Golf Club in suburban Baltimore, Royal Porthcawl Golf Club in Wales and Phoenix (Ariz.) Country Club.
The season will begin with the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai, set for the week of January 16-21 in Ka’upulehu-Kona, Hawaii. Thirteen-time PGA TOUR winner David Toms, who turns 50 on January 4, is expected to make his PGA TOUR Champions debut. Toms will be joined by fellow rookies Steve Stricker and Jerry Kelly during the 2017 season.
This past year, World Golf Hall of Fame member Bernhard Langer claimed an unprecedented fourth Charles Schwab Cup title after putting forth a dominant four-win season on PGA TOUR Champions.
The five major championships on the Champions Tour will kick off with the Regions Tradition, which returns to Greystone Golf & Country Club in Birmingham, Ala. the week of May 15-21. The KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship will be contested the following week at Trump National Golf Club near Washington D.C.
The final three major championships of 2017 will be held during a five-week stretch in the summer, beginning with the U.S. Senior Open at Salem Country Club in Peabody, Mass. the week of June 26-July 2. The Constellation SENIOR PLAYERS Championship will move from June to July in suburban Baltimore at 2002 U.S. Senior Open host Caves Valley Golf Club (July 10-16), while the Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex will be contested at Royal Porthcawl Golf Club in Wales (July 17-23) for the second time in four years, dating back to 2014.
The schedule will feature two “Challenge Season” events, beginning with the Diamond Resorts Invitational the week of January 9-15, and the PNC Father Son Challenge, which will be contested in December on a date to be announced. The event’s 2016 playing is set for this weekend in Orlando.
Canada will once again have two Champions Tour stops. The Shaw Charity Classic will be played September 1-3 at Canyon Meadows G & Country Club in Calgary. The Pacific Links Bear Mountain Championship will be contested at Bear Mountain Resort in Victoria, B.C. from September 15 – 17.