PGA TOUR announces Hoag as title sponsor for SENIOR PLAYERS Championship beginning in 2027
The PGA TOUR announced today that beginning in 2027, Hoag— the top-ranked regional healthcare delivery system in Orange County, California—will become the title sponsor for the SENIOR PLAYERS Championship, one of five major championships contested annually on PGA TOUR Champions.
The newly named Hoag SENIOR PLAYERS Championship at Newport Beach will be played at Newport Beach Country Club, which has hosted the Tour’s Hoag Classic since 1996. The 2027 tournament will be held March 22-28, with a five-year agreement in place ensuring PGA TOUR Champions will remain at Newport Beach Country Club through 2031.
The SENIOR PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP, launched in 1983, has visited some of the country’s top venues including Canterbury Golf Club (Cleveland); Westchester Country Club (N.Y.); Baltimore Country Club; Fox Chapel Golf Club (Pittsburgh); The Philadelphia Cricket Club; Caves Valley Golf Club (Baltimore); and Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio, where the event has been contested since 2019. The 2026 tournament, which has been played as the Kaulig Companies Championship over the last four years, will be held July 9-12.
“We are thrilled to usher in this new era of the SENIOR PLAYERS Championship with our longtime partners Hoag and Newport Beach Country Club,” said PGA TOUR Champions President Miller Brady. “The Hoag Classic has long been a best-in-class event on the Champions Tour, and it’s great to know we will be adding to that legacy with a senior major championship starting in 2027.”
Thirteen members of the World Golf Hall of Fame have won the SENIOR PLAYERS, including Arnold Palmer (1984-85), Chi Chi Rodriguez (1986), Gary Player (1987), Billy Casper (1988), Jack Nicklaus (1990), Raymond Floyd (1996, 2000), Hale Irwin (1999), Mark O’Meara (2010), Fred Couples (2011), Bernhard Langer (2014-16), Vijay Singh (2018), Retief Goosen (2019) and Ernie Els (2024).
“Hoag is proud to welcome the SENIOR PLAYERS Championship to Orange County through our longstanding partnership with PGA TOUR Champions and Newport Beach Country Club,” said Andrew Guarni, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Hoag. “As title sponsor, Hoag is honored to help elevate one of golf’s most prestigious championships while showcasing Orange County on a global stage. This milestone reflects our continued commitment to excellence, community and creating meaningful experiences that bring people together both on and off the course.”
Hoag became the title sponsor for the Champions Tour’s longtime Newport Beach tournament in 2018, with the event delivering four winners from the World Golf Hall of Fame in the years since (Els: 2020/2023; Goosen: 2022; Pádraig Harrington: 2024), as well as reigning Charles Schwab Cup Champion and 2025 Player of the Year, Stewart Cink (2026). Additional hall of famers who have won at Newport Beach Country Club include Irwin (1998, 2002), Langer (2008), Nick Price (2011) and Couples (2010, 2014).
Newport Beach Country Club, which sits along Pacific Coast Highway in the heart of Newport Beach, was designed by famed architect William Bell in 1953. Dating back to 1996, the second year of the Hoag Classic, Newport Beach is the longest-tenured host course on PGA TOUR Champions.
“We are grateful for the opportunity to host the Hoag SENIOR PLAYERS Championship in Newport Beach while continuing to support the incredible mission of Hoag. Newport Beach offers a truly unmatched setting — from our coastal hospitality and world-class golf club to the energy, beauty, and lifestyle that define this community,” said Kevin Martin, CEO of Newport Beach Country Club. “This event is more than great golf; it is an opportunity to showcase Newport Beach on a national stage while bringing together players, partners, and fans in support of one of the country’s leading healthcare organizations, as well as other local educational and military charities.”
The charitable beneficiaries for the Hoag SENIOR PLAYERS will remain the same as they were with the Hoag Classic. As one of the largest philanthropic events on PGA TOUR Champions, the Hoag Classic raised over $25 million in total proceeds for Hoag’s programs and services, as well as other local educational and military charities.
The SENIOR PLAYERS, which has been owned and operated by the PGA TOUR since its inception, will now be operated by HNS Sports Group, which has managed operations for the Hoag Classic since 2000 and overseen the tournament in its entirety since 2024.
For more information on PGA TOUR Champions, please visit PGATOURChampions.com.
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About PGA TOUR Champions
PGA TOUR Champions is a membership organization of professional golfers age 50 and older, including 35 members of the World Golf Hall of Fame. The Tour’s mission is to provide financial opportunities for its players, entertain and inspire its fans, deliver substantial value to its partners, create outlets for volunteers to give back, and generate significant charitable and economic impact in tournament communities. Follow PGA TOUR Champions online at PGATOUR.com, on Facebook, on Twitter (@ChampionsTour), on Instagram (@pgatourchampions), and on TikTok (pgatourchampions).
All events are televised in the United States on GOLF Channel, the exclusive cable-television partner of PGA TOUR Champions. Internationally, PGA TOUR Champions coverage is available in more than 170 countries and territories via 22 media partners.
About Hoag SENIOR PLAYERS Championship
The Hoag SENIOR PLAYERS Championship is one of five major championships contested annually on PGA TOUR Champions for eligible professionals age 50 and over. Beginning in 2027 the tournament will be contested in Orange County, California, and will continue professional golf’s 30-year tradition at Newport Beach Country Club. A field of 78 professionals will compete over four rounds for one of the most prestigious Champions Tour titles, including a $3.5 million purse.
The Hoag SENIOR PLAYERS Championship is designed to showcase the best golf on PGA TOUR Champions for the enjoyment of spectators and to benefit charity, including Hoag’s programs and services, as well as other local educational and military charities. All four official tournament competition rounds will be internationally televised on Golf Channel.
For more information about the Hoag SENIOR PLAYERS Championship, please visit HoagSENIORPLAYERS.com. For the latest tournament news and updates on social media, follow the Hoag SENIOR PLAYERS on X at @HoagSrPlayers, and on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok at @hoagseniorplayers.
About Hoag
Hoag is a nonprofit, regional healthcare delivery system in Orange County, California. Delivering world-class, comprehensive, personalized care, Hoag consists of 1,800 top physicians, 17 urgent care facilities, 13 health & wellness centers, and two award-winning hospitals. Hoag offers a comprehensive blend of healthcare services that includes seven institutes providing specialized services in the following areas: cancer, digestive health, heart and vascular, neurosciences, spine, women's health, and orthopedics through Hoag's affiliate, Hoag Orthopedic Institute, which consists of an orthopedic hospital and five ambulatory surgical centers. Hoag is the highest ranked hospital in Orange County by U.S. News & World Report and the only OC hospital ranked in the Top 10 in California, as well as a designated Magnet® with Distinction hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). For more information, visit hoag.org.
About Newport Beach Country Club
Newport Beach Country Club is an exclusive and iconic Country Club in famed Newport Beach, CA. Perched above the famed Pacific Coast Highway, NBCC has captured the spirit of the Southern California lifestyle for more than 65 years. Spanning nearly 56,000 square feet and boasting panoramic views of emerald fairways and sapphire seas, the Clubhouse makes an architectural statement on coastal California Craftsman design. With a course originally designed by world-renowned designer William “Billy” Bell, NBCC has been one of the most popular stops on the PGA TOUR Champions for more than 25 years and is the home of the annual Hoag Classic.
About HNS Sports Group
HNS Sports Group is well-positioned to assist companies that find value in the golf industry and build and execute comprehensive golf branding or sponsorship strategies. Effectively understanding the golf marketplace today is a significant challenge, the HNS Sports Group team possesses over 125 years of collective experience that is applied to lead companies in their efforts to maximize value from golf sponsorship and event participation. To learn more about HNS Sports Group, visit hnssports.com.
