This PGA Tour Champions event is moving down the Florida coast in 2026

USA Today

3 days ago

Tournament will be played at Timuquana Country Club for the final time Oct. 3-5.
The PGA Tour Champions Constellation Furyk & Friends is taking an unexpected turn to the south.
The fall tournament hosted by the Jim and Tabitha Furyk Foundation since 2021 at the Timuquana Country Club, will move to the Ocean Hammock Golf Resort and Spa in Palm Coast in 2026, marking a return of Champions Tour golf to the Jack Nicklaus-designed course in Flagler County.
The tournament dates will be Oct. 9-11, 2026. This year's tournament, the final one at Timuquana, is Oct. 3-5. Rocco Mediate is the defending champion.
"I don't know if surprised is the right word," Furyk said about the move to Palm Coast. "We kept an open mind, made a lot of visits and looked at our options. We saw so much opportunity at Ocean Hammock, the golf course, the resort. There was such an upside to moving there."
The overall Timuquana membership voted slightly in favor of renewing the contract in late 2023 but less than 50 percent of the founders and life members voted not to renew. The club leadership decided the vote was close enough to sever the relationship when the five-year contract expired after this year's event.
The tournament, Constellation and the PGA Tour Champions extended the title sponsorship in October of 2024 through 2030.
Ocean Hammock hosted previous PGA Tour Champions event
Furyk said the initial plan was to relocate to a Duval County course and Glen Kernan, which recently re-opened after Furyk oversaw a renovation, was the initial favorite. But there was a mutual decision between the Furyk Foundation and Glen Kernan not to move the tournament there, with Furyk saying in March that "the timing wasn't right," since the club was closed for 18 months and only reopened June 1.
Furyk said a handful of other courses were considered, but Ocean Hammock emerged as a possibility last fall, after its management approached Furyk.
He said the facility has numerous adantages: its location along the coastline (Nos. 9 and 18 run parallel to the Atlantic Ocean, with views of the water from three other holes), accommodations for players and their families on site, generous space for spectator areas, hospitality venues and the annual Furyk & Friends concert and a track record of hosting Champions Tour events.
Bernard Langer (2008) and Keith Fergus (2007) won the previous tournaments held at Ocean Hammock.
The course was also the site of the 2003 U.S. Women's Public Links, won by 13-year-old Michelle Wie.
Ocean Hammock GM: 'Fantastic for the community'
Ocean Hammock general manager Brad Hauer said the PGA Tour Champions was a hit for the resort and the community 17 years ago and he has no reason to believe it won't have just as much of an impact now.
'We hosted two Champions Tour events back in the day and it was absolutely fantastic for the community and everybody associated with us,' Hauer said. 'We're super-excited to bring another Champions event back to Hammock Beach.'
Hauer said the fan-friendly nature, positive image and the demographics of the PGA Tour Champions players is a good fit for the resort.
'The age of the Champions Tour players falls right into line with our product and our community and everything we stand for here with our club membership,' he said. 'The players are enjoying life, they enjoy being with pro-am partners and spending time with the fans, having and good time and competing as well.'
Tournament won't lose Jacksonville base
Furyk said the tournament will not lose its connection with the First Coast or Jacksonville, where the tournament has met with remarkable success in terms of attendance, local hospitality and full fields for pro-ams, which helped raise more than $5 million in charity to date.
"Jacksonville is our home, the home of our foundation and it's always going to be that way," he said. "We had such a great start at Timuquana and it will always be important to us."
He didn't deny that moving the tournament to Flagler County will bring additional markets and fan bases into play, such as the growing areas of Southern St. Johns County and Flagler County, Daytona Beach and Orlando.
"We're always looking to grow our footprint and our impact," he said. "This brings a lot of other areas into play but we're always going to rely on Jacksonville."
Jack Nicklaus said course remains a stern test
Nicklaus said he was eager for a new generation of PGA Tour Champions to experience Ocean Hammock — although some players such as Langer, Fred Funk, Jay Haas and Mark O'Meara may play in 2026.
'The golf course will test the golfers, but at the same time, I think it will be a fun and enjoyable test for them," Nicklaus said in comments provided to the Times-Union by Furyk & Friends. "The course has some really interesting features. Obviously, there are the views of the ocean, but there are other elements I found to be quite unique. I think the players will truly enjoy the challenge and the beauty of the Ocean Course at Hammock Beach.
'For Florida, I think the Ocean Course at Hammock Beach is a very dramatic golf course," Niclaus continued. "The views of the dunes on the Atlantic seaboard are spectacular.'
Tickets for the 2025 tournament are on sale now through Ticketmaster. Information on tickets, pro-ams, hospitality and other tournament activities can be found by visiting constellationfurykandfriends.com.
Those interested in 2026 sponsorship or hospitality opportunities at Hammock Beach can contact Adam Renfroe at [e-mail].