The PGA Tour Champions is coming to Allentown for the first Jefferson Lehigh Valley Classic
The three-round tournament from Friday to Sunday at Lehigh Country Club will feature some legends of golf, including Stewart Cink and Ernie Els. Here’s what to know about the event.
For the first time, Lehigh Country Club in Allentown will host a PGA Tour Champions event when the inaugural Jefferson Lehigh Valley Classic takes place from Friday to Sunday.
The tournament will bring together 78 players for a three-day, 54-hole tournament. Competition begins Friday with gates opening at 8 a.m.
Tournament proceeds will go to local charities in Northeastern Pennsylvania and throughout the greater Philadelphia and Lehigh Valley Regions. The main recipients of the tournament proceeds are the Eagles Autism Foundation, Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation, and Valley Youth House.
What is the PGA Tour Champions?
The PGA Tour Champions, a branch of the PGA Tour, is a tour for players 50 and older, and features many of the sport’s most accomplished veterans, including 35 members of the World Golf Hall of Fame.
The tour was established in 1980 as the Senior PGA Tour and gives fans the opportunity to watch familiar names from years past compete in the next stage of their professional careers.
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Unlike the PGA Tour, the Champions tournaments are typically three-round, 54-hole events. Players compete throughout the season for the Charles Schwab Cup, a season-long points race that concludes with the three-tournament Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs.
The Jefferson Lehigh Valley Classic is one of 25 regular-season events on the 2026 schedule and is one of two tournaments added to the tour this year.
The tour’s mission includes creating substantial charitable and economic impact in tournament communities.
Who is playing?
Stewart Cink, a nine-time PGA Tour Champions winner and 2009 British Open champion, and Ernie Els, a former world No. 1, four-time major champion and member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, will headline the field. Three other members of the World Golf Hall of Fame — Retief Goosen, Colin Montgomerie, and Vijay Singh — will also be in the field.
Eight of the top 10 players in the Charles Schwab Cup standings will compete this week. That includes Cink (1), Steven Alker (3), Goosen (5), Boo Weekley (6), George McNeill (7), Els (8), Ben Crane (9), and Miguel Ángel Rodríguez (10).
What does the champion receive?
The inaugural champion will take home $345,000 from the tournament’s $2.3 million purse.
Where to watch?
The tournament will air live on Golf Channel. Here’s the television schedule:
Friday
Round 1: Golf Channel, 12 p.m. — 3 p.m.
Saturday
Round 2: Golf Channel, 12 p.m. — 3 p.m. and Golf Channel App, 3 p.m.-4 p.m.
Sunday
Final Round: Golf Channel, 12 p.m. — 3 p.m.
Where to buy tickets?
Tickets for the Jefferson Lehigh Valley Classic can be purchased on the tournament website. Children 17 and under will get in for free with a ticketed adult.
United States Armed Forces, veterans, and first responders will receive complimentary admission.
What can spectators expect?
The tournament’s spectator experience will extend beyond the golf course, with daily activities including the Wind Creek Tailgate Zone. The tailgate zone will feature a jumbo screen, Rita’s Ice truck, beverages from Yuengling, Good Boy Vodka, and Cellar Beast Winehouse, and Brand activations from sponsors including Wind Creek, Cadillac, and Comcast.
