With new host facility Keene Trace Golf Club serving as the backdrop and Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin heading a delegation of state and local dignitaries who joined PGA TOUR executive Andy Pazder, it was announced today that the 2018 Barbasol Championship will become Kentucky’s first PGA TOUR tournament in decades, come next July 16-22.
The fourth-year event will be contested on the Arthur Hills-designed Champions course in Nicholasville, approximately 10 miles from downtown Lexington. The move for the Barbasol Championship follows a successful three-year run at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail Grand National course in Opelika, Alabama.
It will be the first PGA TOUR tournament to be held in the state since the Kentucky Derby Open was contested in Louisville from 1957-59. Gary Player claimed his first TOUR victory in the 1958 event. PGA TOUR Champions also held the Bank One Classic in Lexington from 1983-97.
“We are excited to bring the PGA TOUR and our players to Lexington in 2018,” said Pazder, the TOUR’s Chief Tournaments and Competitions Officer. “We have been looking for the right opportunity to return to the area as it has been 20 years since we last held a PGA TOUR Champions tournament in Lexington. With the Bluegrass Sports Commission as the tournament’s host organization and bd Global as the tournament operator, having a great facility in Champions and, of course, Barbasol as the title sponsor, we have a strong partnership in place that will make the 2018 Barbasol Championship a tremendous success.”
“Being selected as the latest PGA TOUR stop is a significant development, and we are excited to showcase the greatness of Kentucky to golf fans from around the world,” said Gov. Bevin. “It will be an incredible honor for Kentucky to host these individual and corporate guests each summer. From this day forward, the PGA TOUR can join us in saying: ‘We are Kentucky!’”
The tournament will carry a purse of $3.5 million and award 300 FedExCup points to the champion. Officials are looking to make the 2018 Barbasol Championship a regional celebration that showcases the Bluegrass State and area attractions, including its famous horse farms and distilleries. The tournament is expected to have an economic impact in excess of $20 million.
“America’s trusted brand for shaving cream, and now razors, has a long-standing connection to golf that dates back nearly 100 years,” said Tom Murray, CEO of Perio Inc., the parent company of Barbasol. “Today, that tradition continues with our support of the Barbasol Championship in Lexington, Kentucky.”
Since opening in 1988, the Champion course has played host to a number of championships, including the 1994 USGA Senior Amateur, the 1993 NCAA Division One Men’s Championship, the Southeastern Conference Men’s and Women’s Championships, the Women’s Western Open, the Kentucky State Amateur and multiple Kentucky Opens. Consistently ranked as one of the best courses in Kentucky, Champions’ final three holes are expected to provide drama with the drivable par-4 16th, difficult par-4 17th and the par-3 18th, which will be surrounded by premium hospitality and fan amenities.
Last July, Grayson Murray emerged from a Barbasol Championship field that included seven major championship winners to claim his first PGA TOUR victory.
About Barbasol: Barbasol® is America’s #1 brand of shaving cream. For nearly 100 years, generations of men have trusted Barbasol for a close, comfortable shave. The premium formula is available in 6 varieties. Barbasol is also proud to offer Premium Disposable Razors in multiple blade counts including 6-Blade, 3-Blade and Twin Blade. Barbasol Shaving Cream and Barbasol Premium Disposable Razors are available at retailers nationwide.
Barbasol is proud to sponsor the Barbasol Championship PGA Tour event and an exciting roster of professional golfers across the PGA Tour, Champions Tour and Web.com Tour. Barbasol also supports collegiate golf by presenting the Jack Nicklaus Player of the Year Award.
For more information, visit Barbasol.com or follow @BarbasolShave on Twitter and Instagram. Barbasol is owned by Dublin, Ohio-based Perio Inc.
About Bluegrass Sports Commission: The purpose of the Bluegrass Sports Commission is to attract and support new and existing sports events at any level, such as the Bluegrass State Games, to the Central Kentucky Area. There are more than 300 sports commissions in the United States currently. By working I close coordination with local CVBs, other community organizations and venus, the BSC can be a leader for Central Kentucky.
About PGA TOUR: The PGA TOUR is the leading global platform in professional golf, showcasing the highest expression of excellence, both on and off the course. The PGA TOUR’s mission is to entertain and inspire its fans, deliver substantial value to its partners, create outlets for volunteers to give back, generate significant charitable and economic impact in the communities in which it plays, grow and protect the game of golf and provide financial opportunities for TOUR players.
The PGA TOUR co-sanctions more than 130 tournaments on the PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions, Web.com Tour, PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada and PGA TOUR China. Its members represent the world’s best players, hailing from 24 countries (89 members are from outside the United States). Worldwide, PGA TOUR tournaments are broadcast to more than 1.1 billion households in 227 countries and territories in 23 languages. Virtually all tournaments are organized as non-profit organizations in order to maximize charitable giving. In 2016, tournaments across all Tours generated a record of more than $166 million for local and national charitable organizations, bringing the all-time total to $2.46 billion.
The PGA TOUR's web site is PGATOUR.COM, the No. 1 site in golf, and the organization is headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
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