Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – The US PGA Tour’s annual tournament at Torrey Pines in California will be added to the top-tier Championship Series starting in 2028, organizers announced Wednesday. The new elite PGA series, set to feature 23-24 events for the sport’s best players, is part of a major shake-up of men’s golf unveiled last month, and its roster of tournaments is beginning to take shape.
Golf’s four major tournaments, The Players Championship, playoff events, and the Ryder and Presidents Cups had already been confirmed to be part of a schedule from February through August. So too had the Travelers Championship, which takes place each June at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut, and an event sponsored by Japanese corporation Sompo at a yet-to-be-announced venue.
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Now the Torrey Pines tournament, which will be known as The Sentry from this coming January’s edition under a new sponsorship deal, has been added too. “Earning the distinction of becoming a PGA TOUR Championship Series event in 2028 reinforces our standard of hosting a field of world-class golfers at renowned Torrey Pines Golf Course,” said Marty Gorsich, CEO of the Century Club of San Diego, which co-organizes the tournament.
Known until this year as the Farmers Insurance Open, the tournament began life in 1952 as the San Diego Open. It has been played annually at Torrey Pines since 1968. Justin Rose won the most recent edition, storming to a wire-to-wire victory with a record 23-under to win by seven strokes, for his 13th career PGA TOUR victory and his second at Torrey Pines.
Torrey Pines has also hosted two US Opens, including the memorable 2008 edition in which Tiger Woods defeated Rocco Mediate in a 19-hole playoff despite playing with a broken leg. The remaining dozen or so events for the PGA’s new Championship Series will be announced at a later date. A second-tier PGA Tour Challenger Series of at least 20 events will run alongside the Championship Series, offering golfers the chance to secure a pathway to the elite circuit. A system of player promotion and relegation between the two tiers will be introduced.
© 2024 AFP
