Early Cologuard Classic commitments include Jerry Kelly, Bernhard Langer, Darren Clarke and Scott McCarron

With the Cologuard Classic PGA TOUR Champions event less than a month away, the field is beginning to take shape with some of the biggest names in golf already committing to the tournament, including Jerry Kelly, Bernhard Langer, Darren Clarke and Scott McCarron. The Cologuard Classic will be played February 27-March 3, 2019 at Omni Tucson National’s Catalina Course. A field of 78 players will vie for the $1.7 million purse with a first-place prize of $255,000.

PGA TOUR Champions golfers have until Friday, February 22 to commit to play in the Cologuard Classic. Therefore, the field will continue to change as players with higher priority rankings commit to play in the tournament. 

Cologuard ambassador Jerry Kelly is coming off a 2018 PGA TOUR Champions season, which included one victory at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai and 11 Top 10 finishes. His final-round 65 at the 2018 Cologuard Classic put him in a tie for second, two-shots behind champion Steve Stricker.

In 2018, Bernhard Langer won his fifth Charles Schwab Cup and fourth in the past five years. His incredible Champions season included two wins (Insperity Invitational and SAS Championship) and 14 Top 10 finishes in 24 starts. He’ll look to rebound from a T54 at the 2018 Cologuard Classic. 

In 2019, Darren Clarke enters his first full year on the PGA TOUR Champions after competing in six events once he turned 50 in August of 2018. A native of Northern Ireland, Clarke returns to Tucson for the first time since his February 2012 Accenture Match Play Championship appearance. 

Scott McCarron had a stellar 2018 PGA TOUR Champions season finishing second in the Charles Schwab Cup standings, with two victories and 13 Top 10 finishes. 2019 will be McCarron’s fourth year on the PGA TOUR Champions. His best finish in Tucson was a T17 at the 2016 Tucson Conquistadores Classic.

The 2019 Cologuard Classic will be played February 27 – March 3 at Omni Tucson National Resort and features a 78-player field competing for a $1.7 million purse with $255,000 and 255 Charles Schwab Cup points for the winner. The no-cut format includes three days of competition (Friday-Sunday) with players participating in pro-am events on Wednesday and Thursday. Tournament proceeds benefit youth athletic programs in Southern Arizona and colorectal cancer research and advocacy. 

For more information or tournament tickets, visit www.cologuardclassic.com.

2019 marks the second year of the Cologuard Classic, named after Wisconsin-based Exact Sciences’ noninvasive at-home colon cancer screening test for average-risk individuals 50 years or older, and the fifth year the Conquistadores have partnered with the PGA TOUR Champions. To coincide with the kickoff of National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, tournament week will feature numerous events to raise awareness for the disease.

The Tucson Conquistadores are the host organization of the PGA TOUR Champions’ Cologuard Classic. Since their inception in 1962, the Conquistadores have contributed more than $35 million to youth athletic programs in Southern Arizona. The Conquistadores have an active membership of up to 60 business and community professionals and a total membership of 209 who represent a cross-section of the Tucson community. In addition to their professional golf activities, the group has established the Tucson Conquistadores Foundation. Key beneficiaries of the Conquistadores’ fund-raising efforts include: The First Tee of Tucson; Tucson and Pima County Junior Golf Programs; the Field of Dreams/Challenger Little League sports complex; Boys and Girls Clubs in Tucson, Sierra Vista and Nogales; Pima County Special Olympics; Educational Enrichment Foundation; and the YMCA.