The Korn Ferry Tour has announced a partnership with the Lake Charles/SWLA Convention and Visitors Bureau to bring a new tournament to the Tour's annual schedule starting in 2020. The Lake Charles Championship will debut at The Country Club at the Golden Nugget in Lake Charles, Louisiana, the week of March 23-29, 2020, with 156 players competing for a $600,000 purse. A five-year agreement is in place through 2024.
The announcement ensures the Bayou State will have two events on the 2020 Korn Ferry Tour schedule, as the Chitimacha Louisiana Open presented by MISTRAS will be contested in Lafayette the week prior. Louisiana will join Tennessee, Missouri, and Illinois as the only U.S. states to host two Korn Ferry Tour events annually.
What is the Korn Ferry Tour? Founded (1990), owned and operated by the PGA TOUR, the Korn Ferry Tour identifies and develops those players who are ready to compete and win on golf's biggest stage. In 2013, the Korn Ferry Tour became The Path to the PGA TOUR with all 50 available PGA TOUR cards coming through the Tour. Twenty-five PGA TOUR cards are reserved for the leading points earners at the end of the 24-event Regular Season. Another 25 are up for grabs at the three-event Korn Ferry Tour Finals that follow the Regular Season in August and September.
To learn more about the PGA TOUR, the Korn Ferry Tour and to follow the season-long quest for a PGA TOUR card, visit PGATOUR.COM, or follow the Tour on social media via Instagram (@KornFerryTour), Twitter (@KornFerryTour) and Facebook (facebook.com/KornFerryTour).
Who has participated in the past? Three out of four PGA TOUR members are Korn Ferry Tour alumni. Tour alumni have won more than 500 PGA TOUR titles, including 24 major championships and eight PLAYERS Championships.
During the PGA TOUR's 2018-19 season, five players from the Korn Ferry Tour's Class of 2018 have won titles, including Cameron Champ (Sanderson Farms Championship), Adam Long (The Desert Classic), Martin Trainer (Puerto Rico Open), Max Homa (Wells Fargo Championship) and Dylan Frittelli (John Deere Classic).
Other notable PGA TOUR players who got their start on the Korn Ferry Tour include major champions Justin Thomas, Jason Day, Bubba Watson and Zach Johnson.
About the Golf Course The Country Club at The Golden Nugget opened in 2015 and was named as the No. 2 course in Louisiana in Golfweek's Best of 2018 issue. The course is part of the Golden Nugget Lake Charles, which will serve as host hotel and casino for tournament week. The property is a 242-acre waterfront casino resort, featuring a 22-story tower, 30,000 square feet of meeting space, more than a dozen dining and bar options, a private beach, marina, spa & salon, retail corridor, and expansive 24-hour casino floor.
