PGA Tour Champions: Goodbye TimberTech, hello Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational
BOCA RATON — Bernhard Langer knows a good partner when he sees one. That’s why the World Golf Hall of Famer was thrilled to hear his hometown PGA Tour Champions event will return next year with a link to the juggernaut of pro football.
The James Hardie Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational will make its debut March 31-April 6, 2025 – the week before the Masters -- at the Old Course at Broken Sound, it was announced Tuesday in Canton, Ohio. The event replaces the TimberTech Championship and will feature a field of 78 PGA Tour Champions players and 26 football legends who will compete for a purse of $2.2 million. The details of the format for the 54-hole event are still to be finalized.
What’s known is the legends of golf and football will get together next year for a rare collaboration that will be televised on Golf Channel.
“Football is the biggest sport in America,” said Langer, the tour’s all-time wins leader with 46 victories. “They have a large following. To tie that in with our tournament should be a great fit for everybody.”
The PGA Tour Champions had an event with NFL players, the NFL Golf Classic, which ran from 1993-2002 in New Jersey. But much has changed in the sports landscape in the last quarter century. It’s not often the legends of golf and football get to compete in the same tournament.
“We are thrilled about the possibilities created through our new partnerships with James Hardie and the Pro Football Hall of Fame,” said PGA Tour Champions President Miller Brady.
James Hardie commits to multi-year partnership as title sponsor
James Hardie, a leader in North American home building products, has committed to a multi-year partnership to serve as the title sponsor of the new event. There will be two main charity partners.
“We’re filled with anticipation to see the legends of golf and football together on the course, but we’re most excited about the possibilities this platform will offer us to activate our purpose, 'Building A Better Future for All,' ” said Aaron Erter, Chief Executive Officer of James Hardie. “As part of our commitment to help build more resilient communities, I’m proud to announce Habitat for Humanity International and First Tee will serve as the cornerstone charity partners of the James Hardie Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational.”
The tournament will continue to support the Boca Raton Regional Hospital Foundation as its Official Healthcare Partner. The event has raised more than $3 million for the hospital foundation in the last 16 years.
“The Pro Football Hall of Fame stands for excellence – and the same can be said of everyone associated with the innovative new tournament,” said Jim Porter, the organization’s president. “We are proud to join world-class manufacturer James Hardie in bringing together legends from the Hall and PGA Tour Champions at the renown Old Course at Broken Sound. Knowing that this partnership will benefit Habitat for Humanity and First Tee only adds to the significance of what promises to be an amazing collaboration that will benefit people in many communities across the country.”
The PGA Tour Champions event will continue to be run by Pro Links Sports, which has been involved with the Boca Raton tournament since its inception in 2007.
“We are excited to bring this new innovative tournament to the city of Boca Raton and build upon the great legacy of golf in Palm Beach County,” said former Honda Classic executive director Ken Kennerly, the co-executive director of the James Hardie Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational and Executive Vice President with Pro Links Sports. “Having our tournament the week before the Masters is great timing because that’s when everybody is talking and thinking about golf.”
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The new deal keeps professional golf alive in southern Palm Beach County. The LPGA Tour left Boca Raton two years ago and PGA National almost lost its longtime PGA Tour event before new sponsor Cognizant was signed two months ago. Once a tournament leaves, it doesn’t usually come back.
That’s why Langer, who attended Tuesday’s announcement with Pro Football Hall of Famers Anthony Munoz, Ronde Barber and John Randle at the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, was all smiles.
“I think it’s huge,” Langer said of finding a new sponsor, and not just because the longtime Boca Raton resident has won the event a record three times. “There are so many golfers and great golf courses in South Florida. It’s a way of living. It’s a lifestyle. There’s plenty of interest in golf. We shouldn’t lose that one.”
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational golf tourney to be held Boca Raton 2025
