senior tour legends

LEGENDS OF THE   LPGA

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EXPERIENCE THE LEGENDS

Legends of the LPGA is the official senior tour of the LPGA providing competitive opportunities for LPGA Tour professionals and eligible amateurs, age 45 and over. The tour was founded in 2000 by 25 veteran LPGA Tour professionals with the goal of continuing to showcase the talents of some of the greatest women golfers of all time.

Legends of the LPGA members, including 15 LPGA and World Golf Hall of Fame members, have combined for over 750 LPGA Tour victories including 84 major championships.

Legends of the LPGA has helped raise nearly $24 million for charity.

What Is The Legends Tour?

What Is The Legends Tour? A closer look at what used to be called the European Seniors Tour and Staysure Tour

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Formerly known as the European Seniors Tour and the Staysure Tour, the Legends Tour is the men’s professional golf tour for members aged 50 and older. Five years after the first edition of The Senior Open, won by Neil Coles in 1987, more than 60 professionals called for a formally structured Tour, which was then created in 1992.

The Legends Tour features a strong playing membership that includes former Major winners, world number ones and Ryder Cup players and captains. Players compete for the John Jacobs Trophy, which is awarded to the golfer who finishes first on the Legends Tour Order of Merit each season.

You can get up close and personal with Legends at world-class destinations across Europe, the United States and Africa by getting your Legends Tour 2022 tickets .

Past winners (full list below) include Scotland legends Colin Montgomerie and Sam Torrance, as well as former Masters champion and world number one, Ian Woosnam.

A host of other big names and former DP World Tour champions compete on the Legends Tour, including Thomas Bjørn, Paul McGinley, Paul Lawrie, Michael Campbell, and America’s Tom Lehman.

Former Europe Ryder Cup captain, Paul McGinley, in Legends Tour action

Who Owns The Legends Tour?

In 2020, the Staysure Tour was rebranded the Legends Tour under a new ownership structure. This was part of a ground-breaking agreement between the European Tour and Staysure founder and group CEO Ryan Howsam.

Under the agreement, Howsam, who founded insurance firm Staysure in 2004, took a majority equity share in the Legends Tour. Howsam, a golf fanatic, also owns and invests in companies in sport, insurance, tech, food and media.

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Ryan Howsam, CEO Staysure and Legends Tour 

What Is The Alliance Series?

A number of Legends Tour events (see below) will take place in ‘Alliance’ format, which offers amateur golfers (max handicap 18 for men and 24 for women) the opportunity to compete alongside the Legends of the game and live the life of a pro – on and off the golf course.

There are six confirmed Alliance Series events in 2022. At these tournaments, amateur golfers get to play a minimum of two competitive rounds during the Championship, alongside different pros in front of crowds and the television cameras.

It costs between £8,000 and £12,000 to enter a tournament. As well as the playing experience, the package offers inside-the-ropes access at the tournament, hospitality, and use of the players lounge.

What Is The Celebrity Series?

The Celebrity Series provides another unique playing experience, where amateur golfers get to play with personalities from sport, business and media the day before the tournament gets underway. A Celebrity Series team consists of two amateurs, one Legend and one celebrity. The cost is £2,500 per person or £5,000 per team of two amateurs.

It’s a package that comes with all the trimmings, including inside-the-ropes access at the tournament, use of the players lounge and locker room, and post-round hospitality with the Legends.

The Celebrity Series attracts a number of familiar faces from the world of sport and media 

What Is The Championship Pro-Am?

There’s a third opportunity for amateur golfers to experience the life of a pro golfer within the Legends Tour set-up  – the Championship Pro-Am. This takes place ahead of the competitive tournament days, and costs £3,500 per team (three amateurs and one professional). Individual places can be purchased for £1,000.

Legends Tour Schedule 2022

The Legends Tour has returned stronger and boasts an international schedule with tournaments taking place across a variety of different countries and continents. The Tour will come to a conclusion in the exotic climes of the Indian Ocean, with the ‘Indian Ocean Swing’. Firstly, The MCB Tour Championship Seychelles will be played at Constance Lemuria, Praslin, Seychelles, on December 2-4, 2022, while the MCB Tour Championship Mauritius will return to the Legends Course at Constance Belle Mare Plage, Poste de Flacq, Mauritius, the following week where players will compete for a minimum prize fund of €500,000.

A number of other events and venues complement a growing roster of top top-class tournaments on the Legends Tour in 2022, and there’s a lot of golf to be played before the Order of Merit winner gets crowned in Mauritius. And along the way, the players will be competing for record prize funds totalling over €15 million.

6-8 May 2022, Riegler & Partner Legends, Golf Club Murhof, Frohnleiten, Austria

26-29 May 2022, Kitchenaid Senior PGA Championship, Benton Harbor, Michigan, United States

9-12 June 2022, Jersey Legends, La Moye Golf Club, Jersey

17-19 June 2022, Farmfoods European Legends Links Championship hosted by Ian Woosnam, Trevose Golf & Country Club, England

23-26 June 2022, US Senior Open, Saucon Valley Country Club, Bethlehem, United States

8-10 July 2022, Swiss Seniors Open, Golf Club Bad Ragaz, Bad Ragaz, Switzerland

15-17 July 2022, WINSTONopen, WINSTONgolf, Vorbeck, Germany

21-24 July 2022, The Senior Open Presented By Rolex, The King's Course, Gleneagles, Scotland

28-31 July 2022, The JCB Championship, JCB Golf & Country Club, Uttoxeter, England

The glorious JCB Golf & Country Club will host the 2022 JCB Championship on the Legends Tour in July 

16-20 August 2022, Irish Legends presented by McGinley Foundation, RosapenHotel & Golf Resort, Ireland

24-28 August 2022, Staysure PGA Seniors Championship, Formby Golf Club, England

15-17 September 2022, Legends Open de France hosted by Jean Van de Velde, Golf de Saint-Cloud, Paris, France

14-16 October 2022, Farmfoods European Senior Masters hosted by Peter Baker, La Manga Club, Murcia, Spain

20-23 October 2022, Italian Senior Open, Argentario Golf Resort & Spa, Italy

1-4 December 2022, MCB Tour Championship Seychelles, Constance Lemuria, Seychelles

9-11 December 2022, MCB Tour Championship – Mauritius, Constance Belle Mare Plage, Mauritius

Legends Tour Past Winners

2021, Stephen Dodd, Wales (main picture) 2019, Phillip Price, Wales 2018, Paul Broadhurst, England 2017, Clark Dennis, USA 2016, Paul Broadhurst, England 2015, Colin Montgomerie, Scotland 2014, Colin Montgomerie, Scotland 2013, Paul Wesselingh, England 2012, Roger Chapman, England 2011, Peter Fowler, Australia 2010, Boonchu Ruangkit, Thailand 2009, Sam Torrance, Scotland 2008, Ian Woosnam, Wales 2007, Carl Mason, England 2006, Sam Torrance, Scotland 2005, Sam Torrance, Scotland 2004, Carl Mason, England 2003, Carl Mason, England

Colin Montgomerie won the Order of Merit title in 2014 and 2015

2002, Seiji Ebihara, Japan 2001, Ian Stanley, Australia 2000, Noel Ratcliffe, Australia 1999, Tommy Horton, England 1998, Tommy Horton, England 1997, Tommy Horton, England 1996, Tommy Horton, England 1995, Brian Barnes, Scotland 1994, John Morgan, England 1993, Tommy Horton, England 1992, John Fourie, South Africa

To find out more about the Legends Tour, visit legendstour.com

Michael has been with Golf Monthly since 2008. As a multimedia journalist, he has also worked for The Football Association, where he created content to support the men's European Championships, The FA Cup, London 2012, and FA Women's Super League. As content editor at Foremost Golf, Michael worked closely with golf's biggest equipment manufacturers, and has developed an in-depth knowledge of this side of the industry. He's now a regular contributor, covering instruction, equipment and feature content. Michael has interviewed many of the game's biggest stars, including six world number ones, and has attended and reported on many Major Championships and Ryder Cups. He's a member of Formby Golf Club. 

Billy Horschel suggested that LIV Golf supporters are partially to blame for the current state of men's professional golf

By Ben Fleming Published 27 April 24

The deal with LIV Golf is expected to go towards funding Golf Australia’s junior program

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• Format: 54 holes
• Purse: $400,000
• Yardage: 7,227
• History: This will be the 7th playing of the LPGA Senior Championship. This year the tournament will be contested at Copper Rock Country Club in Hurricane, UT.

Entry Terms and Conditions - Entries will open on Wednesday, March 6, 2024 at 10am ET. Players must be 45 years of age by Thursday, May 23, 2024.

CRITERIA - A maximum of seventy-eight (78) professional Players determined as follows: 1. Two (2) Sponsor Invites as determined by the Tournament 2. Two (2) Professional Players as determined by the LPGA Qualifying Round 3. Members of the LPGA and/or World Golf Halls of Fame 4. Past winners of the LPGA Senior Championship 5. Winners of the 2021, 2022, and 2023 U.S. Senior Women’s Open 6. Winners of the Senior Division of the 2021, 2022, and 2023 LPGA Professionals National Championships 7. Players who finished in the Top-25 and ties at the 2023 LPGA Senior Championship 8. Players who finished in the Top-25 and ties at the 2023 U.S. Senior Women’s Open 9. Players who finished in the Top-15 and ties in the Championship Division at the 2023 LPGA Professionals National Championship 10. Players who finished in the Top-8 and ties in the Senior Division at the 2023 LPGA Professionals National Championship 11. Players who finished in the Top-2 and ties in the 2024 PGA Senior Women’s Stroke Play Championship 12. Past winners of an LPGA Major Championship 13. Winners of an Official LPGA Tour event in the previous ten (10) seasons 14. Winners of Legends Tour events in 2022 and 2023 [inclusive of official and unofficial events with a minimum of thirty-six (36) holes of Tournament play completed] 15. Players ranked #1-40 and ties on the current Legends Tour Performance Points List as of the Commitment Deadline 16. The balance of the field will be filled by Players, ranked in the order of their position on the official LPGA Career Money list as of the Commitment Deadline 17. If the field is not full, the remaining field will be filled by Players, ranked in the order of their position on the current-year Legends Tour Performance Points List

Download the 2023 Tournament Entries PDF

Senior LPGA Championship at Salina Country Club

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‘Good for the game’: Copper Rock welcomes women’s golf legends to historic LPGA Senior Championship

CONTRIBUTED CONTENT — Southern Utah’s golf landscape is about to evolve in a major way with the arrival of the fourth annual Copper Rock Championship and Utah’s first-ever LPGA Senior Championship in back-to-back weeks. And it’s all happening next month at Copper Rock Golf Course in Hurricane.

“It’s two weeks of professional women’s golf at the highest level, and you get to see it all right here in Southern Utah,” event coordinator Penny James-Garcia said. “It’s a double-header of events not to be missed by anyone who is a fan of golf, because these ladies are the past, present and future stars of the LPGA.”

The Copper Rock Championship , a sanctioned event on the LPGA’s developmental Epson Tour, is set for May 16-18, followed immediately by the LPGA Senior Championship on May 23-25. While the Copper Rock Championship highlights ambitious young golfers chasing their dream of earning LPGA membership, the LPGA Senior Championship will showcase the enduring talents of legends of the game. An international field of approximately 75 players will compete for their share of a $400,000 purse, with $60,000 going to the winner.

The draw is led by Angela Stanford, winner of the 2023 LPGA Senior Championship and two other titles on the Legends tour. Stanford launched her career on the Epson Tour (then known as the LPGA Futures Tour) back in 2000, winning the season-ending event to earn LPGA membership. She has played on six Solheim Cup teams and holds seven LPGA titles, including one major at the 2018 Evian Championship.

“The LPGA has done a great job of growing the game, and I hope people come out and watch,” Stanford said. “Anytime you can showcase women’s golf, either amateur or professional, and you have women and girls who want to come out and watch, that’s good for the game.”

Southern Utah golf fans will also have the opportunity to watch trailblazing champions like Laura Davies, the first woman to win on all three major tours (the LPGA, the Ladies European Tour and the LPGA of Japan Tour) in the same season. In 1994, Davies became the first golfer, male or female, to win on five different golf tours in the same year. She holds 87 titles, including four majors, and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2015.

Prior to finding success on the Legends tour, including winning the 2022 U.S. Senior Women’s Open, Jill McGill etched her name in history as the 1993 U.S. Women’s Amateur and 1994 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links champion. She joins Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, JoAnne Carner and Carol Semple Thompson as the only players to win three different USGA championships.

Juli Inkster, a name synonymous with golf greatness, has also committed to play at Copper Rock. A member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, Inkster has seven majors and 31 LPGA titles as well as the most Solheim Cup match wins of any American. She’s the only golfer in LPGA history to win multiple majors in three consecutive decades.

Cristie Kerr, who recently became eligible to join the Legends tour, will be making her first appearance in an LPGA Senior Championship. Kerr has won 20 LPGA titles, including two majors, and played on nine Solheim Cup teams.

Other notable names in this year’s field include Hollis Stacy, a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame who holds 18 LPGA titles, including four majors, and Sherri Steinhauer, who has won multiple majors on both the LPGA and the Ladies European Tour.

Copper Rock will host a qualifying tournament on May 20, with the top two professionals and the top amateur receiving entry into the LPGA Senior Championship later that week. Nuny Kham-One Khamken, the 2023 Utah State Women’s Senior Amateur Championship winner, will also be eligible to play through a sponsor exemption.

Additionally, Utah’s current first lady Abby Cox and former first lady Jeanette Herbert will be playing in the senior championship pro-am during tournament week, and Cox will address the guests of the pro-am luncheon following the event.

“This is a big deal,” James-Garcia said. “Having this championship here is something recognized at the highest levels of our state, and we’re amazingly honored to welcome our first ladies.”

The LPGA Senior Championship is one of two major tournaments organized annually by Legends of the LPGA, the official senior tour of the LPGA. Legends of the LPGA was established in 2000 to provide competitive opportunities for LPGA Tour professionals and eligible amateurs ages 45 and over. The tour’s membership, which includes 15 LPGA Hall of Fame and World Golf Hall of Fame members, have collectively earned over 750 LPGA Tour victories, including 84 majors. 

“This is the first major golf event of any tour played in Utah,” James-Garcia said. “Spread the word, and let’s show these ladies that Utah loves women’s golf!”

As a proud member of the local community, the Copper Rock Championship is committed to making a lasting impact on Southern Utah. This year, they’re asking golf fans to help them give back by participating in Birdies Fore Charity, a fundraising initiative that benefits Hurricane City’s future Veterans Memorial Park and the Dove Center, a nonprofit organization aiding survivors of domestic violence.

Supporters can pledge 50 cents, $1 or $2 for every birdie scored during one or both tournaments, which typically average over 500 birdies each. 100% of donations will go directly to this year’s charity recipients. Click here to take the pledge and make a difference.

Experience thrilling back-to-back weeks of professional women’s golf at Copper Rock, with tickets starting at just $15 for general admission to both tournaments. Visit CopperRockChampionship.com to reserve your spot and learn more.

Written by ALEXA MORGAN for St. George News.

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Bernhard Langer set for PGA Tour Champions return after Achilles tear

At age 66, Bernhard Langer believes he still has a lot of good golf left in him.

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Bernhard Langer is set to make a triumphant return to the PGA Tour Champions at this week’s Insperity Invitational — his 342nd start on the senior circuit — three months after the 66-year-old tore his left Achilles tendon.

Langer injured his Achilles tendon on February 1st during a game of pickleball. He had surgery the next day, and his recovery timeline derailed his previously-announced plans to make this year’s Masters his last.

Two months after tearing his achilles, @BernhardLanger6 is making a return. The 66-year-old plans to tee it up next week @InsperityInvtnl . A look inside his miraculous comeback journey ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/aBjzCWn9jO — PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) April 26, 2024

Langer isn’t the first Tour player to sustain an injury playing pickleball . Recent PGA Tour winner Akshay Bhatia dislocated his shoulder playing the game a couple of years ago — an injury that still bothers him.

Langer told the Champions Tour he was encouraged by New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who underwent surgery for a torn Achilles in September, and was throwing footballs again three months later.

“That lifted my spirits, hearing he was back on the field throwing the ball after eight or nine weeks,” Langer told the Champions Tour. “That encouraged me that I may do something similar.”

Bernhard Langer’s fix for golf’s distance fight? Bigger golf balls and holes

Langer opted for the same “SpeedBridge” procedure as Rodgers, which is touted as allowing for immediate weight-bearing and range of motion, thereby enabling a faster track to full recovery.

Langer was serious about his PT, and spent time wearing a boot, getting around on a scooter and with a crutch as support. He says he was able to stand unassisted for the first time just a few weeks ago, and has only recently started hitting balls.

Langer will turn 67 this summer, and has been setting a new standard for senior-level achievement since he joined the Champions Tour in 2007. Langer is the only player in history to have won all five senior major titles, and last year, he eclipsed Hale Irwin’s win-total record with his 46th title at the U.S. Senior Open.

“I think I can still be very productive for a few more years,” Langer said. “I still think I have a lot of good golf left in me.”

Click here to watch the full video on Langer’s recovery on the PGA Tour Champions website.

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As a four-year member of Columbia’s inaugural class of female varsity golfers, Jessica can out-birdie everyone on the masthead. She can out-hustle them in the office, too, where she’s primarily responsible for producing both print and online features, and overseeing major special projects, such as GOLF’s inaugural Style Is­sue, which debuted in February 2018. Her origi­nal interview series, “A Round With,” debuted in November of 2015, and appeared in both in the magazine and in video form on GOLF.com.

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Flying Legends of Victory Tour: WWII bombers land in historic Borderland event

The Flying Legends of Victory Tour, featuring iconic WWII bombers B-17 Sentimental Journey and B-25 Maid in the Shade, arrived in El Paso, marking a historic moment for the Borderland.

Offering living history flight experiences, the tour kicked off a journey spanning twenty-three cities nationwide.

With only one media seat allocated, ABC-7 covered the event, highlighting the rare sighting of these legendary aircraft.

Passengers had the opportunity to fly in these historic planes, experiencing a glimpse into the past.

The tour's stop in El Paso drew attention to the bravery of WWII military personnel and honored their sacrifices.

If missed, the upcoming Amigo Air Show promises more aviation excitement.

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Vanderbilt standout Gordon Sargent elects to return for senior season

With a TOUR card secured for June 2025, Sargent stays at Vanderbilt for his final season, deferring his Accelerated performance benefits

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Gordon Sargent is ready for one more ride.

The standout Vanderbilt junior announced Thursday that he will return to Vanderbilt for his senior season, deferring his performance benefits from eclipsing the PGA TOUR University Accelerated 20-point threshold.

Sargent was eligible to accept PGA TOUR membership this June but will wait until he turns professional in June 2025. He will then have exempt TOUR membership through the 2026 PGA TOUR season.

"I am excited to announce that I’ll be returning to Vanderbilt for my senior year in 2024-25,” said Sargent. “It’s been an honor to represent this university alongside my teammates and coaches, and I look forward to continuing to compete - and further my education - at this amazing place that has given so much to me.”

Sargent is the first player to earn TOUR membership via PGA TOUR University Accelerated, and he’s the first to earn a TOUR card on collegiate merit prior to his senior year.

In an exclusive interview with PGATOUR.COM, Sargent explained why he decided to stay, where he can still improve, and what he’s learned from Nick Dunlap.

“Being with my teammates, traveling to some great places–it's one of those situations where you kind of never want to leave.”

Gordon Sargent

Editor’s note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

PGATOUR.COM: Take us through the timeline of how you decided to stay at Vandy another year. You crossed the threshold for PGA TOUR Accelerated, and then…

SARGENT: I got (to 20 points) in October in Abu Dhabi (at the World Amateur Team Championships) and then reviewed my options over the offseason. I was kind of hoping a decision would come clear, and obviously, nothing's just going to. There's not going to be a perfect answer. After playing a few college events in the spring, I think you really appreciate how much you enjoy college golf. I've talked to Nick (Dunlap) a little bit since he's turned pro, and it's one of those things where you're only going to have four years in college. My dream is playing on the PGA TOUR. With having the same status if I come back to school for one year, it was kind of a no-brainer. I can still take advantage of another year of school, be with my teammates, get my degree and continue to get better.

If you talk to anybody who's played college golf, they really do say it's the best time of your life. I definitely valued that. I don't think anybody was going to be mad at me if I left or mad at me if I stayed. But after reviewing with my parents, coaches and team-wise, it just seemed like it was the best thing for me. I could stay in Nashville and continue to get better. And I mean, obviously, it worked for Ludvig (Åberg), him staying all four years. It kind of seemed like one of those decisions where with how competitive college golf is, you're kind of prepping for the PGA TOUR in college and I feel like having another year definitely would not hurt.

PGATOUR.COM: What advice did Nick Dunlap give you?

SARGENT: Obviously after him winning, he's playing well, it’s a no-brainer to take advantage of those (2024) Signature Events. Obviously, the adaption was going to be tough, I mean it’s the next day, he's a PGA TOUR pro and I can tell you a week before he probably wasn't necessarily thinking that. So even with me being able to plan for however many months, it still kind of seemed like, personally, I just wanted to have another year to just continue to develop. I feel like I can get the most out of the prep. Nick started to play a little bit better recently, he played well in Houston, but in talking to him, he definitely misses college a little bit, hanging out with teammates and stuff. Pro golf is definitely a different animal. So yeah, I mean we didn't necessarily talk a ton about that. He definitely loves the situation he's in, but I think anyone you talk to on the PGA TOUR would say the more time you have to prep before you get to the PGA TOUR, then the better off you're going to be.

PGATOUR.COM Sounds like you basically said, “Hey, things are moving fast, I would like to slow down for one more year.”

SARGENT: For sure. I would have good status if I turned pro this June and it was one of those decisions where it's like, is there a right or a wrong answer? Probably not. But I have been a planner my whole life, so it's nice to–I can plan that I have one more year and turn pro next June. I continue to have that freedom of getting better, being with my teammates and then the decision's already made. It just seemed like everything fit the mold more perfectly when it came to staying another year, continuing to develop and trying to almost use it as a “TOUR” year, trying new things, trying to be a pro golfer in college, which I feel like is definitely possible with how good college golf is now.

For me, it’s trying to make the transition that much smoother. I feel like watching Ludvig, you can tell it's not like he's trying to learn courses and learn how to be a PGA TOUR player. I feel like he did a really good job of his senior year, playing it like a “TOUR” year and then when he came out on TOUR, you could tell he was ready.

PGATOUR.COM: You played the Masters, a couple of TOUR events – are there areas of your game that you’d still like to refine before you start full-time on TOUR?

SARGENT: The bad shots, where they end up, is the biggest thing when you watch a PGA TOUR player when they're on. Their misses are in better spots. So just continuing to develop consistency–Scottie Scheffler was a great example of playing boring golf, right? He's not doing anything crazy, not doing anything stupid. You can do that in college golf. I mean, is it going to be as fun? Maybe not, but just kind of seeing and making slow progress. Even this spring, (I) feel like I haven't played very well in the first couple events, but I felt like I matured and found ways to hit different shots and had the freedom to work on things that I know that I'll need.

I feel like that's one of the real big benefits in college is that, every single week on the PGA TOUR you're trying to win. As a college program, we have had our eyes on the NCAAs all year, but if we have to take a step back at one tournament, I don't think it's too big of a deal – just being able to have the freedom to work on things. Being with my teammates, traveling to some great places–it's one of those situations where you kind of never want to leave.

PGATOUR.COM: Did you feel pressure – external or internal – to turn professional now?

SARGENT: I think from people who've never played college golf, who don't understand the situation that college golfers are in, where it's the best time in their lives. I didn't love the idea of not knowing what the next couple of months held, so I may have put a little bit of pressure on myself. I was trying to make a decision, but I figured, get through the first few events in the spring and it'll kind of unfold itself. I just came to the point where everyone around me decided staying was a good option, and if pro golf is always going to be there and you can have another year to get some reps under your belt, I feel like it's really beneficial.

PGATOUR.COM: What’s the one thing you’re looking forward to over the next year now that you know you’re staying in college?

SARGENT: Being on a new team is always fun. I think being a senior will be cool, too, just kind of being one of the leaders. Obviously, Jackson (Van Paris) and I will be the two seniors, so it'll be nice to be one of the guys on the team that everyone looks up to. It'll be cool next year when we have some younger guys, we can as seniors go to take some freshmen, sophomores under our belt and see how good we can get. I think there were a lot of expectations this year and we're looking forward to the postseason, but I think just staying another year, being a senior, enjoying the college life and while also knowing, I mean knowing there's a PGA TOUR card still waiting for you, it gives you a lot of freedom if you need to make some changes. Then off the golf course, just continue to mature as a person and just better prepare myself for the future.

25 - 28 Apr 2024

UAE Challenge

Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, Abu Dhabi, UAE

DP World Tour Partners

Post Malone Turns Stagecoach Into ’90s/’00s Night, and Miranda Lambert Gets ‘Fancy’-ful With Reba, on Fest’s Guest-Star-Studded Night 2

Willie Nelson's classics-filled set and Charley Crockett's vintage-worthy originals also drew a compelling connection between country's past and present.

By Chris Willman

Chris Willman

Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic

• Taylor Swift Debuts With 2.61 Million Units for ‘The Tortured Poets Department,’ the Best Number for Any Album in Nine Years 4 hours ago
• Post Malone Turns Stagecoach Into ’90s/’00s Night, and Miranda Lambert Gets ‘Fancy’-ful With Reba, on Fest’s Guest-Star-Studded Night 2 6 hours ago
• At Stagecoach, Eric Church Brings a Full Choir, Saves His Band for the Finale and Has His Polarized Fans Debating a Love-It-or-Leave-It Set 1 day ago

Beyoncé did not show up. Reba did. And it was enough. At least it was for the 70,000 in Indio watching the Stagecoach festival live, if not necessarily all of the probably hundreds of thousands more tuned in at home strictly in hopes of a Bey sighting. As single ladies doubling up, Miranda Lambert and Reba McEntire may not quite have broken the internet the way a “Cowboy Carter” cameo would have, but in the flesh, it felt like their climactic three-song duets segment sure broke Stagecoach.

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He could have been mistaken for a true country traditionalist if not for his habit of inserting the F-word into literally every sentence, or close to it, between numbers. (Evans may have been the only person in his set who did not get an F-bomb as their new middle name, or at least a prefix.) But first up among his guests was Yoakam, who’d had the top spot in the Palomino tent the night before, walking out partway into “Little Ways.” Earlier in the set, Malone had done a little bit of wiggling, so it seemed clear he was familiar with Yoakam’s ouevre.

Better in boots @PostMalone Watch more from the Stagecoach 2024 livestream, only on @PrimeVideo and @amazonmusic 's Twitch channel. https://t.co/f1vz7Ez3bl pic.twitter.com/WhEaIhPwiP — Stagecoach Festival (@Stagecoach) April 28, 2024

Evans got the classic “Suds in the Bucket” all to herself as a lead vocalist, as Malone apparently decided he was not the one to tell a young woman’s story. (“Suds,” for any younger fans who may not be familiar with it, is basically the precursor to Taylor Swift’s “But Daddy I Love Him.”)

But the most stage time was given over to MVP Paisley, who sidled up alongside Malone for a duet of the fish-over-ho’s anthem “I’m Gonna Miss Her,” stayed on stage to be a Gill proxy as guitar soloist on “One More Last Chance,” and then returned at set’s end for more fireworks on “Chattahoochie,” as Jelly Roll came out and sang along. Paisley may have gotten more soloing time than he bargained for; the set went several minutes past its scheduled ending time as Malone worked the ramp to sign autographs and pose for pictures, while the band, Paisley included, vamped through a very extended outro.

By all rights, Lambert should have had a hard time following that. She did not. Even without the added power of a big McEntire attack, Lambert reminded the audience — song by song — that she has a strong a catalog as anyone in country music, and that on top of that, she has an hour and a half’s worth of rich, recognizable, high-concept bangers, with only “Bluebird,” “Tin Man” and obviously “The House That Built Me” built into the set as mellow moments. Her band played with a consistent rock ‘n’ roll fury, albeit with steel guitar licks now laden liberally over almost everything… to everything’s benefit. Whoever the entertainer of the year may be at any given recent point, Lambert has a strong claim on being country’s entertainer of the two-decades.

“Drunk (and I Don’t Wanna Go Home)” was performed as a duet, albeit with Lambert’s backup singer, not Elle King, who had apparently moved on after playing the main stage Friday night. (King, who rearranged some of her material to better befit the rock band she’s out with, had done a less immediately recognizable version of their joint hit the night before, albeit still a good one.) Even though it represented a moment of shared and not individual glory in her career, Lambert’s “Drunk” felt like a natural set climax, especially when someone hit the pyro button for finale-suggestive fireworks.

Two queens of country @mirandalambert @reba Tune in to the @AmazonMusic Stagecoach livestream, hosted on @PrimeVideo and the Amazon Music Twitch channel. https://t.co/f1vz7Ez3bl pic.twitter.com/Amh3v9KBou — Stagecoach Festival (@Stagecoach) April 28, 2024

Willie Nelson kept the “features” in his set to immediate family — as might have been guessed from the “Willie Nelson and Family” banner. It, too, was the source of some speculation about a Beyonce guest appearance, due to his recent appearance on “Cowboy Carter”… and because, you know, Beyonce casually sits in on other people’s acoustic-oriented sets so often . (Actually, sources insisted she was at Stagecoach undercover, to observe, just as she allegedly had snuck into Coachella earlier this month, but we’ll believe it when we… still don’t see it?)

Whoever was tuning into Nelson’s set on the festival’s Prime Video/Twitch livestream just for the possibility of hearing Beyonce sing “Mamas, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboy Carters” got quite an inculcation into the most classic country of the last half-century. Hustling through 18 songs in just 45 minutes (if the closing instrumental of “I Saw the Light” during his final bows counts), Nelson established that, yes, OK, there are still living country superstars with even greater catalogs than Lambert’s. But for all the perennials like “Whiskey River” on view again — not to mention the still-underrated “Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground,” one of the greatest breakup songs ever written — the set’s highlight may have been the sound of Willie and Lukas sharing sublime family harmonies on Pearl Jam’s “Just Breathe.”

Nelson has a hard time settling on reverence or irreverence — which is exactly as it should be, and as you’d hope — so the expected gospel finale of “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” and “I’ll Fly Away” was sandwiched right between two songs that take the piss out of everything, “Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die” and “It’s Hard to Be Humble.” Nelson also brought out a few less mandatory songs from his early catalog, like “I Never Cared for You,” the least reciprocated song title in Stagecoach history.

It’s a family affair @WillieNelson Watch the #Stagecoach 2024 livestream, only on @PrimeVideo and @AmazonMusic 's Twitch channel. https://t.co/f1vz7Ez3bl pic.twitter.com/aOYDDJfpK5 — Stagecoach Festival (@Stagecoach) April 28, 2024

With Post Malone and Nelson both dressing down for the occasion, Lambert had the clear lead in the day’s best-dressed competition, decked out in gorgeous, turquoise-accented Western-wear (with a hat that surely had to have been crazy-glued onto her head, given the wind gusts she understandably kept remarking on). She had some competition there, of course, with the always stylish Charley Crockett, one of the highlights Saturday in the Palomino tent, where he made the most of original songs from his just-released “$10 Cowboy” album that recall country’s golden era as surely as Nelson’s tunes from that actual period did.

No horse to ride, but one hell of a time #LukeGrimes Tune in to the @AmazonMusic Stagecoach livestream, hosted on @PrimeVideo and the Amazon Music Twitch channel. https://t.co/f1vz7Ez3bl pic.twitter.com/cWiq6hR4xH — Stagecoach Festival (@Stagecoach) April 28, 2024

Could Beyoncé still show up on Sunday? Anything’s possible — except for that happening during Morgan Wallen’s headlining set, because we’re pretty sure that is not possible. But Sunday does promise performances from three more artists who appeared on the “Cowboy Carter” album: Shaboozey, Willie Jones and Brittney Spencer. Other draws for Sunday include the War and Treaty, Megan Moroney, Clint Black, Bailey Zimmerman, Pam Tillis, Ashley Cooke, the Beach Boys and an after-hours closing set from Wiz Khalifa.

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Report: Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy will get huge loyalty bonuses from PGA Tour

Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy are among the golfers expected to be given equity in PGA Tour Enterprises as a thank you for sticking with the Tour instead of jumping to rival LIV Golf, the Telegraph reported on Wednesday.

Woods will receive a $100 million and McIlroy a $50 million stake in the newly-formed enterprise for not taking lucrative offers from the Saudi-backed LIV as merger negotiations between the two circuits continue to drag on.

A substantial portion of current PGA Tour members will be rewarded with equity in the new for-profit entity, according to a memo sent out in February by commissioner Jay Monahan and seen by Reuters.

PGA Tour Enterprises is majority owned by the Tour and bolstered by a $1.5 billion investment by Strategic Sports Group, a consortium of sports team owners, the memo said.

The program will reward top performing members and legends who helped build the modern PGA Tour, the memo said.

The initial round of player equity grants will total $930 million and will be awarded to 193 PGA Tour members, with the majority of that going to the top 36 players as determined by a performance-based formula, the memo said.

All initial grants will require players to compete in 15 or more events on the PGA Tour and/or complete service requirements commensurate with the value of the grant.

A spokespersonfor the PGA Tour said the Tour could not comment on any detail of the Telegraph report due to U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission regulations and private financial information.