AKRON, Ohio — After more than seven decades of professional golf at Akron’s storied Firestone Country Club, one of the PGA Tour Champions’ flagship events is packing its bags and heading out of Northeast Ohio.
The Senior Players Championship, most recently known as the Kaulig Companies Championship, will make its move to Newport Beach, California, in 2027, bringing a long-cherished tradition in Akron to a close.
For countless families across Northeast Ohio, attending the tournament has been a summer ritual passed down through generations.
The curtain will fall on Firestone Country Club on July 9–12, before the tournament heads west and relaunches as the Hoag Senior Players Championship at Newport Beach Country Club.
Firestone’s ties to professional golf stretch all the way back to 1954, when it first opened its fairways to the tournament under the name Rubber City Open. Over the years, the course became a beloved destination for some of the sport’s greatest names, including during the celebrated Bridgestone Invitational era.
Hudson-based Kaulig Companies stepped in as title sponsor in 2019, but that chapter will close after this year’s tournament wraps up.
“We’ve had a tremendous run in Akron at Firestone Country Club. We are really excited to be there in July. Such a great historic golf course, the players love it, but all good things come to an end, and it’s time for us to move to a new venue,” said Miller Brady, President of PGA Tour Champions.
The Northern Ohio Golf Charities Foundation reports that the tournament has pumped more than $34 million into local organizations over its lifetime.
In a statement, the foundation said, “Our work has always been about more than the leaderboard. It is about the organizations throughout Northeast Ohio that benefit from the proceeds of these events.”
The organization also highlighted that thousands of dedicated volunteers have shown up each summer to keep the tournament running smoothly.
While the event’s departure delivers a significant blow to local golf fans, Northern Ohio Golf Charities has made clear it will press on with its mission of uplifting community programs and charitable organizations throughout the region.
A town hall meeting on the transition will take place on June 2 at 6 p.m. at Firestone Country Club’s media center, 440 East Warner Road, Akron, OH 44319.
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