Blazing a trail towards a new era of professional golf in the Coachella Valley, The Galleri Classic began to unveil its blueprint in building the best field that PGA TOUR Champions golf has to offer by announcing its initial playing commitments. Fred Couples, the 1992 Masters champion, four-time major champion Ernie Els, 2003 U.S. Open champion Jim Furyk and 12-time PGA TOUR winner and 2021 United States Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker have all committed to play in The Galleri Classic.
The Galleri Classic, named after title sponsor GRAIL’s multi-cancer early detection test, debuts March 22-26 on the Dinah Shore Tournament Course at the renowned Mission Hills Country Club.
Bringing PGA TOUR Champions golf back to the Coachella Valley for the first time since 1993, The Galleri Classic will feature 78 PGA TOUR Champions pros – including World Golf Hall of Fame members — playing 54 holes (three rounds from Friday, March 24 through Sunday, March 26) for a $2.2 million purse.
“The Galleri Classic is thrilled to welcome Fred Couples, Ernie Els, Jim Furyk and Steve Stricker to help us establish a new, special desert golf tradition,” said Michelle DeLancy, tournament director of The Galleri Classic. “This foursome is proof positive of our commitment to bringing many of golf’s icons, fan favorites and the strongest field possible to a community that is perfectly matched for the PGA TOUR Champions.”
Couples and Els share in the honor of induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame (Els inducted in 2011, Couples in 2013), an exclusive roll call of being two of 25 golfers to have been No. 1-ranked players in the Official World Golf Ranking, and the artistry of having two of the most elegantly powerful swings in the sport’s history.
A part-time resident of the Coachella Valley, Couples – who owns 14 PGA TOUR Champions victories to go with his 15 wins on the PGA TOUR – has won two PGA TOUR Champions major tournaments and the Charles Schwab Cup Championship in 2013.
Regarded as one of South Africa’s two most accomplished golfers in history, Els counts the 1994 and 1997 U.S. Open and crowns at the 2002 and 2012 Open Championship among his 19 career PGA TOUR victories. He enters his third PGA TOUR Champions season while having recorded 32 top-10 results in 59 starts on the circuit.
Stricker, who captained the U.S. Ryder Cup team to its largest margin of victory ever in the event’s most recent edition in 2021, is currently the PGA TOUR Champions’ hottest golfer. He claimed the TOUR’s season-opening tournament last weekend in Hawaii to win his third consecutive PGA TOUR Champions start (the first golfer to achieve that feat since Couples did so in 2010), and his fourth win in his last five starts dating back to August 2022. Stricker’s 25-percent career win percentage (12 wins in 48 starts) is the highest in history among those with at least 10 victories on the PGA TOUR Champions.
After tallying 17 PGA TOUR victories and the 2010 FedExCup title on his career scorecard, Furyk joined PGA TOUR Champions in 2020 and won his first two starts. He added a third title, and his first senior major championship, at the 2021 U.S. Senior Open Championship.
The Galleri Classic’s ticket offerings, which can only be secured online at the event’s official website, www.thegallericlassic.com, include:
Single-day Grounds tickets (good any one day grounds-only admission for Pro-Am rounds March 22-23, or tournament competition rounds March 24-26) – $30
Weekly Grounds tickets (grounds-only admission good only for competition rounds March 24-26) – $65
Single-day Clubhouse tickets (good any one day during competition rounds March 24-26, and providing access to Mission Hills CC’s air-conditioned clubhouse as well as upgraded dining and beverage options for purchase at the Champions Café inside the clubhouse — $75
Weekly Clubhouse tickets (good only for all competition rounds March 24-26) – $150
For those seeking the most elevated, VIP-like spectator experience, The Champions Club on 18 is a covered, open-air venue featuring a birds-eye view of the PGA TOUR Champions competition beside the island green at the historic, par-5 18th hole, next to the legendary Poppie’s Pond. This all-inclusive ticket option is only open for competition rounds (March 24-26) and offers the most premium hospitality experience to enjoy, with complimentary food and full bar service. For information on group and corporate packages for the Champions Club on 18, please inquire at info@thegallericlassic.com.
Youth 15 and under will receive free grounds admission when accompanied by a ticketed adult. All children over the age of two must have their own Clubhouse or Champions Club on 18 ticket to enter either venue.
Limited spots remain toward The Galleri Classic’s official tournament Pro-Am, played March 22-23 (Wednesday and Thursday of tournament week). More information can be found by visiting www.thegallericlassic.com. The Galleri Classic Pro-Am provides an unmatched opportunity for golf enthusiasts to go inside the ropes for a fantasy-like, bucket-list experience of playing on Mission Hills CC’s Dinah Shore Tournament Course, set up to tournament conditions, with the tournament’s professionals.
Each Pro-Am participant is paired for a round of golf with a PGA TOUR Champions pro on either March 22 or March 23, and receives a Pro-Am package that includes an invitation to The Galleri Classic’s pairings party on March 21, a valet parking pass, breakfast, lunch and on-course refreshments on one Pro-Am play day (March 22 or March 23), a premium gift package, and a grounds badge providing tournament week access.
The Galleri Classic continues to seek volunteers to sign up for the inaugural event. Prospective volunteers can find more information, and complete and submit a registration form, at www.thegallericlassic.com.
The Galleri Classic has partnered with six cancer-related non-profit organizations based in the Coachella Valley and will direct a portion of its proceeds from its inaugural event to fund the local chapter of the American Cancer Society, Desert Cancer Foundation, Eisenhower Health, Hanson House, Pendleton Foundation and Shay’s Warriors Life After Cancer.
Stay up to date with the latest information on The Galleri Classic by visiting www.thegallericlassic.com and by following the tournament on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/gallericlassic), Instagram (@GalleriClassic) and Twitter (@GalleriClassic).
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