The logo for the newly announced tournament, which will be sponsored by a group made up of several regional and state economic development and tourism organizations.
The Dominion Energy Charity Classic’s 10-year run in Richmond has come to an end, but pro golf is set to continue on in the region.
The PGA announced today it will relocate its Korn Ferry Tour Championship from French Lick, Indiana, to The Federal Club in the Glen Allen area of Hanover County, as part of a deal to replace the DECC and keep a professional-level golf tournament in the region for at least the next four years.
The new event, which will begin next October, is billed as the “Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by Virginia’s Richmond Region,” thanks to a lead sponsorship package covered by four groups: Henrico Economic Development Authority; Henrico Sports & Entertainment Authority; Richmond Region Tourism; and the Virginia Tourism Corp.
Swapping the DECC for the Korn Ferry event means Richmonders will get to see the up-and-comers of pro golf, rather than the legends of the game.
The Korn Ferry Tour is the developmental circuit for players working their way up to the PGA’s top tier. That’s the opposite end of the age spectrum compared to the DECC, which was part of PGA Tour Champions, featuring players age 50 and up, including many household names from years past. For example, Justin Leonard outdueled Ernie Els on Sunday at CCV to win this year’s DECC.
Landing the Korn Ferry event ends nearly two years of speculation over whether the PGA would be able to find enough local sponsorship dollars and a new local course to replace Dominion Energy and the Country Club of Virginia’s James River Course, which had respectively sponsored and hosted the DECC each year since its inception in 2016.
The Dominion Energy Charity Classic was part of Tour Champions’ Charles Schwab Cup playoff series.
The DECC has been a success by several measures, including raising more than $14 million for charity over its 10-year run and consistently drawing large crowds of spectators and volunteers, along with strong corporate sponsorship buy-in.
But when Dominion and CCV announced in 2023 that they no longer would support the tournament after 2025, the tour set out to find a way to keep some form of a pro event in the region.
Led locally by DECC executive director Steve Schoenfeld, the tour initially searched for a single sponsor with pockets deep enough to replace Dominion and the “mid-seven-figure” annual fee it paid for its title sponsorship and maintain a Tour Champions event in the region.
When that didn’t pan out, Schoenfeld’s team pivoted late last year to try to find a foursome that could share the title role. At some point since then and with a deadline looming, the team pivoted again to the idea of a Korn Ferry event, which calls for a lower sponsorship investment than the typical Tour Champions price tag. And the aforementioned economic development and tourism groups signed on.
The financial specifics of the sponsorship package for the new Korn Ferry event were not disclosed.
Alex Baldwin, president of the Korn Ferry Tour, suggested that the region’s overall support of the DECC helped land the new event.
“This community has been an incredible host to a PGA Tour Champions event for a decade, and we’re looking forward to building on the foundation they’ve established in this area,” Baldwin said in a prepared statement.
The local Korn Ferry event will be managed by Schoenfeld and the same team that’s handled the DECC since it launched.
Steve Schoenfeld
“Our local team that has managed the Dominion Energy Charity Classic is thrilled to have the opportunity to continue in the same capacity for the Korn Ferry Tour Championship,” Schoenfeld said in a statement. “The support the community has demonstrated over the past ten years has been nothing short of spectacular, so we are excited to be able to remain here and cannot wait to get started on this next chapter of professional golf in the Richmond region.”
The new event is set for Oct. 5-11 at the Federal Club and will be the season-ending tournament for the Korn Ferry Tour and the deciding event of its annual Korn Ferry Tour Finals. The tournament will culminate in a PGA Tour Card ceremony, in which the tour’s top 20 players will receive the coveted designation allowing them to step up to the big leagues.
All four rounds of the tournament will be broadcast live on the Golf Channel, bringing some added national spotlight to The Federal Club, a private course near the Hanover-Henrico County line. The tournament has previously been held at the Pete Dye Course at French Lick Resort in French Lick, Indiana.
“We are honored to host the Korn Ferry Tour Championship at The Federal Club,” Federal Club owner Anne Gail Jennings said in prepared remarks. “This season-finale event is a pivotal part of the players’ journey to the PGA Tour and provides a fantastic showcase not only for our golf course, but for the greater Richmond region, all while making an impact on the community. Our membership is proud to have The Federal Club play host to such a meaningful moment in these players’ careers.”
Hole 9 at the Federal Club leads into its clubhouse. (Courtesy Federal Club)
The tour’s agreement with The Federal Club is set to run for four years, according to today’s announcement, but exactly how long the tournament will stay at the Hanover course remains to be seen.
Neighboring Henrico County has previously stated its desire to host professional golf within its boundaries. CCV’s James River Course is in Henrico, and the county has said it valued the economic impact that came along with the DECC.
Henrico went as far as paying $3 million last year to purchase The Crossings Golf Club near Virginia Center Commons with the hopes of renovating it in time to host the 2026 incarnation of the DECC.
With the DECC on its way out and the renovations needed at The Crossings yet to begin, it appears Henrico did the next best thing to show its commitment to pro golf by purchasing two of the four shared sponsorship slots for the Korn Ferry event.
And today’s announcement alluded to the idea that the tournament may still eventually relocate to The Crossings, which would bring it back to Henrico.
“The Federal Club will provide an exceptional stage in 2026, and we look forward to building on this partnership and showcasing future venues, including The Crossings in Henrico, as premier destinations for professional golf,” Dan Schmitt, chair of the Henrico County Board of Supervisors and member of Richmond Region Tourism’s executive committee said in the tour’s press release.
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