AKRON, Ohio (WOIO) – Professional golf will leave Firestone Country Club after this summer, ending a 72-year run of PGA Tour events in Akron.
The Kaulig Companies Championship, one of the PGA Tour Champions’ top tournaments, will move to California next year after a new sponsor took over the event.
Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus and virtually every PGA player in the last several decades have played at Firestone Country Club.
The World Golf Championship left the area after 2018, but the Senior Players Championship took over in 2019.
A Firestone Country Club spokesperson said the club looks forward to hosting professional golf again in the future.
“Firestone has proudly hosted world-class players from both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour for decades, bringing our course to a national audience and establishing a legacy that few clubs can match,” the spokesperson said. “This remarkable history will always be a fundamental part of our identity. We look forward to making this last event the best one yet and hosting more professional golf at Firestone in the future.”
PGA Tour spokesperson Stewart Moore said the tour is grateful to Akron and Firestone Country Club for their support of professional golf.
In a statement Moore shared on behalf of the PGA Tour:
We are grateful to the city of Akron and Firestone Country Club for their longtime support of professional golf, including PGA TOUR Champions since 2019. Thank you to Kaulig Companies for their tremendous partnership with this event since 2022. We look forward to welcoming the game’s legends back to Northeast Ohio this July for what should be a great week of golf at the Kaulig Companies Championship.
A source 19 News spoke to within the PGA Tour said that Firestone C.C. is a championship golf course and that the greater community is incredibly supportive of as well. However, they need a title sponsor to show interest in bringing the PGA Tour back to the area.
If a title sponsor comes forward, they are always open to discussing bringing the PGA Tour back to Northeast Ohio.
Last year, the senior PGA tournament raised more than $2 million for local charities.
The city of Akron declined to comment on this matter.
Copyright 2026 WOIO. All rights reserved.