For several months now, Kentucky’s only annual PGA Tour event has faced an uncertain future.
And there are still no concrete answers about the future of PGA Tour golf in the commonwealth.
Since 2018, the Barbasol Championship — played at the Champions at Keene Trace golf course in Nicholasville — has been an annual stop during the PGA Tour’s regular season.
But the event’s sponsorship deal with Barbasol, an American shaving brand, expired after the 2023 tournament.
The unclear future of PGA Tour golf in Kentucky became even more apparent this week, when the Tour released its 2024 season schedule.
That schedule features a slot for when the Barbasol Championship would normally be contested: from July 11-14 and at the same time as the Scottish Open, which is held the week prior to a major championship, the British Open.
But that slot for 2024 contains the words “TBA” with relation to the event name, golf course and location.
Dan Koett — the director of media and public relations for what was known as the Barbasol Championship — told the Herald-Leader on Thursday evening the PGA Tour will hold an event during that July 11-14 window.
The only question is who will sponsor it, and where will it be played.
Koett said the Keene Trace ownership group, as well as SPORTFIVE — the sports marketing agency that managed the Barbasol Championship, along with other PGA Tour events — are working to identify a new title sponsor for what was known as the Barbasol Championship.
Koett said the intent is to keep the event at Keene Trace in Nicholasville.
“There are conversations actively happening, conversations that happened as recently as this week, and there are more conversations being scheduled,” Koett said. “We are hopeful. We’ve left the door open that professional golf, PGA Tour golf, can remain here in the commonwealth.”
Koett also said he’s hopeful an update on the tournament will arrive within the next month, but that timeline could stretch longer.
“Will (the TBA event) remain in Nicholasville, Kentucky? We’re very hopeful for that,” Koett said. “But the possibility exists that it could move somewhere else.”
Koett didn’t specify which other locations could host the tournament.
Doc Rodman walks to the ninth green during the 2023 Barbasol Championship. According to Dan Koett, the director of media and public relations for the tournament, the Barbasol has recorded an increase in attendance, ratings and revenue each year it’s been held in Kentucky. Ryan C. Hermens rhermens@herald-leader.com
When asked by the Herald-Leader about which factors would determine where the PGA Tour event is held, Koett said a main factor is finding a sponsor that would be committed to a four- or five-year partnership with the Tour.
“It’s trying to find (a sponsor) who makes sense, not only from a financial standpoint, but for someone who is going to be in alignment with the Tour’s values,” Koett said, noting that multiple sponsors could be involved with the tournament.
Something that is working in favor of the PGA Tour staying in Nicholasville?
Five prior editions of the Barbasol Championship that were contested at Keene Trace, and the data points those tournaments provided regarding the viability of having a PGA Tour event in Central Kentucky.
“If it’s an event that has five years behind it, but it’s just not seeing any kind of incremental growth or any kind of momentum behind the event, the Tour might be more inclined to say, ‘Hey, we should probably consider a different location,’” Koett said.
“We saw incremental growth each year. We’ve had an increase in revenue, in attendance, in ratings, and then volunteer participation,” Koett said of the Barbasol, which saw an increase from 650 to 800 volunteers from the 2022 to 2023 editions.
Vincent Norrman watches his shot on the 18th green during the 2023 PGA Barbasol Championship in Nicholasville. Norrman won the tournament in a playoff. Ryan C. Hermens rhermens@herald-leader.com
A new tournament director in 2024
Whatever becomes of the tournament, it will again allow access to both PGA Tour and DP World Tour members in 2024, according to the PGA Tour’s schedule release.
A new tournament director will also be overseeing the event.
Darren Nelson, who served as the tournament director for the last two Barbasol Championships, will now be the tournament director for the Myrtle Beach Classic, a new PGA Tour event to be held in May in South Carolina.
Koett said once details are finalized for the future of what was formerly called the Barbasol Championship, a tournament director will be appointed.
Barbasol Championship history in Kentucky
Since it moved to Kentucky from Alabama in 2018, the Barbasol Championship had been contested five times at Keene Trace.
When the tournament arrived in Kentucky, it became the state’s first regular-season PGA Tour event since the Kentucky Derby Open was held in Louisville from 1957-59. (The 2024 PGA Championship will be contested in May at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville.)
Several changes occurred to the tournament structure since it moved to the commonwealth, most notably with the event’s field makeup and what the winner received.
The 2018, 2019 and 2021 editions of the Barbasol were all opposite field events played at the same time as a major championship: the British Open. (The 2020 Barbasol Championship was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.)
That changed in 2022, and the winner of that year’s Barbasol — Trey Mullinax — received the final spot into the British Open field. Mullinax finished in a tie for 21st in the 150th edition of the British Open, which was played at historic St Andrews in Scotland.
Vincent Norrman, who won the 2023 Barbasol in a playoff, didn’t receive a spot into the British Open.
All of these changing dynamics regarding the future of PGA Tour golf in Kentucky are unfolding alongside an uncertain future for the sport itself.
In June, a proposed deal was announced between the PGA Tour and DP World Tour and the Public Investment Fund, which is the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia and the financial backer of the controversial LIV Golf tour.
This story was originally published August 10, 2023 at 8:02 PM.
Cameron Drummond works as a sports reporter for the Lexington Herald-Leader with a focus on Kentucky men’s basketball recruiting and the UK men’s basketball team, horse racing, soccer and other sports in Central Kentucky. Drummond is a second-generation American who was born and raised in Texas, before graduating from Indiana University. He is a fluent Spanish speaker who previously worked as a community news reporter in Austin, Texas.Support my work with a digital subscription
Get one year of unlimited digital access for $159.99
