Professional golf is concluding a long-standing relationship with Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio, after 72 years of hosting PGA Tour events. The Kaulig Companies Championship, currently known as the Senior Players Championship, will serve as the final tournament at the venue for the foreseeable future. The tour announced in late May that the event will relocate to Newport Beach Country Club in California for next year, where it will be renamed the Hoag Senior Players Championship.
Firestone Country Club was established in 1924 by Harvey S. Firestone, the entrepreneur whose tire company became a global enterprise. The club has hosted professional golf since 1954, with the South Course becoming the anchor for the tour after the PGA Tour was formed in 1968. At that time, tour officials chose to keep the World Series of Golf at Firestone rather than the Ryder Cup. The venue has a rich history, including hosting three televised events in 1974, a feat that has not been repeated.
Legendary players have defined the course's legacy. Jack Nicklaus won seven times at Firestone, including the 1975 PGA Championship, after playing his first tour event there in 1958. Arnold Palmer won three times and named the par-5 16th hole "The Monster." Tiger Woods secured eight victories at the club over a 14-year period, drawing large crowds that have diminished in recent years.
Current and former players expressed regret over the departure. Davis Love III, who is returning to the course for the first time since 2022, called the move a shame given the tour's long history there. Stewart Cink, who won the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone in 2004, described the course as hallowed ground and noted the sadness of seeing it leave the calendar. The club itself has not wanted the run to end, but other stakeholders are no longer committed to the tradition.
The tournament will move to Newport Beach, which has hosted a PGA Tour Champions event since 1995. The relocation comes shortly after news of civil unrest in the city, which resulted in over 400 arrests. Details regarding any future return to Firestone remain unclear.
