Ernie Els Brings Major Championship Résumé to the Jefferson Lehigh Valley Classic Presented by Sodexo

ALLENTOWN, Pa. – The Jefferson Lehigh Valley Classic presented by Sodexo takes place next week, September 28 to October 4, 2026, at Lehigh Country Club in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

The Jefferson Lehigh Valley Classic is a Regular Season PGA Tour Champions event in 2026, which will give way to the Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs, a season-ending, three-tournament series that concludes with the Charles Schwab Cup Championship in Phoenix, Arizona, used to determine the Tour’s season-long champion.

The 2026 PGA Tour Champions schedule features 28 events, with players competing for more than $70 million in total prize money, the highest in PGA Tour Champions’ 46-season history.

Tournament officials announced today that the Jefferson Lehigh Valley Classic presented by Sodexo has accepted the entry of major championship winner and World Golf Hall of Fame member Ernie Els to compete in the inaugural edition of the official PGA Tour Champions event

Joining Els is international star Collin Montgomerie, senior major winner Jerry Kelly, two-time Charles Schwab Cup champion Jay Haas, and standout PGA Tour Champions rookie Ryan Armour.

The Jefferson Lehigh Valley Classic also announced today the tournament’s Music Happy Hour taking place on Saturday, October 3 from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in the Wind Creek Tailgate Zone. This special event is open to all patrons with a Saturday or full-week ticket and features Greater Philadelphia based high-energy cover band New Normal.

Tickets for the Jefferson Lehigh Valley Classic can be purchased by visiting the tournament website (jeffersonclassic.com). The tournament is open to spectators from Thursday (October 1) to Sunday (October 4) and ticket prices start at $15. Youth 17 and under receive free grounds access with a ticketed adult. For a complete listing of ticket options please CLICK HERE.

Els, 56, made his PGA TOUR Champions debut in January of 2020 with a T2 finish at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai. He grabbed his first senior victory two starts later at the Hoag Classic. A win at the 2020 SAS Championship gave Els two titles in his first 10 starts. The South African enjoyed a career PGA Tour Champions season in 2024 that included three wins, his first senior major (Kaulig Companies Championship) counted among them, and a second-place finish in the Charles Schwab Cup standings. He added another victory last season to bring his win total to seven and completed 2025 ranked No. 4 on the money list for his fifth consecutive top-10 finish in the race for the Charles Schwab Cup. Els has not finished outside the top 27 in over 16 starts this season, including seven inside the top 10 with two runner-up efforts, and sits at No. 8 in the current Charles Schwab Cup standings. Els is the owner of 42 international victories and 19 PGA Tour titles, including four major championships, two U.S. Open wins in 1994 and 1997, along with two The Open Championship titles in 2002 and 2012. In 2015 the “Big Easy” was named the recipient of the Payne Stewart Award by the PGA TOUR in recognition of character, sportsmanship, and dedication to charitable giving.

Montgomerie, 63, has a PGA Tour Champions resume that includes seven wins, including three senior major titles, highlighted by two in 2014 alone, capturing his first career PGA Tour Champions victory at the Senior PGA Championship followed by a win at the U.S. Senior Open Championship. The Scottish native finished his sophomore campaign ranked No. 2 in the Charles Schwab Cup standings. Montgomerie defended his Senior PGA Championship title in 2015 and added another win in 2016. He finished those two seasons ranked third and second respectively in the Schwab Cup standings. Montgomerie’s latest victory came in 2019 at the Invesco QQQ Championship and through nine starts this season he has recorded two top-25 finishes, including a third-place effort at the Regions Tradition. The 2013 World Golf Hall of Fame inductee is the owner of 42 international victories and was named European Tour Golfer of the Year on four occasions. Montgomerie was a member of eight consecutive European Ryder Cup teams (1991-2006), and captained Team Europe to a 2010 victory at Celtic Manor.

Haas, 72, began his PGA Tour Champions career with three starts in 2004 that included a third-place finish book ended by two runner-up efforts. Haas played 10 events the following year and recorded six top 10s with his first two PGA Tour Champions wins counted among them. Haas is the owner of 18 senior titles and five multi-win seasons. He captured four wins in back-to-back seasons in 2006 and 2007, winning consecutive Player of the Year honors and capturing his first Charles Schwab Cup trophy in 2006. The St. Louis native won his second Senior PGA Championship in 2008 en route to his second Schwab Cup title. Haas’s PGA Tour resume boasts nine wins, and the 2004 Payne Stewart Award recipient was a member of three U.S. Ryder Cup Teams and two U.S. Presidents Cup teams, in addition to captaining the U.S. to victory in South Korea in 2015.

Kelly, 59, received PGA Tour Champions Rookie of the Year honors for his debut season in 2017, which included 10 top-10 finishes, a second-place effort and two wins counted among them. Kelly’s rookie season also included a record 16 consecutive rounds in the 60s, breaking Hale Irwin's 18-year-old mark, and a sixth-place finish in the Charles Schwab Cup rankings. In 2020, Kelly won his first senior major at the Bridgestone Senior Players Championship and carded his first ace on the PGA Tour Champions during the final round. He would capture the title a second time in 2022, and in 2023, the Wisconsin native became the oldest player on record to make the cut at The Players Championship at the age of 56. This season Kelly sits at No. 12 in the Schwab Cup rankings on the strength of three top-10 finishes, including his 14th career victory and third senior major at the ISPS HANDA Senior Open. On the PGA Tour, Kelly’s resume contains three wins and a Presidents Cup appearance in 2003.

Armour, 50, has recorded six top-25 finishes over the first 13 starts of his PGA Tour Champions rookie season. His last four starts have produced three top-five results, highlighted by a third-place finish at Sanford International. The Ohio native’s professional resume includes a PGA Tour victory at the 2017 Sanderson Farms Championship and one Korn Ferry Tour title at the 2016 Panama Claro Championship.

The Jefferson Lehigh Valley Classic presented by Sodexo is a Regular Season PGA Tour Champions event in 2026, which will give way to the Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs¾a season-ending, three-tournament series that concludes with the Charles Schwab Cup Championship in Phoenix, Arizona, used to determine the Tour’s season-long champion. The 2026 PGA Tour Champions schedule features 28 events, with players competing for more than $70 million in total prize money, the highest in PGA Tour Champions’ 46-season history.

All three rounds of the Jefferson Lehigh Valley Classic will be televised on GOLF Channel, the exclusive cable-television partner of PGA Tour Champions. Internationally, PGA Tour Champions coverage is available in more than 170 countries and territories via 22 media partners.

Tournament proceeds will benefit local charities in Northeastern Pennsylvania and throughout the greater Philadelphia and Lehigh Valley regions, including the primary beneficiaries of the inaugural tournament, Eagles Autism Foundation, Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation, and Valley Youth House.

For more information about the Jefferson Lehigh Valley Classic, including sponsorships, hospitality, Pro-Am, and volunteer opportunities, visit the tournament website at jeffersonclassic.com. For the latest news and updates on social media, follow the tournament on X at @JeffLVClassic, on Instagram at @jeffersonlvclassic, and on Facebook at JeffersonLVClassic.

About New Normal

With their contagious chemistry and a wild sense of humor, New Normal knows how to break down the barrier between band and crowd. Their playful banter and spontaneous antics turn strangers into a dance floor full of new friends. The result? A room buzzing with energy, laughter, and the kind of memories that last way beyond closing time.

Their playlist is a genre-jumping joyride — classic throwbacks reimagined with edge, and modern hits delivered with punch and personality. Whether you’re into ‘90s jams or top 40 bangers, they’ve got a mashup that’ll get you moving. From local stages to legendary venues, New Normal brings the party and makes new fans wherever they go! For more information please visit newnormalpa.com.

About Jefferson Lehigh Valley Classic

The Jefferson Lehigh Valley Classic is an official event on the PGA Tour Champions operated by Tournaments for Charity, a Pennsylvania nonprofit corporation. This 54-hole stroke play golf tournament features 78 PGA Tour Champions professionals competing for a $2.3 million purse at the historic Lehigh Country Club in Allentown, Pa. The event is designed to showcase the best golf on the PGA Tour Champions for the enjoyment of spectators and to benefit local charities throughout the greater Philadelphia and Lehigh Valley regions and Northeastern Pennsylvania. All three official rounds will be internationally televised on GOLF Channel.

For more information about the Jefferson Lehigh Valley Classic, please visit jeffersonclassic.com. For the latest tournament news and updates on social media, follow the Jefferson Lehigh Valley Classic on X, Instagram, and Facebook at @jeffersonclassic.com.

About Jefferson

Jefferson is reimagining health care and higher education to create unparalleled value throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. More than 65,000 people strong, Jefferson is dedicated to providing high-quality, compassionate clinical care for patients; making our communities healthier and stronger; preparing tomorrow's professional leaders for 21st-century careers; and creating new knowledge through basic/programmatic, clinical and applied research. Thomas Jefferson University, home of Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Jefferson College of Nursing, the College of Business, the College of Fashion & Textiles, and the College of Architecture, Design & Engineering, dates back to 1824 and today comprises 11 colleges and one school offering 200+ undergraduate and graduate programs to more than 8,700 students. Jefferson Health, nationally ranked as one of the top 15 not-for-profit healthcare systems in the country and the largest provider in the Philadelphia and Lehigh Valley areas, serves patients through millions of encounters each year at 33 hospital campuses and more than 700 outpatient and urgent care locations throughout the region. Jefferson Health Plans is a not-for-profit managed healthcare organization offering a broad range of health coverage options to more than 400,000 members for more than 40 years.

About Sodexo North America

Sodexo North America is a division of Sodexo Group, a global Fortune 500 company operating in 45 countries and a leading provider of sustainable food and integrated facilities management in all 50 U.S. states, Canada, Puerto Rico and Guam, at every moment in life: learn, work, heal and play.

Across the U.S., the company employs over 100,000 people and indirectly supports tens of thousands of additional jobs by annually purchasing goods and services from a wide range of small to large businesses.

Sodexo North America is committed to meeting the challenges of everyday life with a dual goal: to improve the quality of life of our employees and those we serve, and to contribute to the economic, social and environmental progress in the communities where we operate. Our purpose is to create a better every day for everyone to build a better life for all.

About PGA Tour Champions

PGA Tour Champions is a membership organization of professional golfers age 50 and older, including 35 members of the World Golf Hall of Fame. The Tour’s mission is to provide financial opportunities for its players, entertain and inspire its fans, deliver substantial value to its partners, create outlets for volunteers to give back and generate significant charitable and economic impact in tournament communities. Follow PGA Tour Champions online at PGATour.com, on Facebook, on X (@ChampionsTour), on Instagram (@pgatourchampions) and on TikTok (pgatourchampions).

All events are televised in the United States on Golf Channel, the exclusive cable-television partner of PGA Tour Champions. Internationally, PGA Tour Champions coverage is available in more than 170 countries and territories via 22 broadcast partners.

About HNS Sports Group

HNS Sports Group is well positioned to assist companies that find value in the golf industry and build and execute comprehensive golf branding or sponsorship strategies. Effectively understanding the golf marketplace today is a significant challenge, and the HNS Sports Group team possesses over 150 years of collective experience that is applied to lead companies in their efforts to maximize value from golf sponsorship and event participation. To learn more about HNS Sports Group, visit www.hnssports.com.

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