Darren Clarke and John Daly Receive Sponsor Exemptions
Tucson, Ariz. (February 19, 2020) – PGA TOUR Champions rookie Ernie Els, 2018 Cologuard Classic champion Steve Stricker, and two-time Masters champion José María Olazábal have committed to play in next week’s Cologuard Classic. In addition, tournament officials also announced that Darren Clarke and John Daly will receive sponsor exemptions into the PGA TOUR Champions’ event. The Cologuard Classic will be played February 26-March 1, 2020 at Omni Tucson National’s Catalina Course. A field of 78 players will vie for the $1.7 million purse with a first-place prize of $255,000.
PGA TOUR Champions golfers have until Friday, February 21 to commit to play in the Cologuard Classic. Therefore, the field will continue to change as players with higher priority rankings commit to play in the tournament.
Ernie Els makes his Tucson debut on the PGA TOUR Champions. Over his illustrious career, “The Big Easy” has 71 victories worldwide, including four major championships. In 2011, Els was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. This past December, Els captained the International Presidents Cup squad at Royal Melbourne. In his only other start on the PGA TOUR Champions, Els finished second to Miguel Angel Jiménez at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai in January.
Two-time Masters champion (1994 and 99) José María Olazábal will be making his third appearance at the Cologuard Classic after finishing T33 in 2019 and T43 in 2018. In his fourth season on the PGA TOUR Champions, Olazábal has three top 10 finishes in 30 events played. In one start on the PGA TOUR Champions in 2020, Olazábal finished tied for fifth at the Morocco Championship.
Steve Stricker, the 2018 Cologuard Classic tournament champion, returns to Tucson for the fourth time with three top six finishes in his first three starts. In nine starts on PGA TOUR Champions in 2019, Stricker tallied two major victories (Regions Tradition, U.S. Senior Open) and six top-10s. The Cologuard Classic will be Stricker’s first start on the PGA TOUR Champions in 2020. He already has four starts on the PGA TOUR in 2020, with his best finish coming at last week’s Genesis Invitational where he tied for 56th. Stricker will captain the U.S. Ryder Cup Team at Whistling Straits in September.
In 2020, Darren Clarke enters his second full season on the PGA TOUR Champions. A native of Northern Ireland, Clarke competed in the 2019 Cologuard Classic finishing tied for second, four strokes behind winner Mark O’Meara. His 2019 season included four top 10 finishes, including a T10 at the Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex.
John Daly, 53, will be playing in his third career Cologuard Classic and his second on a sponsor exemption (2019). At last year’s Cologuard Classic Daly finished 76th and in 2018, he finished T71. He has one career PGA TOUR Champions victory at the 2017 Insperity Invitational. In 2019, he posted three top 10 finishes, including a T5 at the American Family Insurance Championship in June. To date in 2020, Daly has three starts on the PGA TOUR Champions, with his best finish a T23 at last week’s Chubb Classic.
In addition to Clarke and Daly, former MLB pitcher John Smoltz also received a sponsor exemption into the 2020 Cologuard Classic. Tournament officials have two sponsor exemptions left to award in the coming days.
Els, Olazábal, Stricker, Clarke and Daly join an impressive field at the 2020 Cologuard Classic that also includes defending champion Mark O’Meara; 2019 Charles Schwab Cup winner Scott McCarron; Cologuard ambassador Jerry Kelly; 40-time PGA TOUR Champions winner Bernhard Langer; the talented and charismatic Miguel Angel Jiménez; and 2017 tournament champion Tom Lehman.
Alpha Field List
2020 Cologuard Classic
As of 2/19/2020
Allen, Michael
Ames, Stephen
Andrade, Billy
Austin, Woody
Barron, Doug
Broadhurst, Paul
Browne, Olin
Bryant, Bart
Byrd, Robin
Byrum, Tom
Cabrera, Ángel
Calcavecchia, Mark
Clarke, Darren*
Cook, John
Dawson, Marco
Daly, John*
DiMarco, Chris
Duke, Ken
Dunlap, Scott
Durant, Joe
Els, Ernie
Estes, Bob
Flesch, Steve
Frost, David
Funk, Fred
Garwood, Doug
Gillis, Tom
Goosen, Retief
Herron, Tim
Huston, John
Irwin, Hale
Jaidee, Thongchai
Janzen, Lee
Jiménez, Miguel Angel
Jobe, Brandt
Jones, Kent
Karlsson, Robert
Kelly, Jerry
Langer, Bernhard
Leaney, Stephen
Lehman, Tom
Maggert, Jeff
Mayfair, Billy
McCarron, Scott
McKenzie, David
Mediate, Rocco
Montgomerie, Colin
O'Meara, Mark
Olazábal, José María
Pampling, Rod
Parel, Scott
Parnevik, Jesper
Pavin, Corey
Pernice Jr., Tom
Perry, Kenny
Petrovic, Tim
Quigley, Brett
Roberts, Loren
Sauers, Gene
Short, Jr., Wes
Sindelar, Joey
Singh, Vijay
Sluman, Jeff
Smoltz, John*
Stricker, Steve
Sutherland, Kevin
Tanigawa, Ken
Tolles, Tommy
Toms, David
Triplett, Kirk
Verplank, Scott
Waldorf, Duffy
*Indicates Sponsor Exemptions
The 2020 tournament marks the third year of the Cologuard Classic, named after Wisconsin-based Exact Sciences’ noninvasive at-home colon cancer screening test for average-risk individuals 45 years or older, and the sixth year the Conquistadores have partnered with the PGA TOUR Champions. Tournament activities will take place February 23 – March 1 at Omni Tucson National Resort and will feature a 78- player field competing for a $1.7 million purse with $255,000 and 255 Charles Schwab Cup points for the winner. The no-cut format includes three days of competition (Friday-Sunday) with players participating in pro-am events on Wednesday and Thursday. Tournament proceeds benefit youth athletic programs in Southern Arizona and colorectal cancer research and advocacy. For more information or tournament tickets, visit www.cologuardclassic.com.
ABOUT COLOGUARD
Cologuard was approved by the FDA in August 2014, and results from Exact Sciences' prospective 90-site, point-in-time, 10,000-patient pivotal trial were published in the New England Journal of Medicine in March 2014. Cologuard is included in the American Cancer Society's (2018) colorectal cancer screening guidelines and the recommendations of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (2016) and National Comprehensive Cancer Network (2016). Cologuard is indicated to screen adults 45 years of age and older who are at average risk for colorectal cancer by detecting certain DNA markers and blood in the stool. Do not use Cologuard if you have had precancer, have inflammatory bowel disease and certain hereditary syndromes, or have a personal or family history of colorectal cancer. Cologuard is not a replacement for colonoscopy in high risk patients. Cologuard performance in adults ages 45-49 is estimated based on a large clinical study of patients 50 and older. Cologuard performance in repeat testing has not been evaluated.
The Cologuard test result should be interpreted with caution. A positive test result does not confirm the presence of cancer. Patients with a positive test result should be referred for diagnostic colonoscopy. A negative test result does not confirm the absence of cancer. Patients with a negative test result should discuss with their doctor when they need to be tested again.
Medicare and most major insurers cover Cologuard. For more information about Cologuard, visit www.cologuardtest.com. Rx Only.
ABOUT PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS PGA TOUR
PGA TOUR Champions is a membership organization of professional golfers age 50 and older, including 33 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. In 2020, the PGA TOUR Champions schedule includes 27 tournaments across the United States, Morocco, Japan, England and Canada, with purses totaling nearly $59 million. The Charles Schwab Cup, which includes the Regular Season and the Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs, is used to determine the season-long champion. All events are televised in the United States, with most receiving complete coverage on Golf Channel, the exclusive cable-television partner of PGA TOUR Champions. Internationally, telecasts air in excess of 170 countries and territories, reaching more than 340 million potential households, and distributed in 15+ markets via GOLFTV. Follow PGA TOUR Champions online at PGATOUR.com, at facebook.com/PGATOURChampions, on Twitter @ChampionsTour and on Instagram @pgatourchampions.
ABOUT THE TUCSON CONQUISTADORES
The Tucson Conquistadores are the tournament management team that oversees the operations and the sales arm of the PGA TOUR Champions’ Cologuard Classic. Since their inception in 1962, the Conquistadores have contributed more than $35 million to local and national charities. The Conquistadores comprise of up to 60 active business and professional members, and a total membership of 215 who represent a cross-section of the Tucson community. In addition to their involvement with professional golf, the group has established the Tucson Conquistadores Foundation. Key beneficiaries of the Conquistadores' fundraising efforts include southern Arizona youth athletic programs, The First Tee of Tucson and colon cancer advocacy organizations. Follow the Tucson Conquistadores online at www.tucsonconquistadores.com and www.Facebook.com/TucsonConquistadores.
Tournament Media Contact: Rob Myers, rob@rmprgroup.com, 602-317-6131
