Golf legends, $50M-plus in economic impact, and a national TV spotlight are headed to Lehigh Country Club this fall. Here's the full breakdown.
For one week this fall, the Lehigh Valley becomes a stop on professional golf's senior circuit. The inaugural Jefferson Lehigh Valley Classic runs September 28 through October 4, 2026, at Lehigh Country Club in Lower Macungie Township, bringing a field of 78 PGA Tour Champions players, a $2.3 million purse, and 18 hours of Golf Channel coverage to a region that has rarely seen this kind of national sports spotlight.
The five-year partnership between Jefferson Health, the PGA Tour Champions, and Lehigh Country Club is being pitched as more than a golf tournament. Organizers say it will drive somewhere between $50 million and $100 million in economic activity, deliver millions to local charities, and put the Lehigh Valley on television screens in more than 170 countries.
Here is everything to know before the first tee shot.
The Field: Hall of Famers Are Coming to Allentown
This is not a developmental field. The Jefferson Lehigh Valley Classic is currently the only PGA Tour Champions event in the mid-Atlantic, and the 78-player field is expected to include some of the most decorated names in the sport.
Confirmed and expected names include Bernhard Langer, Steve Stricker, Stewart Cink, Ernie Els, Padraig Harrington, Fred Couples, Vijay Singh, John Daly, Justin Leonard, and Darren Clarke. Between them, that group holds dozens of major championships and World Golf Hall of Fame credentials.
The format is a three-round, 54-hole stroke play competition running Friday through Sunday, October 2 through 4. Three pro-am tournaments precede the main event on September 28, 30, and October 1, with the first one billed as the Eagles and Friends Celebrity Pro-Am, putting amateurs alongside both golf and football legends.
The Venue: A 1928 William S. Flynn Course Most Locals Have Never Seen Inside
Lehigh Country Club has been a private fixture in Lower Macungie since 1928, when the club moved to its current 206-acre site, formerly farmland owned by the Kemmerer and Kline families. The course was designed by William S. Flynn, one of the most respected golf architects of the golden age, whose résumé includes Shinnecock Hills, Cherry Hills, and the Cascades at The Homestead.
The course is consistently ranked among the top in Pennsylvania. Its fairways are known for masterful routing and significant elevation changes, the kind of subtle, classic layout that rewards shot-making over raw power, which is exactly the brand of golf the PGA Tour Champions delivers.
For most Lehigh Valley residents, this is the first chance to walk the property.
The Economic Impact: $50 Million on the Low End
The PGA Tour and tournament officials have consistently pointed to a $50 million economic impact figure for the inaugural year. Jefferson's marketing leadership has gone further, suggesting the all-in number could reach $100 million when accounting for hotel stays, restaurant traffic, retail spending, and the windfall effect of national broadcast exposure.
The tournament is expected to pull spectators from a wide radius spanning New York to Maryland. With 18 total hours of Golf Channel coverage (nine hours live plus nine hours of replays), the region will get the kind of national branding moment that ArtsQuest's Musikfest, the U.S. Senior Open at Saucon Valley in 2022, and few other Lehigh Valley events have generated.
Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk, who sits on the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation board, has called the impact "huge" and tied it directly to the region's positioning as a destination market.
For context: Discover Lehigh Valley reports that tourism already generates $1.4 billion annually and supports more than 26,000 jobs across the region. The Classic adds a high-visibility event to a tourism economy already growing.
The Charity Component: Three Beneficiaries, Millions Promised
All proceeds from the tournament go to charity. The three named beneficiaries are:
Valley Youth House, the Lehigh Valley-based nonprofit that supports young people through housing, family support, and community connection programs across Pennsylvania.
Eagles Autism Foundation, the Philadelphia Eagles' charitable arm funding autism research and care programs. Executive Director Ryan Hammond has confirmed that 100% of the foundation's portion will go to research and care.
Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation, the food service company's national hunger-relief initiative.
Over the initial five-year run, Jefferson has committed to giving millions back through these partners. The tournament is operated by Tournaments for Charity, a Pennsylvania 501(c)(3) nonprofit, with event management handled by HNS Sports Group, an Ohio firm specializing in golf operations.
The Broadcast: 170 Countries, 18 Hours of Lehigh Valley on Screen
All three rounds will air on Golf Channel in the United States, with international distribution reaching more than 170 countries and territories via 22 media partners. Across live and replay programming, the Lehigh Valley will get roughly 18 hours of national and international television exposure.
That coverage is the part of the deal that may matter most for the region's long-term tourism and business development. National sports broadcasts function as month-long destination marketing campaigns, with scenic course shots, regional B-roll, and local color all working as soft advertising for a Lehigh Valley that has been steadily building its profile as a place to live, work, and visit.
Tickets: How to Go
Ticket options started at $15 when sales opened in October 2025, with the full range available now at jeffersonclassic.com. Options include:
Daily grounds tickets for Thursday through Sunday access
Weekly badges covering the full tournament
Premium hospitality including skyboxes and shared venues on the 16th green
Pro-Am packages for amateurs who want to play alongside the pros
Complimentary grounds access is offered to active duty military, National Guard, Reserve, military retirees, veterans, first responders, and youth 17 and under when attending with a ticketed adult.
Buyers of 2026 tickets, hospitality, or pro-am spots receive priority access for the 2027 event.
Why the Jefferson Branding Matters
Jefferson Health became the Lehigh Valley's dominant healthcare system through its merger with Lehigh Valley Health Network, and the Classic is essentially a five-year marketing and goodwill campaign tied to that integration. Jefferson CEO Dr. Joe Cacchione has framed the event as part of the system's long-term commitment to building awareness and access throughout the region.
For a brand that is still relatively new on local signage and uniforms, owning a nationally televised annual sporting event is an efficient way to accelerate name recognition. PGA Tour Champions President Miller Brady has called the partnership a win for the tournament, the country club, the community, and the local charities. The marketing math behind that statement is straightforward: Jefferson gets brand equity, the region gets economic activity, the charities get funding, and the country club gets one of the most prestigious annual hosting slots in the mid-Atlantic.
What This Means for the Lehigh Valley
The Lehigh Valley has hosted major golf before. Saucon Valley Country Club held the U.S. Senior Open in 2022 and the U.S. Women's Open in 2009. What is different about the Jefferson Lehigh Valley Classic is the annual part. A recurring, televised, charity-driven event on the regional calendar gives hotels, restaurants, and event planners a date to build around every fall.
Combine that with the recent opening of Inter Miami's Nu Stadium making national headlines, the steady drumbeat of regional growth coverage, and the Lehigh Valley's deepening profile as a real estate and tourism market, and the Classic fits a broader pattern: this region is increasingly showing up on national maps for reasons that have nothing to do with cement and steel.
The first tee shot is in September. The bigger story is what gets built around it over the next five years.
Jefferson Lehigh Valley Classic at a Glance
Dates: September 28 – October 4, 2026 (competition rounds October 2-4)
Venue: Lehigh Country Club, Lower Macungie Township
Field: 78 PGA Tour Champions players
Purse: $2.3 million
Format: 54-hole stroke play
Broadcast: Golf Channel (US), 170+ countries internationally
Tickets: Starting at $15 at jeffersonclassic.com
Charities: Valley Youth House, Eagles Autism Foundation, Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation
Economic impact estimate: $50–$100 million
