The Jefferson Lehigh Valley Classic tees off in less than two weeks, and the details fans actually need are now locked in: where to park, when the gates open, what a ticket costs, what you can carry through security, and which major champions are officially on the player list.
The inaugural PGA Tour Champions event runs Monday, Sept. 28 through Sunday, Oct. 4 at Lehigh Country Club in Lower Macungie Township. Spectators are admitted Thursday through Sunday, and the tournament itself, 54 holes of stroke play for a $2.3 million purse, is played Friday through Sunday, Oct. 2 to 4. According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, it marks the first time since the mid-1970s that the PGA Tour will have a regular presence in the area.
Back in May we covered the big picture: the five-year deal, the economic impact estimates and the history of the William S. Flynn course. This is the update for tournament week.
Who Is Actually in the Field
Since the tournament was announced, its promotional copy has promised legends such as Bernhard Langer, Steve Stricker, Ernie Els, Padraig Harrington, Fred Couples, Vijay Singh and John Daly. The official player list on the tournament website is more specific. As of Sept. 16 it names 12 players, and Els, Harrington and Langer are still described in coverage as expected rather than confirmed. The rest of the 78-player field is still to be filled in.
Here is who has committed:
Stewart Cink, 53, is the biggest draw so far. He is the reigning Charles Schwab Cup champion and was ranked No. 1 on PGA Tour Champions when his commitment was announced in August, with eight senior titles including four wins this season. He won the 2009 Open Championship.
Miguel Angel Jiménez, 62, has 17 PGA Tour Champions titles, including four during a career-best 2025 season highlighted by the Kaulig Companies Championship, his third senior major.
Retief Goosen, 57, is a two-time U.S. Open champion (2001 and 2004) with five career PGA Tour Champions titles and eight top-10 finishes this season as of early September.
Darren Clarke, 58, captained Europe’s 2016 Ryder Cup team and has six senior wins, including the 2022 Senior Open Championship and this year’s American Family Insurance Championship.
Steven Alker, 55, of New Zealand is a two-time Charles Schwab Cup champion with 13 senior wins, among them the 2022 Senior PGA Championship.
Justin Leonard, 54, won the 1997 Open Championship, collected 12 PGA Tour victories and played on three U.S. Ryder Cup teams.
Dicky Pride, 57, is having one of his best senior seasons, highlighted by a playoff win over Padraig Harrington at the DICK’S Open in June.
Michael Block is the name casual fans may know best. The PGA club professional from Mission Viejo, Calif., became a national story at the 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill, where he made a hole-in-one playing alongside Rory McIlroy and finished tied for 15th. He turned 50 on June 15, which made him eligible for the senior circuit, and accepted an exemption to play in Allentown, his first on PGA Tour Champions.
“I’m honored to receive my first PGA TOUR Champions exemption with the Jefferson Lehigh Valley Classic,” Block said. “As we saw at Aronimink, Philadelphia has some of the best fans in the world.”
Glen Day, 60, a PGA Tour Champions regular since 2016, is also in. So are 2001 Open champion David Duval, 2003 Masters champion Mike Weir, and Ben Crane, all of whom appear on the tournament’s official list.
The Eagles & Friends Celebrity Pro-Am
The week opens Monday, Sept. 28 with the Eagles & Friends Celebrity Pro-Am, where amateur teams play alongside golf pros and football names. Former Eagles Brandon Graham, John Spagnola, Mike Quick, Scott Fitzkee and Rodney McLeod are scheduled to play, along with former Phillies second baseman Mickey Morandini, former Sixer and Temple coach Aaron McKie, and Delaware County golfer Braden Shattuck, who has played in the PGA Championship. More names are still to be announced.
The idea came from the team itself. The Eagles Autism Foundation is one of the tournament’s charity partners, and Nick Ragone, Jefferson’s chief marketing officer, told the Inquirer the Eagles suggested it: “Why don’t we think about doing something cool like a special pro-am with the Eagles legends, and it’s a way for us to raise additional money for our charities?”
“It’s really cool that now over the next five years, PGA Tour Champions, which is part of the PGA Tour, is going to be at Lehigh Country Club,” Ragone said. “I think fans are going to be really excited.”
The Day-by-Day Schedule
Spectator tickets cover Thursday through Sunday. The first three days of the week belong to pro-am participants.
Monday, Sept. 28: Eagles & Friends Celebrity Pro-Am.
Tuesday, Sept. 29: Pro-Am Pairings Party for Official Pro-Am participants.
Wednesday, Sept. 30: Official Pro-Am.
Thursday, Oct. 1: Official Pro-Am, open to spectators. Gates open at 8:30 a.m. Morning tee times run 7:10 to 9 a.m. and afternoon tee times noon to 1:50 p.m. The free Junior Clinic runs 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the club’s practice facility.
Friday, Oct. 2: Round 1, and Folds of Honor Friday, so wear red, white and blue. Gates open at 8 a.m., with a Military Opening Ceremony at the No. 1 tee at 8:15 a.m. Tee times run 9 to 11:30 a.m. Golf Channel broadcasts noon to 3 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 3: Round 2. Gates open at 8:30 a.m. Tee times run 9 to 11:30 a.m. Golf Channel broadcasts noon to 3 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 4: Final round. Gates open at 7:30 a.m. Tee times run 8 to 10:30 a.m. Golf Channel broadcasts noon to 3 p.m. The trophy ceremony is on the No. 18 green immediately after play.
Golf Channel is the exclusive cable partner of PGA Tour Champions, and international coverage reaches more than 170 countries and territories through 22 media partners.
Parking and Shuttles: Head to Dorney Park
Public parking is at Dorney Park, 4134 Dorney Park Road in Allentown, not at the country club. Both the parking and the shuttles to the course are free. Shuttle hours are:
Thursday, Oct. 1: 7:15 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 2: 7:45 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 3: 8:15 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 4: 7:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Times can shift based on tee times. VIP ticket holders should follow the parking instructions on their digital ticket or hang tag. Volunteers park at Lehigh Valley Health Network’s Mack Boulevard campus, 1129 Devonshire Road.
One practical point: security checks bags before you board the shuttle, and there is no place to check prohibited items. Anything that doesn’t pass goes back to your car, which will be at Dorney Park. Read the next two sections before you leave the house.
Tickets and What They Cost
General admission prices, all available at jeffersonclassic.com:
Thursday (Official Pro-Am): $15
Friday, Saturday or Sunday: $35 per day
Good any one day, Thursday to Sunday: $40
Weekly, Thursday to Sunday: $75
Grounds access includes all public venues on site and walking the course along the ropes, with public bleachers and concessions throughout.
Kids 17 and under get in free with a ticketed adult and don’t need their own ticket, courtesy of Rita’s Italian Ice. Military and first responders get in free too: the offer covers active duty, reserve, National Guard, military retirees, veterans, first responders and dependents, claimed through the tickets page.
For a step up, The Stacks is a shared hospitality venue on the 16th green with an open-air pavilion, tiered stadium-style seating, a lunch buffet, afternoon snacks and full beverage service, sold in two-, four- and ten-packs that include VIP parking. Private cabanas on the 15th and 16th holes and skyboxes on the 18th green are also available.
What to Bring, and What to Leave in the Car
Bags: Nothing larger than a small 6-by-6-inch purse, which rules out backpacks, camera bags and chair bags. Clear bags up to 12 by 6 by 12 inches, one-gallon plastic freezer bags, medically necessary bags and diaper bags are allowed.
Chairs: Collapsible chairs are fine, but without the carrying bag. Lawn and oversize chairs are not.
Food and drink: No outside food or beverages, except for infant needs, and no coolers. Concession stands take credit cards only.
Cameras and phones: Still cameras are allowed on Thursday only. Video cameras are banned all week. Phones are welcome: you can take photos and video for personal use and make calls, but keep the phone on silent, skip the flash, and don’t live stream.
Autographs: Not during competition. Players can sign after they finish their round, and you can’t bring outside items onto the grounds to be signed.
Weather: Watch the course scoreboards for weather warnings, and seek shelter immediately if the siren sounds. There are no rain checks. Organizers suggest casual golf wear, comfortable walking shoes (soft spikes only), a windbreaker, a hat, sunscreen, sunglasses and an umbrella.
Also banned: pets other than service animals, laptops, radios, signs and banners, and seat cushions with pockets. All items are subject to search, which may include metal detection.
For Families, Veterans and Football Fans
The B. Braun & First Tee Lehigh Valley and Berks Kids Zone is open Thursday through Sunday. On Saturday, Oct. 3, First Tee and B. Braun host an all-day putting competition there, with prize raffles through the day.
The Junior Clinic presented by Lower Macungie Township is Thursday, Oct. 1, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on the Lehigh Country Club driving range. It is free for kids ages 4 to 17 and includes golf instruction, Rita’s Italian Ice, snacks, face painting and a balloon artist. Registration is on the tournament website, and kids should not bring their own clubs.
The Wind Creek Tailgate Zone, between the hospitality venues on the 16th and 18th holes, is open to all ticket holders. Its big screen carries tournament coverage and postseason baseball, plus college football on Saturday and the NFL on Sunday, with food trucks and a Rita’s truck nearby.
Nearby, the Fine Wine & Good Spirits Viewing Deck offers free seats and tables overlooking the 18th green, where fans can watch players tackle the finishing hole.
At the Patriots Outpost, presented by the J&M Fairbanks Family Foundation, anyone with a verified military or first responder ID gets complimentary seating with a view of the No. 9 green. The EY Sensory Center, also at No. 9, showcases seating technology and EY’s work supporting neuroscience research.
The Course by the Numbers
The tournament will play Lehigh Country Club at par 70 and 6,760 yards. William S. Flynn designed the course in 1927 along the Little Lehigh Creek, and the club moved to the 206-acre site in 1928. For most spectators, this is the first time inside the gates of a private club that has been a fixture in the western Lehigh Valley for nearly a century.
Where the Money Goes
Tournament proceeds benefit three primary charities.
Valley Youth House started in 1973 as a single shelter in Bethlehem. It now serves more than 17,000 young people a year across 16 counties in Eastern Pennsylvania, offering emergency shelter, housing, counseling and life skills training to youth facing homelessness and housing insecurity.
The Eagles Autism Foundation raises money for autism research and care programs.
The Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation joined the list in March, when Sodexo signed a five-year deal as presenting sponsor. Sodexo is also the tournament’s on-course concessionaire and hospitality caterer.
“Sodexo is proud to serve as presenting sponsor of the Jefferson Lehigh Valley Classic,” said Molly Matthews, CEO of Sodexo U.S. Healthcare and Seniors. “Events like this bring communities together while creating meaningful impact beyond the course.”
“Community and corporate support for the Jefferson Lehigh Valley Classic presented by Sodexo has been tremendous since we announced last year,” said tournament director Tommy Sullivan.
That support shows in the sponsor roster, which runs well past the headline names to include Lehigh Valley International Airport, Lehigh University, Lower Macungie Township, the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation, Discover Lehigh Valley, WFMZ-TV, Wind Creek and dozens of local businesses.
Still Want In? Volunteer
Volunteer registration is open on the tournament website. Volunteers receive a tournament-branded shirt, hat and outerwear, grounds access when they aren’t working, and two complimentary tickets for Friday through Sunday play.
Jefferson Lehigh Valley Classic Fan Guide at a Glance
Dates: Sept. 28 to Oct. 4, 2026. Spectators Thursday to Sunday, competition Friday to Sunday
Venue: Lehigh Country Club, 2319 S. Cedar Crest Blvd., Allentown (par 70, 6,760 yards)
Parking: Free at Dorney Park, 4134 Dorney Park Road, with free shuttles
Tickets: $15 Thursday, $35 Friday to Sunday, $40 any one day, $75 weekly
Free admission: Kids 17 and under with a ticketed adult; military, veterans and first responders
TV: Golf Channel, noon to 3 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday
Committed players: Stewart Cink, Miguel Angel Jiménez, Retief Goosen, Darren Clarke, Steven Alker, Justin Leonard, Dicky Pride, Michael Block, David Duval, Mike Weir, Glen Day, Ben Crane
Bags: Small purse (6 by 6 inches) or clear bag (12 by 6 by 12 inches) only
Charities: Valley Youth House, Eagles Autism Foundation, Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation
Info: jeffersonclassic.com
