Tucson's professional golf tournament has a new name — and a more fan-friendly schedule.
The Cologuard Classic will take place Feb. 26-March 4 at Omni Tucson National's Catalina Course, the PGA Tour Champions and the Tucson Conquistadores announced Tuesday. The tournament was formerly known as the Tucson Conquistadores Classic; the Conquistadores will continue to run the event, with proceeds benefiting charity.
Cologuard is Exact Sciences' noninvasive at-home colon cancer screening test. The tournament will be known as the Cologuard Classic at through at least the 2020 season.
The tournament has been moved earlier in the PGA Tour Champions schedule, in part, organizers say, to ring in the start of colon cancer awareness month.
Arizona Wildcats basketball fans will certainly be thankful: The previous few tournaments competed directly with the NCAA Tournament. The Cologuard Classic will compete with two McKale Center games, though only one of them — a March 3 game against Stanford with a tip-off time to be determined — competes with golf competition. (Most PGA Tour Champions events are three rounds long compared to the traditional four).
“The Tour has a tremendous history in the Tucson market, and we’re confident in the future of this great event as we look to build a community and societal impact in our joint efforts to generate awareness for this important cause,” said Greg McLaughlin, the President of PGA Tour Champions.
Read more later today on Tucson.com
