The Tucson Conquistadores Classic will be back for at least one more year, and officials are optimistic that the event will be a fixture on the PGA Tour Champions for several years to come.
An agreement is in place to bring back the golf tournament in 2018, local and tour officials told the Star this week. The event faced an uncertain future after the expiration of its initial two-year contract, plus a one-year extension. The third Tucson Conquistadores Classic begins Friday at Omni Tucson National Resort.
“Our intention is to be there a long time,” Miller Brady, senior vice president and chief of operations for PGA Tour Champions, said by phone Friday. “We look forward to being in Tucson not only this year but for many years to come.”
The event fits well in the Champions tour’s schedule and has received overwhelmingly positive feedback from tour officials and players.
Although attendance has been good and sales have been robust — the tournament raised about $500,000 for charity last year — the Tucson Conquistadores Classic still doesn’t have a title sponsor. Judy McDermott, executive director of the Tucson Conquistadores, said the organization is “dancing” with a potential sponsor and is hopeful of striking a multiyear deal.
“That would lock up golf here for a long period of time,” tournament chairman Shawn Carter said.
Here are some additional factoids about this year’s tournament that are worth filing away:
- Parking and shuttle service are available at Foothills Mall. Both are free.
- Several different levels of ticket packages are available. Daily tickets are $29 apiece if purchased through the Tucson Conquistadores website (www.conquistadoresclassic.com). They are $35 at the gate. Kids 17 and under are free, as are active and retired members of the military.
- The course has been re-routed to “keep as much activity on one side,” Carter said. For example, the par-3 12th hole is now No. 16. The course is playing to a par 73 with three par-5s on the back nine.
- Omni Tucson National Resort will host a St. Patrick’s Day party Friday night that is open to the public. Admission is free. Proceeds from food and drink sales benefit Southern Arizona youth charities.
- Former “Charlie’s Angels” star and avid golfer Cheryl Ladd will host a clinic at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, March 18, to raise awareness for cataracts. The clinic is free with tournament admission.
