The Sanford International PGA Tour Champions event is two weeks away. Here's what's new this year.
A former world No. 1 golfer, a new tournament director, new sponsor and a few new events are among the changes that will come to the Sanford International this year at Minnehaha Country Club.
The PGA Tour Champions event is set for Sept. 12-18, the fifth year of the tournament in Sioux Falls.
Here's what's new at the 2022 Sanford International
Two big names making tournament debut
Two big names making their Sanford International debut are David Duval and Y.E. Yang. Duval, 50, was the No. 1 ranked golfer in the world for 15 weeks in 1999, ultimately winning 13 PGA events including the 2001 Open Championship. Yang, 50, is most well-known for his 2009 PGA Championship win in which he came from behind to defeat Tiger Woods.
Big names are coming back
Each of the prior four Sanford International champions are signed on to return this year — Darren Clarke, Miguel Angel-Jimenez, Rocco Mediate and Steve Stricker.
Five Masters winners are on board in Bernhard Langer, Mark O'Meara, Fred Couples, Jose Maria Olazabal and Mike Weir, while big hitter John Daly is returning as well.
There's a new tournament director
Josh Brewster, after a successful run as Sanford International tournament director, has moved on to work for Augusta National. His replacement is Davis Trosin, who's been assistant tournament director the last three years.
"I love this tournament, I love the Sioux Falls community and am really excited to continue to build the momentum with this event that we've established the last four years."
There's a new primary sponsor
First Premier Bank and First Premier Bank Card, along with MasterCard, are the new presenting sponsor of the tournament. Cambria was the prior presenting sponsor.
There are new activities throughout the week
New to this year's event are a par-3 shootout on Monday, women's day on Tuesday, a championship Pro-Am on Wednesday and Thursday, as well as a concert by Sam Hunt on Thursday night at Great Shots.
A champions BBQ contest presented by South Dakota Beef is set for Saturday, with the week's activities wrapping up with a free junior clinic, open to the public and hosted by former US Open champion Andy North, set for Sunday morning.
The tournament itself kicks off with Friday's first round, with second-round action on Saturday and the final round on Sunday.
For tickets and more information, visit sanfordinternational.com.
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Sanford International: Here's what's new with PGA Tour Champions event
