TOURNAMENT ANNOUNCES WIND CREEK TAILGATE ZONE FAN ACTIVATION
ALLENTOWN, Penn. – Tournament officials announced today that PGA Club Professional Michael Block has accepted an exemption to compete in the inaugural Jefferson Lehigh Valley Classic presented by Sodexo the week of September 28 to October 4, 2026, at Lehigh Country Club in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
Block gained fame in 2023 when he took the golfing world by storm at the 105th PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club, East Course in Rochester, New York, highlighted by a hole-in-one on Sunday alongside Rory McIlroy enroute to a T-15 finish for the club pro from Mission Viejo, California. He competed in his fifth straight PGA Championship last week at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. It was his 10th career start in a major, with eight trips to the PGA Championship and two U.S. Open bids on his resume.
“I’m honored to receive my first PGA TOUR Champions exemption with the Jefferson Lehigh Valley Classic,” said Block. “As we saw at Aronimink, Philadelphia has some of the best fans in the world. I can’t wait to come back to the region and compete against some of the greatest champions in golf.”
Block will become eligible to compete in PGA TOUR Champions events on June 15 when he celebrates his 50th birthday. His entry into the Jefferson Lehigh Valley Classic marks his first official PGA TOUR Champions commitment where he will join a field of 78 players, with legends of the game, including names like Ernie Els, Padraig Harrington, Retief Goosen, Justin Leonard, Zach Johnson, Stewart Cink and more.
“We’re thrilled to have Michael Block be a part of our inaugural event,” said Nick Ragone, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for Jefferson. “He has a way of connecting with fans that brings excitement and engagement, along with great golf.”
The Jefferson Lehigh Valley Classic also announced today the Wind Creek Tailgate Zone, the event’s premier fan destination offering an elevated experience open to all ticketholders attending the tournament. The Tailgate Zone is conveniently located between Hole Nos. 16 and 18 and offers a jumbo screen showing tournament coverage, post-season baseball and college and NFL football. The family-friendly environment also includes the B|Braun Kids Zone featuring the First Tee Putting Challenge, a Rita’s Ice truck, food trucks and ice-cold beverages from Yuengling. There is something for everyone at the Jefferson Lehigh Valley Classic.
The Jefferson Lehigh Valley Classic presented by Sodexo is a Regular Season PGA TOUR Champions event in 2026, which will give way to the Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs⎯a season-ending, three-tournament series that concludes with the Charles Schwab Cup Championship in Phoenix, Arizona, used to determine the TOUR’s season-long champion. The 2026 PGA TOUR Champions schedule features 28 events, with players competing for more than $70 million in total prize money, the highest in PGA TOUR Champions’ 46-season history.
All three rounds of the Jefferson Lehigh Valley Classic will be televised on GOLF Channel, the exclusive cable-television partner of PGA TOUR Champions. Internationally, PGA TOUR Champions coverage is available in more than 170 countries and territories via 22 media partners.
For more information about the Jefferson Lehigh Valley Classic, including sponsorships, hospitality, Pro-Am, and volunteer opportunities, visit the tournament website at jeffersonclassic.com. For the latest news and updates on social media, follow the tournament on X at @JeffLVClassic, on Instagram at @jeffersonlvclassic, and on Facebook at JeffersonLVClassic.
About Jefferson Lehigh Valley Classic
The Jefferson Lehigh Valley Classic is an official event on the PGA TOUR Champions operated by Tournaments for Charity, a Pennsylvania nonprofit corporation. This 54-hole stroke play golf tournament features 78 PGA TOUR Champions professionals competing for a $2.3 million purse at the historic Lehigh Country Club in Allentown, Pa. The event is designed to showcase the best golf on the PGA TOUR Champions for the enjoyment of spectators and to benefit local charities throughout the greater Philadelphia and Lehigh Valley regions and Northeastern Pennsylvania. All three official rounds will be internationally televised on GOLF Channel.
For more information about the Jefferson Lehigh Valley Classic, please visit jeffersonclassic.com. For the latest tournament news and updates on social media, follow the Jefferson Lehigh Classic on X, Instagram, and Facebook at @jeffersonclassic.com.
About Jefferson
Jefferson is reimagining health care and higher education to create unparalleled value throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey. More than 65,000 people strong, Jefferson is dedicated to providing high-quality, compassionate clinical care for patients; making our communities healthier and stronger; preparing tomorrow’s professional leaders for 21st-century careers; and creating new knowledge through basic/programmatic, clinical and applied research. Thomas Jefferson University, home of Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Jefferson College of Nursing, and the Kanbar College of Design, Engineering and Commerce, dates back to 1824 and today comprises 10 colleges and three schools offering 200+ undergraduate and graduate programs to more than 8,300 students. Jefferson Health, nationally ranked as one of the top 15 not-for-profit healthcare systems in the country and the largest provider in the Philadelphia and Lehigh Valley areas, serves patients through millions of encounters each year at 33 hospital campuses and more than 700 outpatient and urgent care locations throughout the region. Jefferson Health Plans, through Health Partners Plans Inc., is a not-for-profit managed healthcare organization offering a broad range of health coverage options to more than 370,000 members for more than 40 years.
About Sodexo North America
Sodexo North America is a division of Sodexo Group, a global Fortune 500 company operating in 45 countries and a leading provider of sustainable food and integrated facilities management in all 50 U.S. states, Canada, Puerto Rico and Guam, at every moment in life: learn, work, heal and play.
Across the U.S., the company employs over 100,000 people and indirectly supports tens of thousands of additional jobs by annually purchasing goods and services from a wide range of small to large businesses.
Sodexo North America is committed to meeting the challenges of everyday life with a dual goal: to improve the quality of life of our employees and those we serve, and to contribute to the economic, social and environmental progress in the communities where we operate. Our purpose is to create a better every day for everyone to build a better life for all.
About PGA TOUR Champions
PGA TOUR Champions is a membership organization of professional golfers age 50 and older, including 35 members of the World Golf Hall of Fame. The Tour’s mission is to provide financial opportunities for its players, entertain and inspire its fans, deliver substantial value to its partners, create outlets for volunteers to give back and generate significant charitable and economic impact in tournament communities. Follow PGA TOUR Champions online at PGATOUR.com, on Facebook, on Twitter (@ChampionsTour), on Instagram (@pgatourchampions) and on TikTok (pgatourchampions).
All events are televised in the United States on Golf Channel, the exclusive cable-television partner of PGA TOUR Champions. Internationally, PGA TOUR Champions coverage is available in more than 170 countries and territories via 20 broadcast partners.
About HNS Sports Group
HNS Sports Group is well positioned to assist companies that find value in the golf industry and build and execute comprehensive golf branding or sponsorship strategies. Effectively understanding the golf marketplace today is a significant challenge, and the HNS Sports Group team possesses over 150 years of collective experience that is applied to lead companies in their efforts to maximize value from golf sponsorship and event participation. To learn more about HNS Sports Group, visit www.hnssports.com.
Information provided to TVL by:
Tom Sprouse
