The Korn Ferry Tour returns to Manatee County. What to know about the golf tournament
The LECOM Suncoast Classic will return to Lakewood National Golf Club later this month.
It’s the sixth time the Korn Ferry tournament is making a stop in Manatee County. The tournament is slated for April 18-21.
The five previous winners are currently on the PGA Tour.
According to the latest Official World Golf Rankings, the highest-ranked golfer to win the LECOM Suncoast Classic was Byeong Hun An.
He’s ranked No. 42 in the world as of Wednesday.
An, who won in 2022, previously lived in Bradenton, attending the former Bradenton Prep and winning the U.S. Amateur as a high school student.
Other winners of the tournament include Scott Gutschewiski (2023), Hayden Buckley (2021), Andrew Novak (2020) and Mark Hubbard (2019).
Hubbard’s victory in 2019 featured the lowest score to par in the five-year history. He shot 26-under par over four rounds.
The $1 million purse tournament is contested on Lakewood National Golf Club’s Commander course, which is an Arnold Palmer Design Company track.
Ticket and parking information
General admission and hospitality tickets are available at different prices. For single-day admission at the general admission tier, the cost is $20 per ticket and $60 per ticket for a weekly pass.
Champions Club tickets feature an all-inclusive hospitality experience at $175 per ticket per day or $650 per ticket for a weekly pass. Pier 22 and The Grove Restaurant cater food for VIP Champions Club hospitality ticket holders with food, beer, soft drinks, wine and liquor included with premium tables and seating under a shared tent that offers views of the 18th green.
But if you’re a child 17 and younger, entry into the tournament is free. It’s also free for active military, veterans, first responders and teachers plus one guest with a valid I.D.
For more information on tickets, visit www.LECOMSuncoastClassic.com/tickets.
Parking for the tournament is free and located at the Premier Sports Campus, 5895 Post Boulevard in Lakewood Ranch. A free, 5-minute trolley service takes patrons to and from the course. The last shuttle leaves the course 30 minutes after play ends each day.
Staff and directional signage will be present to assist with parking.
Can you bring your phone?
Spectators can bring their phones but are asked to keep them on silent. You must move to an area away from the course to take phone calls.
Additionally, no cameras or camera bags are allowed at the tournament. Fans seeking autographs can get them after a player has finished their round with the 18th green, practice putting green and driving range listed as the best places to get an autograph.
Collapsible folding chairs are allowed, but chair bags, lawn or oversized chairs and seat cushions are prohibited.
For more information, visit www.LECOMSuncoastClassic.com/spectator-info.
Who is playing?
The tournament field and tee times are not set yet. The Korn Ferry Tour is a pathway to the PGA Tour with the top players by season’s end receiving promotion with a PGA Tour card.
The Korn Ferry Tour has had various sponsorship names over the years since its inception in 1990. The No. 1-ranked player in the world, Scottie Scheffler, is a Korn Ferry Tour alumnus. Scheffler won the Arnold Palmer Invitational and The Players Championship during the PGA Tour’s Florida Swing in March.
