ST. LOUIS — The Ascension Charity Classic, a senior professional golf tournament that was to be hosted later this year at Norwood Hills Country Club, has been canceled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The PGA Tour Champions and Ascension said Friday that this year’s event has been called off, with plans for the inaugural tournament to be held Sept. 6-12, 2021, at Norwood Hills in north St. Louis County. This year’s event was slated for Sept. 28 to Oct. 4.
“While we’re disappointed in not being able to bring professional golf back to St. Louis this year, we’re confident this decision is the right one for St. Louis County and the communities we serve,” said Nick Ragone, executive vice president, chief marketing and communication officer for Ascension, the event's sponsor. “We’re looking forward to hosting the inaugural event next fall and continuing our commitment to north St. Louis County and our tournament charities for years to come.”
The PGA Tour Champions and St. Louis-based Ascension, one of the nation’s largest nonprofit and Catholic health systems, in October 2019 announced they formed a partnership to host the annual Ascension Charity Classic at Norwood Hills. Net proceeds from the event will go to charitable organizations, with local groups like Marygrove, the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis and Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis to be among the recipients.
Despite this year’s cancellation, tournament organizers said they intend to provide charitable contributions to local organizations.
Officials said Friday they will offer ticket holders for this year's event the option to either request a refund or donate the value of their ticket to charity. Those seeking a refund can make their request by contacting tickets@ascensioncharityclassic.com.
The cancellation of this year’s Ascension Charity Classic comes after tournament officials in June announced that two of the region's largest firms, Emerson and World Wide Technology, had inked four-year sponsorship agreements for the event.
