New Sites for the CareerBuilder Challenge: TPC Stadium, Jack Nicklaus Tournament Courses at PGA WEST

Standout courses will join fabled La Quinta Country Club as sites for first event on the 2016 PGA TOUR West Coast Swing

(LA QUINTA, Calif.) – The TPC Stadium Course, annually recognized as one of the top golf courses in the United States, and its PGA WEST sister course – the Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course – will serve as two of the three courses for the  CareerBuilder Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation PGA TOUR event in 2016. The announcement was made today by Desert Classic Charities (DCC), the host organization that has managed the tournament (formerly the Bob Hope Classic and Humana Challenge) since its inception in 1960.

The two PGA WEST courses will join long-time tournament mainstay La Quinta Country Club beginning with the 2016 CareerBuilder Challenge, continuing the event’s recent tradition of being played solely within the city of La Quinta. The 2016 tournament, the first with CareerBuilder as title sponsor, will be held during the week of Jan. 18 with official rounds scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 21 through Sunday, Jan. 24.

“This will be the 56th year Desert Classic Charities has hosted a PGA TOUR event and throughout those years it has been played on some of the Coachella Valley’s most dynamic courses,” DCC President John Foster said. “This latest move reflects that perfectly. We take great pride in our history of challenging, interesting and diverse courses and we look forward to this latest chapter in our rich history, especially with our new title sponsor on board.”

The TPC Stadium Course, which will serve as the host course and site of the tournament’s final round, has a rich history all its own. The Pete Dye-designed course was built in 1986 and immediately vaulted into the ranks of the nation’s most unique and exciting courses. The TPC Stadium Course became not only a popular destination course, but a mainstay for professional golf events almost from its inception, including having been a part of this event in 1987 (when it was known as the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic).

The TPC Stadium Course has played host to the Skins Game (1986-1991), the PGA Club Professional Championship (1990), the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf on the Champions Tour (1995-96) and along with the Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course next door, the finals of PGA TOUR Qualifying School (1986, 1988, 1989, 2002, 2006 and 2008).

Its most famous and iconic moment came in 1987 on its signature hole – the par-3 17th. The short hole, named “Alcatraz” because of its island green that nearly mimics the same hole on the Dye-designed TPC Sawgrass – home of THE PLAYERS Championship, has bedeviled golfers much like its Florida counterpart. But it didn’t unnerve Lee Trevino, who aced the hole to win a $175,000 skin during the 1987 Skins Game.

The TPC Stadium Course is currently ranked No. 40 on Golf Digest’s “100 Greatest Public Courses.” Its 17th hole is ranked No. 2 and the par-4 16th hole is ranked 12th among The Desert Sun’s “Top 100 Golf Holes in the Desert.” The Nicklaus Tournament Course is a highly regarded and beautiful course in its own right. It played host to the PGA Grand Slam of Golf in 1992 and 1993; its tricky par-5 15th hole is ranked 84th on the “Top 100 Golf Holes in the Desert.”

“Having the iconic and fan-pleasing TPC Stadium Course as our host course lets us offer a number of exciting new hospitality venues and spectator areas,” Foster said. “The three closing holes are just spectacular, especially with the island green 17th shaping up as an incredible place to watch the greatest players in the world take their best shots. Earlier this month, we saw the excitement the 17th island green of the TPC Sawgrass course generated for fans at THE PLAYERS Championship. We can’t wait to showcase our own island green in January.”

Special early commitment opportunities for the hospitality offerings, including the exciting new Club 17 venue overlooking the island green, are available to businesses and individuals for a limited time. To learn more, contact Bob Marra at bob@DesertClassicCharities.com or 760-861-4242.

“We are delighted to continue our long-standing relationship with Desert Classic Charities and the PGA TOUR,” said Paul Cherrett, Managing Director of La Quinta Resort & Club and PGA WEST.  “The TPC Stadium and Jack Nicklaus Tournament courses at PGA WEST have a rich history hosting great tournaments. We welcome the tournament back to these world-class courses; courses that the public will be able to play as they walk in the footsteps of the pros.”