What does PGA Tour Champions decision mean to iconic Ohio golf club?

It's going to be a little quieter on the greens of one of golf's iconic professional showplaces in 2027.

Golfweek reported on May 26 that Firestone Country Club will no longer host the Senior Players Championship next year, after the current deal to operate the event in Akron under the Kaulig Companies banner expires.

Beginning in 2027, the PGA Tour will host the annual event at Newport Beach Country Club in Newport Beach, California. It will be renamed the Hoag Senior Players Championship with Hoag, a regional health care system in Orange County, California, serving as title sponsor.

Firestone Country Club hosted top professional golfers beginning in 1954 with the Rubber City Open until the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in 2018.

In 1966, Firestone hosted the PGA, the World Series of Golf and the CBS Golf Classic.

The club has continued to host senior golfers on the PGA Tour Champions with the annual Kaulig Companies Championship. Hudson-based Kaulig Companies' four-year sponsorship ends following this summer's tournament.

The announcement comes just a little over a month after media reports surfaced about the club's owner entering talks to sell Firestone and other golf properties as part of a potential $3 billion deal.

Northern Ohio Golf Charities & Foundation said in a statement that it is changing its operational focus, as "the mission of NOGCF remains more vital and energized than ever."

The foundation has created more than $34 million in local charitable impact. It said in its news release that it will keep sustaining grant programs "through diversified fundraising efforts," transition the work of its volunteers "to support other impactful community initiatives and charity outings, and continue its "Ambassador of Golf tradition" by honoring people who have contributed to the sport. Through 2026, an Ambassador of Golf event has been hosted through the Kaulig Companies Championship.

"Northern Ohio Golf Charities & Foundation was built on the spirit of service," Danielle Robertson Thompson, NOGCF executive director, said in a written statement. "While the PGA TOUR Champions golfers may not tee off at Firestone in 2027, our volunteers and donors will still be working to uplift our neighbors.

"We are excited to innovate and find new avenues to keep the spirit of Akron golf alive. We invite our partners, volunteers, and the Northeast Ohio community to join us in this next chapter. Together, we will ensure that the legacy of golf in our region continues to be measured by the lives we change."

A town hall will take place June 2 at 6 p.m. at the Firestone Country Club Media Center at 440 E. Warner Road in Akron, according to NOGCF.

This is a developing story.

Patrick Williams covers growth and development for the Akron Beacon Journal. He can be reached by email at pwilliams@usatodayco.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @pwilliamsOH. Sign up for the Beacon Journal's business and consumer newsletter, "What's The Deal?"

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Ohio's Firestone Country Club losing link to PGA Tour Champions event