Atlanta’s oldest golf course is losing its status as a the home of the PGA Tour Championship.
Starting in 2028, the PGA tour will no longer host the competition series at the East Lake Golf Club. Instead, the championship is getting broken up into two series of competitions that will be hosted at a rotation of various courses.
Gail Harding, a lifelong golfer who sells parking space in her front yard near the golf club each year for the championship, says it will be missed.
“I mean, I’m not really surprised because I think when they first started out, I think that tour championship was at different golf courses. And I think that, you know, East Lake’s probably been lucky to have it here for as long as we have.”
Harding and her husband have been using their front yard as a parking lot for the championship for 25 years. She says she enjoys sharing her lawn with others who share her passion for golf–and gives away boiled peanuts to fellow golfers as a tradition.
She says having the championship in East Lake has been a source of pride for some in the community.
“Some of the members might enjoy it because, you know, it’s a big deal having the tournament. The golf course has to close for a period of time so members that are paying a lot of money really are not allowed to play there until everything gets all set up and done with. But it’s definitely an honor having it in the neighborhood and having it in Atlanta. It’s a beautiful, historical club,” Harding said.
The East Lake Golf Club first hosted the PGA Tour Championship in 1998, but had been the permanent home for the competition since 2005.
The East Lake Foundation issued a statement to CBS Atlanta about the change saying it is grateful for its longstanding partnership with the PGA Tour and Tour Championship. It says in part: “together, we have demonstrated how golf can be a catalyst for meaningful community transformation, creating opportunities for generations of East Lake residents and beyond.”
The organization goes on to say it is committed to continuing their work in the community.
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