POWERHOUSE SISTER DUO TIGIRLILY GOLD SET TO KICK OFF ALLY COMMUNITY CONCERT WITH MIRANDA LAMBERT SATURDAY NIGHT
Tournament officials announced today that The Ally Challenge presented by McLaren has accepted commitments from the reigning winner of The Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex Alex Cejka, fellow major champions Darren Clarke, Mike Weir and John Daly, and PGA TOUR Champions rookie Boo Weekley to compete at the sixth edition of the official PGA TOUR Champions stop, scheduled for the week of August 21-27 at Warwick Hills Golf & Country Club in Grand Blanc, Mich.
Cejka, 52, grew his collection of senior major titles with his The Senior Open Championship victory last month at Royal Porthcawl Golf Club in Bridgend, Wales, bringing his PGA TOUR Champions win total to three—all majors. The German’s first two wins came in 2020 at the Regions Tradition, in a playoff over Steve Stricker, and at the 2020 Senior PGA Championship. This will be Cejka’s second start at The Ally Challenge. He finished T28 in 2022. Cejka is currently No. 8 in the Charles Schwab Cup standings, has nine top-10 finishes this season and $4,415,442 in earnings. In addition to his PGA TOUR Champions accomplishments, Cejka earned one victory on the PGA TOUR in 2014 at the Puerto Rico Open.
Clarke, 54, has collected four PGA TOUR Champions wins, including his most recent at The Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex in 2022. Clarke’s first two senior titles came back-to-back at the 2020 TimberTech Championship and 2021 Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai. The Northern Irishman has 20 top-10 finishes in his 96 PGA TOUR Champions starts. In his time on the PGA TOUR, Clarke collected three wins, most notably the 2011 Open Championship at Royal St. George’s Golf Club. Clarke, a member of five Ryder Cup teams himself, served as European Captain in 2016. This year will be Clarke’s fourth start at The Ally Challenge, with his best finish being T10 in 2021. Clarke has a 70.33 scoring average at Warwick Hills and $63,450 in tournament earnings.
Daly, a two-time major champion, recorded musician and one of the most recognizable figures in golf, will be making his fifth start at The Ally Challenge presented by McLaren. While on the PGA TOUR, Daly won five times, highlighted by the 1991 PGA Championship and the 1995 Open Championship. Daly had a breakthrough season in only his second year on PGA TOUR Champions in 2017 with three top-10 finishes and his first senior victory at the Insperity Invitational, the same tournament where he made his debut in May of 2016. The 57-year-old California native’s best Ally Challenge finish was T25 in 2021 and he holds a 70.89 scoring average at Warwick Hills.
Weir, 53, made his PGA TOUR Champions debut in 2020 at The Ally Challenge presented by McLaren, where he finished T27. Since then, Weir has collected one win on PGA TOUR Champions at the 2020 Insperity Invitational, in addition to 10 top-five finishes over his 59 starts. The Canadian has been a member of five Presidents Cup teams, is a member of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and, in 2009, received the Order of Canada, his country’s highest civilian honor. In his time on the PGA TOUR, Weir earned eight victories, including the 2001 Masters Tournament. The left-hander had his best Ally Challenge performance in 2021 when he finished T10. Weir holds a 70.11 scoring average at Warwick Hills and has collected $65,285.71 in Ally Challenge earnings.
Weekley, who just turned 50 on July 23, is in the first year of his eligibility on PGA TOUR Champions. The Florida native is set to make his debut this week at the Boeing Classic before making his first appearance at The Ally Challenge later this month. Weekley has three wins in his career on the PGA TOUR, with back-to-back victories at the Verizon Heritage in 2007 and 2008 as well as the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial in 2013. Additionally, Weekley has 31 top-10 finishes and $15,167,517 in career earnings since turning pro in 2002.
In other tournament news, powerhouse sister duo Tigirlily Gold will take the stage on Saturday, August 26 to kick off the sixth annual Ally Community Concert. The concert is headlined by country music superstar and 2022 Academy of Country Music (ACM) Entertainer of the Year Miranda Lambert and anchors a full day of entertainment for the whole family.
Additionally, Michigan based acoustic rock band Northville Folk will perform as the opening act for Don Felder at The Concert @17 presented by Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort on Friday evening, August 25, following the first round of tournament competition at The Ally Challenge at Warwick Hills’ famed 17th hole.
Access to The Concert @17, and the Ally Community Concert, require the purchase of a valid tournament ticket for the day each concert is hosted, or a weekly ticket option.
Tickets for The Ally Challenge can be purchased at theallychallenge.com/tickets. Several ticket options are available. The tournament is open to spectators from Thursday (August 24) to Sunday (August 27) and ticket prices start at $10—children 17 and under receive free grounds access with a ticketed adult. For a complete listing of ticket options please visit the tournament website at theallychallenge.com.
The Ally Challenge will be one of the premier Regular Season events on the PGA TOUR Champions in 2023, featuring a $2,200,000 purse and leading to the Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs - a season-ending, three-tournament series used to determine the TOUR’s season-long champion.
All three rounds of The Ally Challenge presented by McLaren will be broadcast on Golf Channel.
For more information about The Ally Challenge, please visit www.theallychallenge.com. For the latest Ally Challenge news and updates on social media follow the tournament on Twitter and Instagram at @AllyChallenge and on Facebook at Facebook.com/AllyChallenge.