PALM DESERT (Calif.) — Jim Furyk, Ernie Els, Fred Couples and Ernie Els are among the first players who committed to the Galleri Championship, which marks the return to Coachella Valley of the PGA Tour Champions.
Couples, the 1992 Masters champion has lived in the desert for many decades. He played golf at Mission Hills Country Club while representing Landmark Land in Coachella Valley. Els is a twice-winner of the U.S. Open as well as the British Open. Furyk has been a winner of 12 PGA Tour events, including the 2003 U.S. Open. Stricker won 12 times on the PGA Tour, the PGA Tour Champions, and was the captain for the U.S Ryder Cup winning team in 2021.
Galleri Classic is named after Grail, title sponsor, and will debut March 24-26 at Mission Hills Country Club’s Dinah Shore Tournament Course.
Couples, Furyk, Els and Stricker will all be playing in the 78-player field for the Champions tournament, which is the first Champions event to take place in Coachella Valley since 1993. For a $2.2 million purse, the golfers will play 54 holes from March 24-26. Pro-am play is scheduled for March 22-23.
Michelle DeLancy, Tournament Director of The Galleri Classic said that the tournament was thrilled to have Fred Couples and Jim Furyk, Steve Stricker, and Ernie Els as part of our new tradition in desert golf. “This foursome is a strong example of our commitment to bringing golf’s most iconic players, fan favorites, and the strongest field to a community that is perfectly matched to the PGA Tour Champions.”
Els and Couples share the honor of being inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame (Els were inducted in 2011; Couples in 2013). Two of the 25 golfers who have been ranked No. They are the No. 1 ranked golfers in the Official World Golf Ranking.
Couples has 14 PGA Tour Champions wins to his 15 wins on PGA Tour. He also won the Charles Schwab Cup Championship in 2013.
Els is considered one of South Africa’s most successful golfers. He won the 1994 and 1997 U.S. Opens, as well as the crowns at the 2012 and 2012 Open Championships. Els enters his third Champions season having achieved 32 top-10 results in just 59 starts.
Stricker is the Champions Tour’s hottest golfer. He won the season-opening tournament in Hawaii last week to become the third consecutive PGA Tour Champions winner and the fourth time he has won in five of his previous starts, dating back to August 2022.
Furyk, who has won 17 PGA Tour titles and the FedEx Cup title in 2010, joined the Champions circuit in 2020. He also won his first two starts. At the U.S. Senior Open Championship in 2021, Furyk added a third title and his first major senior championship.
