Could the new Texas Rangers Golf Club host a Web.com Tour event?
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan wouldn’t make any declarations on future golf schedules, but didn’t rule out the Web.com Tour coming to the new Texas Rangers Golf Club in Arlington.
Monahan said “there’s always a chance” for tournaments to move around, and praised the North Texas area as a possible destination for golf’s minor league tour.
“We’re going to continue to push to bring our tournaments to the best markets and create the best product possible and opportunities for our players,” said Monahan, who served as a keynote speaker at an AT&T Byron Nelson kickoff luncheon on Thursday.
“When you have an opportunity to do something with a great brand like the Texas Rangers … if the opportunity presents itself, I’m quite certain we would take a really hard look at it and see if we could make it happen.
“It’s a good opportunity for players to come and experience this market before hopefully they matriculate to the PGA Tour.”
A Rangers spokesman was unaware of any possible discussions between the club, city of Arlington and Web.com Tour. The golf course is a joint venture between the Rangers, the city of Arlington and UT-Arlington.
But it would make sense as Texas Rangers Golf Club is expected to become a signature attraction in Arlington. It opened last month and is the only MLB-branded golf course in the country.
The course, which used to be Arlington’s Chester Ditto Golf Course, underwent a $24 million renovation. The course features a 23-acre practice area, including a double-ended range and two short game areas. A new 33,871-square-foot-clubhouse is scheduled to open in early 2020.
The course can stretch more than 7,000 yards.
Monahan made it clear that North Texas is a valuable market for the PGA Tour, and the more events, the merrier in his mind. He likes the long-term stability of DFW’s signature PGA Tour events, the AT&T Byron Nelson and Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club.
“This is such a great, vibrant, important market for the game,” Monahan said. “To know that we have two great golf courses, two phenomenal brands in AT&T and Charles Schwab that are supporting these championships, a rich history of champions ... We feel really good about where we are here.
“Excited to be here for a long time to come.”