2019 PGA Professional Championship: What's at stake, TV schedule, and more

Here are the dates, television schedule, prize money and more things to know about the 2019 PGA Professional Championship at Belfair of Bluffton, South Carolina.

Presented by: Cadillac, Club Car and OMEGA

Dates: April 28 - May 1, 2019 

Site: Belfair (East and West Courses); Bluffton, South Carolina.

Exclusive Media Partner: Golf Channel

Contributing Partner: PGA Tour

Defending Champion: Ryan Vermeer of Omaha, Nebraska

Television Schedule: 

(All Times Subject to Change – Eastern)

Sunday, April 28
GOLF Channel: 10:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m.

Monday, April 29
GOLF Channel: 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Tuesday, April 30
GOLF Channel: 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Wednesday, May 1
GOLF Channel: 2:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Prize Money, Awards & Exemptions

The 2019 PGA Professional Championship presented by Club Car and OMEGA, features a $550,000 purse. The 2019 Champion will have their name inscribed on the base of the Walter Hagen Cup. The 2019 PGA Professional Champion receives exemptions for the following:

• 2019 PGA Championship
• 2019 PGA Cup
• Six PGA Tour events over a 12-month period

The low 20 scorers in the Championship earn a berth in the 2019 PGA Championship, May 16-19, at Bethpage Black in New York.

The Walter Hagen Cup

Presented to the PGA Professional Champion, the Walter Hagen Cup is named after the legendary golfer, five-time PGA Champion and one of the 35 charter members of the PGA of America. Hagen elevated the role of the PGA Professional throughout his career. Hagen’s inspirational career is reflected by today’s PGA Professionals in the national championship – displaying playing skills under a national spotlight while also serving their respective clubs and golf communities as managers, merchandisers, and respected teachers of the game. The PGA Professional Champion receives a replica of the crystal Walter Hagen Cup, which is 14½ inches high, 12 inches wide, and weighs 17½ pounds.

Method of Play

Stroke play, four rounds, 18 holes daily on two courses. The entire field of 312 will compete on each course once in the first two rounds, with the final two rounds contested on the West Course. Following the first 36 holes of play, the field will be reduced to the low 90 scorers and ties. Following completion of the third round, the low 70 scorers and ties will play the final round.

In the event of a tie for the Championship, there will be a three-hole aggregate score playoff on hole Nos. 16, 17 and 18. If there is still a tie there will be a hole-by-hole play-off commencing on hole No. 18 and if necessary on to hole Nos. 16 and 17, repeated.

The playoff to determine the top 20 and/or alternates advancing to the 2019 PGA Championship will begin approximately 15 minutes after the completion of play. The playoff will begin on hole No. 11, and if necessary, will continue to hole Nos. 12 through 18. This rotation will be repeated until the spots/alternates are determined. The exact time will be posted on the scoreboard after the PGA Rules Committee has approved all scores. The Official Playoff Time is now treated as a starting time. All contestants in the play-off must be present and ready to play at the Official Playoff Time.

If necessary, the PGA Cup playoff will begin approximately 15 minutes after the completion of play unless one of the players in the playoff is in the top 20 playoff, then the PGA Cup playoff will start immediately following the top 20 playoff. The playoff will start on hole No. 1 and then, if necessary, continue to hole Nos. 2 through No. 10. This rotation will be repeated until the spots/alternates are determined. The exact time will be posted on the scoreboard after the PGA Rules Committee has approved all scores. The Official Playoff Time is now treated as a starting time. All contestants in the playoff must be present and ready to play at the Official Playoff Time.

Rules and Regulations

The Rules of Golf, which govern play, are determined by the United States Golf Association and applied by the PGA of America Rules Committee. The PGA Professional Championship is subject to the overall supervision of the board and the PGA Rules Committee.

PAR AND YARDAGES: Belfair West and East courses will be used during the Championship’s first two rounds. The West course will host the final two rounds.

About the courses:

The West Course is a traditional parkland-type golf course set in the frame of the low-country, dotted with beautiful oaks and soaring pines. The West Course is uniquely dynamic with multiple tee boxes, subtle elevation changes that provide great definition, as well as a hole with two green options. All of which was masterfully designed by Tom Fazio to provide members tremendous variety and enjoyment with every round.

The East Course was created to give Belfair members the opportunity to play a links style game of golf. The Course has numerous, naturalized sand areas, native grasses and an open landscape. While playing the East Course, you will feel transported…experiencing course designs normally seen in Florida, North Carolina, and even the famed Spyglass Hill, finishing with a beautiful low country setting next to the pristine saltwater marsh and the Colleton River.

PGA Professional Championship – The PGA Professional’s Showcase

The PGA Professional Championship began in 1968, to provide additional playing opportunities for PGA Professionals. In more than three decades, it has become a showcase event for PGA Professionals, featuring some of the finest players in the Association. Formerly a 360-player field, the format of the PGA Professional Championship was converted from 1997-2005 to a larger nationwide event featuring the finest 156 players at the peak of their games.

Previously, the Championship was contested after the golf season had ended across much of the United States. In 1997, local Sectional PGA Professional Championships were created, along with four new Regional PGA Professional Championships. The Championship then moved its dates to one month prior to the PGA Championship. Following the 2004 fall season, the Regional PGA Professional Championships were discontinued, focusing more on the Section Championships and PGA Professional Championship.

The Championship has been conducted in 16 states in the previous 51 years: Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Wisconsin.

The list of Champions over the past 51 years includes Sam Snead, Bob Rosburg, Ed Dougherty, Bruce Fleisher; Larry Gilbert; Rex Baxter Jr., Don Massengale, Laurie Hammer, Larry Webb, Bob Boyd, Brett Upper, Bruce Zabriski, Mike Small and Matt Dobyns.

In 1997, the 30th PGA Professional Championship was the first to be televised live by Golf Channel to millions of viewers across the U.S., Canada, China, Japan, Korea, Latin America, Malaysia, the Middle East, Scandinavia and Singapore. This year’s PGA Professional Championship has a potential audience of 110 million.

The 52nd PGA Professional Championship features a field of 312 players who have advanced from the 41 PGA Section Championships, along with eligible past Champions. The final 36 holes, conducted on one course, features the low 90 scorers and ties after 36 holes; followed by a 54-hole cut to the 70 scorers and ties prior to the final round. The Championship will distribute a total purse of more than $1.7 million, which will be awarded in both the Section and PGA Professional Championships.