Photography Courtesy Ascension Charity Classic
Two years ago, when Ascension executive vice president Nick Ragone approached the PGA about staging an annual tour event in the St. Louis region, his overture came with two conditions: 1.) It had to take place at Norwood Hills Country Club, and 2.) All proceeds had to benefit charities serving North County communities.
For Ragone, planning the tournament wasn’t just about bringing legends from the PGA Tour Champions circuit to town. It was about funneling funds toward altruistic organizations that could use them. PGA officials quickly jumped on board and the Ascension Charity Classic was born.
“That’s how we came up with the name for the tournament,” Ragone says. “The golf is secondary. The winner in all of this is the charity.”
The competition—which will feature 81 elite players, including golf greats such as Ernie Els, Jim Furyk, Vijay Singh, John Daly, and Bernhard Langer, among others—runs this Friday through Sunday.
Admission starts at $40 and children 16 years and under can attend for free with a ticketed adult. Organizers anticipate upwards of 30,000 spectators across the three days of competitive play, potentially making it the most attended tournament on the Champions calendar this year.
That’s great news for the event’s three primary beneficiaries: Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis, and Marygrove, a residential facility for children and teens.
“Last year, even without playing the event, we gave a total of $225,000 to those three organizations,” Ragone says. “It was the first time in PGA history that a tournament has given away that much money before playing a single shot. We’ve already sold out all of our sky boxes and cabanas; we’ve already sold out all of our sponsorships. So we're hoping to dramatically increase what we can give back to charity.”
That's not just this week, but in the years to come, adds Ragone. When Ascension and the PGA came to an agreement on the tournament in 2019, they locked into a four-year pact with Norwood Hills, which last hosted a PGA event in 1973. “It’s only going to get better in Year 2, Year 3, and Year 4,” Ragone says.
“This is going to be great for North County, this is going to be great for our region, and it’s going to have a national viewing audience on the Golf Channel looking at Norwood and seeing St. Louis at its best.”
