Five things to watch on PGA TOUR Champions in 2025

The 2025 season is here. PGA TOUR Champions is set to begin its 46th year this week on the island of Hawaii. The 25-event regular season will lead into the three-event Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs, which concludes in Phoenix in November. Here are five storylines to watch as the 2025 season unfolds.

Langer’s legend continues

In the 2024 season finale, World Golf Hall of Fame member Bernhard Langer showed his greatness once again, by making birdie on the 72nd hole to win the Charles Schwab Cup Championship. Not only did it extend his record as the winningest player in Champions Tour history with his 47th triumph, but it also marked his 18th consecutive year with a win on PGA TOUR Champions. Can Langer, who turns 68 on Aug. 27, 2025, continue to add to his legacy as he nears an unprecedented 50th win on PGA TOUR Champions?

Can Alker add another Schwab Cup?

By winning his second Charles Schwab Cup in the last three years, Steven Alker has established himself as the player to beat on a week-to-week basis on PGA TOUR Champions. Alker has won eight times since turning 50 in July 2021, finishing first-second-first in the final Charles Schwab Cup standings over the last three years. If Alker hoists another Charles Schwab Cup in 2025, he will join Bernhard Langer (six) as the only players to win at least three Schwab Cups since the Cup’s inception in 2001.

Horses for courses

Last season, there were four successful title defenses on PGA TOUR Champions, two of which were three-peats. This year, Steve Stricker and Padraig Harrington will each have an attempt at a four-peat at a tournament, while Stephen Ames will have two cracks at a three-peat in 2025. There have been 10 three-peats in Champions Tour history.

The PGA TOUR Champions record for most consecutive wins at one tournament is five, set by Hale Irwin at the Turtle Bay Championship (2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005). Note: The Turtle Bay Championship was not held in 2004.

Note: Bernhard Langer has won his last two appearances at the Chubb Classic (2022, 2023) but missed the 2024 event due to an Achilles injury.

What’s new?

With each new season comes changes, such as new events and new courses. Here are some new things that fans will see on PGA TOUR Champions in 2025:

• The lone new event for 2025 on PGA TOUR Champions is the James Hardie Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational (April 4-6). The Old Course at Broken Sound in Boca Raton, Florida, will host the three-day event, which features 26 football legends playing on Friday and Saturday of tournament week.
• The American Family Insurance Championship (June 6-8) moves to TPC Wisconsin and will implement a team format starting this year. The 76-player field will feature 38 two-person teams with Days 1 and 3 in the Best Ball format and Day 2 in the Scramble format.
• The 2025 sites for the three rotating majors are: Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland, for the Senior PGA Championship, Broadmoor Golf Club in Colorado Springs, Colorado, for the U.S. Senior Open, and Sunningdale Golf Club in Berkshire, England, host of The Senior Open Championship.

Newcomers in 2025

When eligible professional golfers turn 50 years old, they become rookies yet again. For some players, it’s a chance to add to their legacy as one of the greats of the game. For others, PGA TOUR Champions offers a fresh start. Here are some of the notable newcomers in 2025:

• Five-time PGA TOUR winner Mark Wilson turned 50 on Oct. 31, 2024. His last TOUR win came at the 2012 American Express.
• Three-time PGA TOUR winner J.J. Henry turns 50 on April 2, 2025. A member of the 2006 U.S. Ryder Cup team, his last TOUR win came at the 2015 Barracuda Championship.
• Bo Van Pelt, who turns 50 on May 17, 2025, has one PGA TOUR win, which came at the 2009 U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee.
• Four of the five players who earned PGA TOUR Champions cards at Q-School Final Stage in December will be rookies in 2025: medalist Soren Kjeldsen (turns 50 on May 17, 2025), 50-year-old Freddie Jacobson (who made one Champions Tour start last season), 50-year-old Felipe Aguilar and Brendan Jones (who turns 50 on March 3, 2025).