ESPN Golf Connection Tournament of Champions
Old American Club
October 12-13: Women's Division • October 15-16: Men's Division

The Old American Club in The Colony, designed by Tripp Davis and touring pro Justin Leonard, will host The ESPN Golf Connection Tournament of Champions with the women’s division set Oct. 12-13 and the men’s division Oct. 15-16.

“We decided to split the field like it has been done in the past and move the men to the weekend so we could accommodate more players and their work schedules,” said tournament director James McAfee.

The Old American’s natural contours, hazard styles, native grasses and green shapes conjure images of such storied masterpieces as Shinnecock Hills, National Golf Links, Prairie Dunes and Crystal Downs. Davis, an accomplished amateur and former All-American at the University of Oklahoma, and Leonard, who played at the University of Texas, toured and played a handful of America’s classic “Golden Age” designs prior to starting Old American. The result is a course that emphasizes strategy and shotmaking and flows with a natural rhythm, offering hard pars, but other risk/reward opportunities where birdies can be made.

The event was started back in 1980 by Ben Parks of Rockwall, who remains as the honorary chairman. It later became known as The Dallas Morning-News Tournament of Champions until dropped from the schedule in 2007. McAfee, a former executive director with the Northern Texas PGA and the Dallas District Golf Association, got the event back on the schedule in 2008.

The event is open to all champions from clubs and courses in North Texas along with other players given exemptions as former champions or top 10 finishers the previous year. Entry fee is $225 and Oct. 1 is the deadline.