Sarasota commits $4.5 million to promote Senior PGA Championship

The Sarasota County Commission on Tuesday agreed to support the Senior PGA Championship golf tournament with $1.5 million in each of the three years it’s scheduled to be played at The Concession Golf Club, beginning in 2026.

Appearing before the commission, former State Sen. President Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, followed up an email to chair Joe Neunder seeking the financial support. (Galvano, now an attorney in Bradenton, is the son of PGA golf pro and avid golfer, according to a bio on his website.)

"What I’ve learned is that folks coming to this area or to any area for an event such as this, 74% will return within the next 12 months," Galvano told commissioners. "Restaurants, shops, businesses. This is quite significant."

The Concession has previously hosted high-profile events, including the World Golf Championship in 2021 and the Senior World Champions Cup in 2023. This would be the highest-profile event hosted there, though. And the club has even loftier goals, pursuing the PGA Championship following its hosting of the over-age-50 tour’s equivalent.

“This is an opportunity for us to, I’ll put it like this, put on our Easter Sunday best, and ladies, put on your hats and we’re going to shine,’’ Commissioner Teresa Mast said.

Commissioners voted unanimously to approve the $4.5 million over 3 years.

Elliott Falcione, Manatee County’s director of the convention and visitors bureau, said an emphasis will be on referring to the host location as Sarasota-Bradenton, “known around the planet like the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport.’’ He said Manatee County had agreed to commit to a similar financial level over the same three years. 

In 2023, the Sarasota County Commission also approved a contribution of "a minimum of $3 million," to join Manatee County in seeking the even larger PGA Championship at The Concession in 2031. They didn't choose the Lakewood Ranch club, and consequently, the money remained unspent.