Lakewood Ranch golf fans now asked to support two pro golf tournaments

It is kind of like having a little roadside donut shop, and then Dunkin' decides to build next door.

You have to wonder if your loyal customers are going to keep coming. Will they forget just how good your product has been for years?

The LECOM Suncoast Classic has secured a spot in the hearts of East County golf fans over its run since 2019 and, no doubt about it, has become a fixture on the local scene.

Those who have attended have seen future stars such as Scottie Scheffler, the world's No. 1-ranked golfer.

Scheffler, by the way, didn't make the cut in 2019.

The first two finishers that first year in 2019? Mark Hubbard and Maverick McNealy, both stars on the PGA Tour now.

Andrew Novack, another PGA Tour star now, won in 2020. Major winner Mike Weir finished 17th in that one. Will Zalatoris was 26th.

If you have gone to a LECOM Suncoast Classic, you have seen some of the world's top professional golfers. You just didn't know it at the time.

And it's not like watching minor league baseball with faceless laundry that you don't really care about. These guys are, indeed, good ... right now.

So it will be interesting to see how area golf fans respond in 2026, when the LECOM Suncoast Classic is held April 2-5 at Lakewood National. That's two weeks before the area is treated to the Senior PGA Championship at The Concession.

Just a note that the Senior PGA Championship announced its date in the Lakewood Ranch area last August, it took the date when the LECOM Suncoast Classic was supposed to have been played.

Even though the Korn Ferry event chose to move to an earlier date, the question remains.

Can tomorrow's stars hold up against yesterday's champions?

Obviously, the Senior PGA Championship is going to have name recognition in its favor. We know who Ernie Els is. We know Stewart Cink, Fred Couples and Bernhard Langer.

Can you name anyone in the top five on the Korn Ferry money list?

Ian Holt, a star in the making, already has won two events and is one win from an automatic promotion to the PGA Tour. PGA Tour winner Adam Hadwin is fifth on the money list after falling from grace on the PGA Tour.

So, yes, there are a few big names.

But they aren't legends, yet.

Is this just an embarrassment of riches for area golf fans, and the more the merrier, or simply too much of a good thing?

We will see.

Justin Kristich, the LECOM Suncoast Classic tournament director, can't concern himself with such things. He is going about business as usual, trying to give area golf fans an experience that will keep them coming back.

He looks at the bright side, such as the fact when his tournament was forced to move last summer, the Korn Ferry tour had an opening the first week of April for a tournament. Otherwise the 2026 LECOM Suncoast Classic would have been played in the summer, and they would have needed volunteers to fan the players on the course.

Volunteers always are needed to make the Suncoast Classic go, and Kristich said despite the addition of the Senior PGA Championship, he is on track to have the same number of volunteers he had in 2025, which was 430. He said he is about 200 short of that number but on track with previous years at this time.

He was a bit concerned about landing volunteers because this year's tournament finishes on Easter Sunday, but so far, that hasn't had a big impact. He said those who have signed up have told him they always are looking for something to do on Easter.

Kristich added that they couldn't have started the tournament on Wednesday, and run it through Saturday as they did last year, because the Korn Ferry Tour has an event the following week and needs to allow the players to get from one tournament site to the other.

"We just have to take ownership of it," he said.

On-course marshals are a big need from the volunteer force. That mostly involves gallery management. So if you don't mind policing the crowd a bit, that job is for you.

Volunteers get a free tournament shirt and hat; breakfast and lunch for the days they work, a $25 gift card to the golf shop, free passes for every day of the tournament and, the most desired perk, a free round at Lakewood National. Volunteers pay $50 to be a part of the tourney. Go to LECOMSuncoastClassic.com for more information.

Kristich said the area has a core group of volunteers who just enjoy being part of a tournament and who are willing to travel to other cities to volunteer.

He did say he is glad his tournament will be played before the Senior PGA Championship.

You can't argue that Kristich has the right formula in presenting an event that keeps them coming back. Nobody knew in 2019 whether the LECOM Suncoast Classic would be around for more than a year or two, but LECOM has agreed to be the title sponsor through at least the 2029 season and Lakewood National is under contract through that year as well.

The PGA Senior Championship has a three-year contract with The Concession, which is hoping to land a PGA Championship in the future.

Kristich said he hasn't made many changes to the grounds for the 2026 event after changing the entrance, the Fan Zone, and the way he ran the shuttle for the residents last year. All were well received, he said.

The Korn Ferry Tour named the LECOM Suncoast Classic as being the Facility of the Year and having Staff Operations of the year for 2025.

Kristich is confident the community will continue to support the event.

"We have built a rapport with our community," he said. "And we know what our community is. We still have a small-town feel. This year, it's just a matter of us being visible, getting in front of people.

"They like us, and feel we are part of the family. We are here year round, and we constantly are out in the community."