The PGA Tour Champions event this week saw its first day get washed out by rain in Virginia. Now, the plan for the 50-and-over set is to get 54 holes in on Saturday and Sunday.
The Dominion Energy Charity Classic at The Country Club of Virginia in Richmond was a 54-hole event all along but was supposed to get started on Friday morning.
The field features Phil Mickelson, looking to go 2-for-2 on the senior circuit. Mickelson joked about playing this event instead of the PGA Tour stop at Shadow Creek, where he beat Tiger Woods in The Match in 2018 to bag a $9 million prize.
During his pre-tournament press conference, Mickelson was asked why he didn’t seek a sponsor exemption into the limited-field, no-cut $9.5 million event in Las Vegas.
“I felt like it would be better for me to play here,” he said. “I think last time I played at Shadow Creek, even if I beat all 78 guys, it would still be a letdown. I made so much more last time I played, that I just didn’t see the benefit. Sorry.”
Mickelson is set to tee it up alongside Jim Furyk and Miguel Angel Jimenez, the tournament’s defending champion. Furyk, like Mickelson, also won his Champions tour debut.
The first round is now scheduled to get going at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday. Everyone will then take a short break before heading back out for the second round. They’ll play as many holes as they can before darkness sets in and then try to finish the tournament on Sunday.
