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The ISCO Championship, formerly the Barbasol Championship, is a Professional Golfing Association of America (PGA) tour hosted at Keene Trace Golf Club in Nicholasville since 2018. This year is no exception. 

The ISCO Championship debuted on the PGA Tour in 2015 and is one of the four major golf tournaments in America. This year’s tournament will be held from Thursday, July 11, to Sunday, July 14. 

One hundred fifty-six professional golfers from the PGA and DP European Tour will compete for the winning benefits. The championship winner will take home part of the tournament’s $4 million purse, an award of 300 FedExCup points, a winner’s exemption on the PGA TOUR, and entry to the PGA Championship. 

Daily tickets are $40, and tickets for the entire tournament are $120. For information on VIP offerings and to purchase tickets, go to https://www.cuetoems.com/ky_2024/Tickets.aspx.

Commonwealth Credit Union in partnership with ISCO, announced the return of complimentary tickets to the tournament for community heroes. 

“It is both an honor and a privilege for us to recognize the community heroes, our first responders, educators, and public servants, who have a positive impact on our lives every day,” said Commonwealth Credit Union President/CEO, Karen Harbin. “We wanted to say ‘Thank You’ to these selfless individuals and their families by offering an opportunity to enjoy a premier event and create lasting memories. This is our heartfelt way of expressing gratitude for their dedication and service.”

Members of the U.S. Armed Forces, veterans, first responders, and Kentucky teachers are eligible for these complimentary tickets. They are eligible for four tickets per day to the ISCO Championship and can be secured at the link at the top of the tickets page in the link provided.

Also thanks to Commonwealth Credit Union, all children accompanied by a ticket-holding adult can attend the tournament for free. 

Each year, Jessamine County volunteers help run the ISCO Championship. This year, ISCO organizers are once again asking for the help of locals. Spots are filling up fast, according to Charla Reed with Visit Jessamine. There are several volunteer committees from which interested parties can choose. Head to the website to sign up to volunteer: https://iscochampionship.com/volunteer/

More on the ISCO Championship: 

The title sponsorship for this championship previously belonged to Barbasol, but it now belongs to ISCO through 2027. ISCO is a piping solutions provider based in Kentucky.

As the title sponsor, ISCO gets to invite any player who isn’t a part of the field to compete in the event. This means that even if the player didn’t qualify for the Championship, they still have an opportunity to compete. 

This year, these players include several locals and some golfers from other states, near and far. 

These players are:

• Alex Goff of the University of Kentucky was named Scholar Athlete of the Year ‘24. He is 32nd in the PGA TOUR U Rankings. Goff also received the honors of Second Team All-SEC in ‘23 and ‘24 and 106th Kentucky Amateur Champion ‘20.

• Cooper Musselman, also from the University of Kentucky previously played in the Barbasol Championship in ‘19and was a Korn Ferry Tour Member in ‘23.

• John Marshall (J.M.) Butler of Auburn University is 27th in PGA TOUR U Rankings, received the honors of Second Team All-American ‘22 and Second Team All-SEC ‘22, ‘23, and ‘24, and was the NCAA National Champion ‘24 and Kentucky Mr. Golf in ‘18. 

• Luke Clanton of Florida State University ranks 8th in World Amateur Golf Rankings and received the honors of First Team All-American ‘24, First Team All-ACC, U.S. Open Qualifier ‘24, and the first FSU player to win three consecutive tournaments. 

 

• Neal Shipley of Ohio State University ranks 48th in PGA TOUR U and received the honors of Low Amateur at the ‘24 Masters Tournaments, Low Amateur at the ‘24 U.S. Open, and First Team All-Big Ten ‘24. 

• Stephen Stallings of the University of Kentucky participated in the Academic All-SEC ‘14, ‘15, and ‘16, and played in the Barbasol Championship in ‘19, ‘21, ‘22, and ‘23. 

According to Dan Koett, who does Media and Public Relations for the ISCO Championship, Tournament Director T.R. Hollis shared some insight into the player exemption process. “This is a time-intensive process, with a number of factors to consider,” he said. “We will always be intentional about who we award an exemption to and strive to offer these opportunities to the most deserving athletes who support the health of the tournament as well as providing a platform for local Kentucky talent to launch their professional careers.”