Louisville may have found its long-lost PGA Tour home at Hurstbourne Country Club

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A family of four settled under a tall pine tree behind the ninth green Saturday at Hurstbourne Country Club — a reprieve from the summer heat down the hill from the club’s grand clubhouse.

Temperatures were pushing 90 degrees at the ISCO Championship in Louisville, and a mother sat down in the grass with her toddler, pointing him toward the players in the distance. Behind her, the father pulled up a stroller with their infant son, watching tee shots come toward them while also trying to keep the baby awake for a few more holes.

The relaxed, familial scene has been a familiar one all week at Hurstbourne, the host of what could be a successful re-launch of PGA Tour golf in Louisville — a generation in the making.

The tour hasn’t held an event in Louisville in 66 years, when the Kentucky Derby Open ended a three-year run at Seneca Golf Course. Gary Player and Billy Casper, both eventual members of the World Golf Hall of Fame, left Louisville with a win. But it ended in 1959, and the tour hasn’t returned to town since.

That is until Jimmy Kirchdorfer, CEO of Louisville-based ISCO Industries, signed the company up as title sponsor to bring an opposite-field summer event to town in 2025 — an initial three-year deal at Hurstbourne.

“This is a big deal to the players who are here,” he said on Saturday. “Coming out, you’re going to see great golf.”

Kirchdorfer, who’s also a co-owner of Valhalla Golf Club, was heavily involved on the ground during the 2024 PGA Championship — an event that was financially successful for Louisville and the PGA of America but left a controversial legacy in its wake. A championship that came down to the final putt on the final hole was marred by the "chaotic" arrest of the world’s best golfer outside the club before the second round. The week was historic in many ways for the city and the corporate environment on-site, but the general public was left astounded by Scottie Scheffler’s viral mugshot.

So even the most optimistic golf fans left Valhalla doubting whether men’s professional golf would ever set foot again in the bluegrass. The Solheim Cup, a prominent international women’s event, will be held at Valhalla in 2028 — but, as of this writing, the PGA of America’s flagship event is booked elsewhere until 2032.

'A pro golf town'

Somewhere in that uncertainty, however, the ISCO Championship was born. The event pales in comparison to the legacy-defining championships that have taken place at Valhalla, but maybe there’s room for it to forge its own legacy anyway. The field is made up of everyone who isn’t qualified for next week’s Open Championship in Northern Ireland, so the household names are missing. The stories remain, though, if you care to look.

Chan Kim, a 35-year-old who’s only twice even made a cut in a major, shot a 61 on Thursday and surged to a five-shot lead after two rounds. Jackson Koivun, the No. 1-ranked amateur in the world, fired a front-nine 31 on Saturday to vault 25 spots up the leaderboard. He’s 20 years old, a junior at Auburn University, and was one of the best players on the course Saturday.

All the way down the leaderboard, players have praised the golf course. The private club in east Louisville is offering a real test, with the summer heat and lack of rain leaving players cautious of the firm fairways and greens. It’s the 25th PGA Tour event of the 2025 season, and the 36-hole cut at Hurstbourne was the seventh-toughest of the year.

“I’m very happy with how things have turned out,” Kirchdorfer said. “The golf course is the star of the show. Players are raving about it.”

Kirchdorfer said he’s committed to keeping the tournament “in Kentucky” beyond its current 2027 contract but admitted Louisville has everything needed to run a great championship.

“Louisville is a pro golf town, and there are only 39 cities that get to host a PGA Tour event,” he said. “... We’ve got some other things in the hopper at Valhalla, some other big events. We established it last year as a great golf town, and we need to keep that. It’s important for our city.”

And those who came out to the course this week found a unique environment. The lack of corporate hospitality made for wide, accessible walkways and plenty of shade. The smaller crowd sizes weren’t a hindrance but an advantage — giving anyone who wanted it a front-row seat for world-class golf. It wasn’t the biggest event in the world this week, but it was a relaxed, family-friendly atmosphere that offered a real experience for fans.

“I see a lot of smiles on people’s faces, really enjoying the social side of the event …” Kirchdorfer said. “It is way more accessible than a major, so you can get really up close.”

If you’re looking through the right lens, what’s not to like?

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