At the Constellation FURYK & FRIENDS, a new home brings a new kind of pressure: four oceanfront closing holes where a victory can vanish in the wind.
Beginning Oct. 9, the PGA Tour Champions event will make its first appearance at Hammock Beach Golf Resort & Spa after five years in Jacksonville. The move is more than a 60-mile trip south. It brings the tournament to one of Florida’s most distinctive golf settings: a Jack Nicklaus Signature design whose closing stretch, the Bear Claw, becomes every bit as formidable as its name when the wind picks up.
More importantly, the new home gives the event the opportunity to grow without losing the character that made it meaningful from the start. FURYK & FRIENDS is not merely another date on the calendar. Co-founded by Jim Furyk and his wife, Tabitha, it is rooted in relationships, charitable purpose, competitive credibility, and the belief that a professional golf event should serve both the players inside the ropes and the community outside them.
The Sunshine State is overflowing with golf resorts, yet relatively few courses make the ocean an essential part of the round rather than a distant backdrop. Hammock Beach’s Ocean Course makes the Atlantic part of the test.
Nicklaus routed the par-72 layout through wetlands and lakes and alongside the coast, giving golfers six holes directly on the oceanfront. On a quiet day, it can be an enjoyable resort experience. On a windy day, it becomes a final exam in trajectory, patience, shot selection, and emotional control.
That is why Hammock Beach can produce a defining finish.
The Bear Claw—holes 15 through 18—consists of four holes pressed against the coast. They are beautiful in the way great coastal golf often is: spectacular enough to make players stop and look, and difficult enough to make them wish they did not have to play them under pressure. The sequence includes an exposed par 3, demanding par 4s, and a closing hole that can reward boldness while punishing anything less.
For spectators, the Ocean Course offers something tournament golf, with its temporary grandstands and chalets, cannot fully create: the sense that a well-struck shot can be both an achievement and an act of survival. The setting itself can dictate whether a player attacks, defends, or simply tries not to lose any ground until the next tee box.
Furyk said the tournament’s new Boardwalk fan area will bring that experience up close to the public, offering views of the 18th fairway and the ocean beyond. FURYK & FRIENDS will pair competition with live music, food, football watching on big screens, and fan experiences, reflecting the welcoming, community-oriented personality it has developed since its 2021 debut.
Zach Johnson has enjoyed a remarkable rookie season on the PGA TOUR Champions. After turning 50 in February, he quickly emerged as one of the circuit’s most consistent players, winning six tournaments.
The Iowa native broke through early and is second in the Charles Schwab Cup standings, behind 53-year-old Stuart Cink, who has won five times this year. That sets up a compelling race between two major champions.
He hasn’t played the Ocean Course yet, but he’s heard enough to be eager to. Johnson’s swing coach, Mike Bender, has run schools here at the resort and has given the layout a glowing review.
Zach Johnson looking ahead to Hammock Beach with George McNeilly
“He says it’s spectacular,” Johnson said.
The former Masters and Open Championship winner has a history at Hammock Beach. He played the resort’s other championship-caliber course, the Tom Watson-designed Conservatory, and remembers it as a difficult, demanding test, with sand everywhere and hazards that can quickly unravel a scorecard.
The Ocean Course should challenge these pros differently. The Conservatory is expansive, punishing, and exacting. Meanwhile, the Ocean Course is exposed, visual, and strategic—a layout where a familiar yardage can become an entirely different shot when a coastal wind meets a golf ball.
For Johnson, the tournament also has a personal component.
“It’s Jim and Tab,” he said. “Those are two of my besties. So excited to be joining them.”
That relationship is no small thing. The Furyks have helped establish a warm, informal atmosphere, while players still understand that the competition among them is real.
Johnson was also quick to remind me that over-50 golf should not be mistaken for a reunion tour. The players are older, the event is 54 holes, and pro-am days may feel more relaxed than typical PGA Tour Wednesday warm-ups. But once tournament play begins, the standards rise.
“Guys are still competing at a high level,” Johnson said. “They’re still practicing at a high level, grinding, all the things. And if you get complacent, you’re going to get lapped.”
The three-round format creates its own urgency. There is little time to recover from an opening 73, and no leisurely wait until Sunday to make a charge.
“The Saturday second-round charge is really the last day,” Johnson said. “So, you’d better have a massive charge if you’re behind.”
That formula could make Hammock Beach especially compelling. A player caught on the wrong side of the wind, choosing the wrong club along the Bear Claw or misjudging the speed of a coastal green might not have enough holes left to repair the damage.
Constellation FURYK & FRIENDS, presented by Circle K, has a new canvas—one with ocean winds, exposed greens, and an unpredictable finish.
