Price Cutter Charity Championship canceled in 2026

The annual Price Cutter Charity Championship, which doubles as a professional golf tournament and fundraiser for children's charities, has been canceled in 2026.

Rob Marsh, tournament executive director and CEO of the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame that operates it, said in a statement provided to Springfield Business Journal this morning that a scheduling conflict with the PGA Tour led to the decision. The PGA-sanctioned event through the Korn Ferry Tour has been held every year at Highland Springs Country Club from 1990 to 2025.

"While the PGA Tour’s 2026 schedule and course availability will not align for next year’s event, our mission remains unchanged," Marsh said in the statement. "We are actively working with local leaders and sponsors to shape a new community-focused experience that will continue the legacy of giving and connection this tournament has inspired for decades. We look forward to sharing more details soon and thank our supporters for their continued belief in the power of coming together for a great cause."

Marsh said in an email this morning that while the 2026 tournament is canceled, "the door is still open, and further discussions with the PGA are planned for 2027."

Marsh was unavailable for additional comment by deadline. He started as executive director and CEO of the MSHOF in January after previously serving as chief operating officer of Pyramid Foods, the parent company of Price Cutter. 

In a public Facebook post yesterday, Marsh discussed the tournament and its impact on the community. 

"Once I received the final word that an agreement could not be reached, our team, along with the leadership of Price Cutter and Hiland Dairy, immediately began working on a plan and a series of events to help fund all of our participating area charities," Marsh said in the post. "I met with those charities last week, and the team and I are excited to continue these partnerships. We will be announcing our new schedule soon and providing them with the much-needed funds they earned and raised from the 2025 tournament."

The fundraising total from the 2025 tournament has not yet been announced. Roughly 30 nonprofits and organizations participated in the July tournament this year, according to past reporting, and Florida golfer Chandler Blanchet won the 36th annual event with a total purse of $1 million. 

Marsh came on board amid a challenging time for the MSHOF and the PCCC.

Former MSHOF and PCC leader Jerald Andrews said at a December 2024 news conference that the organization owed hundreds of thousands of dollars to charities and vendors, and Marsh was introduced as the new CEO amid a turnaround effort. By July, the MSHOF said it had nearly completed paying charities what they were owed from the 2024 tournament. 

The PCCC has long been sponsored by Price Cutter, and Springfield-based Hiland Dairy Foods Co. LLC became its presenting sponsor with a deal announced in October 2024. Dr Pepper previously was presenting sponsor since 2006.