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PGA Tour Championship Won't Leave Georgia Despite New Voting Law Being Passed
April 4, 2021
The PGA Tour announced Saturday it would not change its location of the Tour Championship amid Georgia's controversial new voting laws, per Bob Harig of ESPN.
The season-ending event will remain at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta in August, as the organization explained in a statement:
"The Tour Championship's commitment to East Lake has helped our partners transform distressed neighborhoods into healthy and thriving ones, which is a key to ending the cycle of intergenerational poverty. The charitable and economic benefits that have led to these substantial changes would not continue if we simply walked away from those in need."
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp recently signed The Election Integrity Act of 2021, which created sweeping changes to the voting process after Democrat Joe Biden won the state in the 2020 presidential election. Civil rights groups have challenged the new law due to its restrictions on voting access.
Major League Baseball responded by moving its 2021 All-Star Game, which was scheduled to take place in Atlanta.
The PGA Tour will not change its schedule but noted in its statement, "Our intention to stage an event in a particular market should not be construed as indifference to the current conversation around voting rights."
PGA of America also noted its intention to keep the KPMG Women's PGA Championship at the Atlanta Athletic Club in June:
"The KPMG Women's PGA Championship is a partnership between three organizations committed to diversity, equity and inclusion: PGA of America, LPGA and KPMG. Like many entities, we are monitoring developments related to the new state legislation on voting access. We believe elections should be accessible, fair and secure, and support broad voter participation."
One of the biggest events on the golf calendar will also take place in Georgia as it does every year with the Masters Championship set to begin Thursday from Augusta National.