Barbasol Championship Golf Tournament

Grayson Murray plays his shot from the eighth tee during the third round of the 2017 Barbasol Championship.
Grayson Murray, winner of the 2017 Barbasol Championship, tees off. Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images 
By
Brent Kelley
    Brent Kelley is an award-winning sports journalist and golf expert with over 30 years in print and online journalism.
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    Brent Kelley
    Updated November 04, 2019

    The Barbasol Championship is an annual golf tournament on the PGA Tour that takes place each July. It is a 72-hole stroke play tournament with a cut at the halfway mark (after 36 holes). Playoffs, if necessary, employ the sudden death format.

    Originally played in Alabama, the Barbasol Championship now takes place in Kentucky. When the tournament moved to Kentucky in 2018, it became the first PGA Tour event played in that state since 1959.

    The title sponsor, Barbasol, has been around 1919 as a brand of shaving cream and shaving accessories. The golf course tee markers used during the tournament feature the familiar red, white and blue Barbasol shaving cream cans.

    2020 Tournament

    • When: July 16-19, 2020
    • Where: Keene Trace Golf Club  in  Nicholasville, Kentucky

    2019 Barbasol Championship

    Jim Herman fired a 62 in the third round, then held on in the final round to win by one stroke. Herman finished at a tournament-record 262, 26-under-par and one better than runner-up Kelly Kraft. It was Herman's second career win on the PGA Tour.

    2018 Barbasol Championship

    The 2018 tournament's winner was Troy Merritt, who finished at 23-under-par 265. That was one stroke ahead of the runners-up, Billy Horschel, Tom Lovelady and Richy Werenski.

    The 2018 edition of the tournament was highlighted by the inclusion in the field of LPGA Tour major championship winner Brittany Lincicome, who accepted a sponsor invitation . Lincicome was the sixth woman ever to play in a PGA Tour tournament. She missed the cut after shooting 78-71.

    The Golf Course

    From 2015 through 2017, the Barbasol Championship was played in Opelika, Alabama on the Grand National course, part of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. In 2018, the tournament moved to Kentucky and the Champion Trace course at Keene Trace Golf Club.

    The club has two courses: Champion Trace and Keene Run. The Champion Trace course was designed by Arthur Hills and built in 1987. For daily play, Champion Trace is a par-72 layout that tips out at 7,117 yards. 

    Past Winners 

    The full list of tournament champions since the tournament was first played in 2015 is as follows:

    Year Winner Score
    2019 Jim Herman 262
    2018 Troy Merritt 265
    2017 Grayson Murray 263
    2016 Aaron Baddeley 266
    2015 Scott Piercy 265

    Opposite-Field Tournament

    The term "opposite-field tournament" applies to PGA Tour events that are scheduled on the same dates as a more-prominent tournament. The Barbasol Championship is considered an opposite-field tournament because it is played opposite the British Open, one of the four major championships of men's golf. That means the Barbasol Championship field consists mostly of golfers who do not qualify to play in the British Open.

    Winners of the tournament receive a two-year exemption to play the PGA Tour plus a berth in the PGA Championship. However, because of its opposite-field status, the Barbasol Championship awards fewer FedEx Cup points and world ranking points, and winners do not automatically receive a Masters invitation.

    Key Takeaways

    • Tournament Name: Barbasol Championship
    • Description: A 72-hole golf tournament that is part of the PGA Tour and is played opposite the British Open.
    • Past Winners: Grayson Murray, Aaron Baddeley, Scott Piercy
    • Location: Keene Trace Golf Club in Nicholasville, Kentucky