Many of the world's best will be in Scotland this week for the Genesis Scottish Open - a co-sanctioned event by the PGA Tour and DP World Tour.
But for those not involved in the Open Championship tune-up over in the UK, the ISCO Championship - held at Keene Trace Golf Club in Nicholasville, Kentucky - is the alternative co-sanctioned tournament which not only offers an opportunity to win a PGA Tour/DP World Tour title but also serves as the final chance to qualify for golf's oldest Major on US soil.
The highest-placed golfer not already exempt for Royal Troon will earn a spot at the 152nd Open Championship, while they could also pick up the $720,000 winner's check and 300 FedEx Cup points.
As the ISCO Championship is not classed a primary tournament on either the PGA Tour or DP World Tour schedule, there is a lower total prize pot of "just" $4 million this week compared to the $8-9 million which is usually on offer at a regular PGA Tour event. Each player who ends inside the top-11 is set for a six-figure payday at worst, while the lowest-ranked golfer who makes the weekend will collect at least $8,600.
This week's winner will not land a spot at The Masters due to the event's lower status, but they will receive a place in the PGA Championship next year as well as a two-season exemption on the PGA Tour.
With the @iscochampionship coming this week, it’s time to take a look at Champions Trace, one of two 18 hole courses at @keenetracegolfclub. I will be unabashedly bias given it’s my home course, but I do believe it possesses the primary traits of most great courses: a great… pic.twitter.com/xFV8ctH6l1July 7, 2024
Previous champions of the tournament - which only arrived on the PGA Tour calendar in 2015 - include Seamus Power, Scott Piercy, and Trey Mullinax.
Below is the prize money payout breakdown for the ISCO Championship at Keene Trace Golf Club in Nicholasville, Kentucky.
ISCO CHAMPIONSHIP PRIZE MONEY PAYOUT 2024
| Position | Prize Money |
|---|---|
| 1st | $720,000 |
| 2nd | $436,000 |
| 3rd | $276,000 |
| 4th | $196,000 |
| 5th | $164,000 |
| 6th | $145,000 |
| 7th | $135,000 |
| 8th | $125,000 |
| 9th | $117,000 |
| 10th | $109,000 |
| 11th | $101,000 |
| 12th | $93,000 |
| 13th | $85,000 |
| 14th | $77,000 |
| 15th | $73,000 |
| 16th | $69,000 |
| 17th | $65,000 |
| 18th | $61,000 |
| 19th | $57,000 |
| 20th | $53,000 |
| 21st | $49,000. |
| 22nd | $45,000 |
| 23rd | $41,800 |
| 24th | $38,600 |
| 25th | $35,400 |
| 26th | $32,200 |
| 27th | $31,000 |
| 28th | $29,800 |
| 29th | $28,600 |
| 30th | $27,400 |
| 31st | $26,200 |
| 32nd | $25,000 |
| 33rd | $23,800 |
| 34th | $22,800 |
| 35th | $21,800 |
| 36th | $20,800 |
| 37th | $19,800 |
| 38th | $19,000 |
| 39th | $18,200 |
| 40th | $17,400 |
| 41st | $16,600 |
| 42nd | $15,800 |
| 43rd | $15,000 |
| 44th | $14,200 |
| 45th | $13,400 |
| 46th | $12,600 |
| 47th | $11,800 |
| 48th | $11,160 |
| 49th | $10,600 |
| 50th | $10,280 |
| 51st | $10,040 |
| 52nd | $9,800 |
| 53rd | $9,640 |
| 54th | $9,480 |
| 55th | $9,400 |
| 56th | $9,320 |
| 57th | $9,240 |
| 58th | $9,160 |
| 59th | $9,080 |
| 60th | $9,000 |
| 61st | $8,920 |
| 62nd | $8,840 |
| 63rd | $8,760 |
| 64th | $8,680 |
| 65th | $8,600 |
WHO IS PLAYING IN THE ISCO CHAMPIONSHIP?
Defending champion Vincent Norrman is not in the field this year after opting to compete at the Scottish Open instead. The Swede defeated Nathan Kimsey in a playoff last year to secure his maiden PGA Tour title in what was then called the Barbasol Championship.
But with a new name, the ISCO Championship will still feature plenty of fascinating names and potential storylines such as Michael Thorbjornsen and Luke Clanton. Thorbjornsen finished No. 1 in the PGA Tour University standings for 2024 while Clanton is still an amateur but has competed near the top of the leaderboard in both of the past two weeks on tour.
Kevin Kisner (right) and Smylie Kaufman at the WM Phoenix Open 2024
Occasional NBC Golf analyst Kevin Kisner and YouTube sensation Wesley Bryan will be teeing it up in Kentucky, as will Joel Dahmen - another well-known name in the field this week after his appearances in both seasons of Netflix's 'Full Swing.'
Past champions of this event, Troy Merritt and Aaron Baddeley are two other players who will fancy their chances of repeating past success.
Field for the ISCO Championship (July 11-14): pic.twitter.com/rhtIXDxwAZJuly 5, 2024
WHAT COURSE IS THE ISCO CHAMPIONSHIP PLAYED AT?
The first three editions of the ISCO Championship (2015-2017) were played at the Grand National Course in Alabama before it switched to Keene Trace Golf Club in Kentucky from 2018.
The par-72 layout is measured at around 7,328 yards and has seen a tournament record score of 26-under, achieved by Jim Herman in 2019.
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