DES MOINES, Iowa — The fun at the Principal Charity Classic is underway this week at Wakonda Club. The tournament doesn’t officially start until Friday morning, but some of the best senior golfers in the world were testing out the course on Thursday — a course that was re-done last year. 

Many of the PGA Tour Champions golfers got some practice in, playing in the Coherent Pro-Am. Each pro was grouped with four amateurs which was a good way to see the course while having fun and raising money for the children’s charities this week.

Some legends playing include Bernhard Langer, Padraog Harrington, Stephen Ames, who came in 2nd last year at PCC, and of course Ernie Els. He won it all in 2024 finishing -21.

“It’s great to be back, it’s been a few for me now. I think this is five or number six for me. I know the course quite well,” Els said. “I mean, obviously winning last year with the new golf course and new changes was great. I got in last night and I played pro-am and practice round this morning, and I like what I see a lot.”

“It gives me good vibes. You always get good vibes. You reflect in the past and on the good things that you’ve done here before,” Ames said.

So, can Els get back to back titles here at the Principal Charity Classic?

“If it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen. If we try and make that happen, it’s probably not going to. You know, I’ve been fortunate enough to win some back-to-backs in my career, but in my experience, you just play. You play,” Els said. “You feed off good feelings and that’s all you can do, Then you just hope for the best. So, I’m not thinking about back-to-back, believe me, I just want to have a good tournament. I haven’t had a good event now in the last two events, so I’d like to play better this week. Let’s keep good progress and I guess that’s what I’ve been doing.”

This week is also, of course, about charity. On Thursday, volunteers were stuffing 1,500 backpacks with school supplies for select Iowa public schools involved in the Bridies for Charity Program. And the pros appreciate it all too.

“We do give back a lot of money that the events make. And it’s always the small towns in particular that do need the charitable donations every year. And I think we do our part very much here by doing that,” Ames said.

You can buy tickets to join the fun in person or online at principalcharityclassic.com. There’s also free parking downtown with free shuttles to the course, and it is a cashless tournament so come with your cards.

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