The Boeing Classic: A Local Viewing Guide

Every August, the Pacific Northwest gets its only PGA TOUR event: three days at The Club at Snoqualmie Ridge, a stunning Jack Nicklaus-designed course thirty miles east of Seattle. You can stand ten feet from major champions and watch a Boeing flyover to start and finish the tournament's play.

The Boeing Classic is one of 28 PGA TOUR Champions events in the world, and the only annual PGA TOUR event in the Pacific Northwest. 2026 is its 21st year.

This is our guide to doing it right. Where to stand, what's worth paying for, and what most first-timers get wrong.

The Basics

Competition rounds	Friday, August 14 through Sunday, August 16
Tournament week	Monday, August 10 through Sunday, August 16
Venue	The Club at Snoqualmie Ridge, 36005 SE Ridge St, Snoqualmie
Format	54 holes, 78 players, no cut
Purse	$2.3 million
Tickets	$20 single day, $40 all three days
Kids	14 and under free with a ticketed adult
Parking	$10 at Mount Si High School, shuttles every 10 minutes
TV	Golf Channel: Fri 7-9pm, Sat 3-5pm live, Sun 2-4pm live

One thing worth flagging up front, because it trips people up: the tournament promotes August 10-16, but that's the full week including the pro-am and practice days. Competition, and public grounds access, is Friday through Sunday.

Northwest Links followers get buy-one-get-one tickets with code BOGONWL26 at boeingclassic.com. More on the ticket options further down.

Why This Tournament Matters More Than People Realize

There's a tendency to file senior golf under "nice, but not the real thing." That undersells what's happening at Snoqualmie Ridge.

The no-cut format is the first reason. Every player who tees off Friday plays all 54 holes. You can plan a Sunday trip around watching a specific player and know for certain they'll be out there.

The second reason is access. PGA TOUR galleries at a signature event are ten deep. Here you can stand on the rope line on a Friday morning and have the tee box more or less to yourself. You can watch players warm up on the driving range and putting green from a few feet away. Autographs are available at the designated area near the 18th hole after players finish their rounds.

The third reason is that this event has produced genuinely great Sundays. In 2007, Denis Watson won a seven-man playoff, the largest in Champions Tour history. In 2014, Scott Dunlap beat Mark Brooks in sudden death, the fifth time in ten years the tournament had gone to a playoff. In 2019, Brandt Jobe came from seven shots back with a Sunday 63. In 2024, Stephen Ames tied the tournament record for the largest Sunday comeback at seven shots, then became the first player to win it in back-to-back years.

The finish is set up for it. More on that below.

Who To Watch

The final roster gets posted in the week leading up to the tournament, so treat this as a preview rather than a confirmed list.

Steve Allan, defending champion. Allan started the final round in 2025 four shots back of 36-hole leader Stewart Cink, then went bogey-free with seven birdies for a 65 to win at 15 under. It was his third win of the 2025 season.

The 2026 in form players. Stewart Cink has been the dominant figure on tour, having won the 2025 Charles Schwab Cup and stacked up multiple wins again this season including the Senior PGA Championship and the Regions Tradition. Pádraig Harrington beat Cink by four at Scioto in July for his second consecutive U.S. Senior Open title. Miguel Ángel Jiménez, Ernie Els, Steven Alker and Bernhard Langer are all regulars in this field and all have won here or come close.

Fred Couples. This is the local story, and it's a good one. Couples is a Seattle native and an O'Dea High School product, and he has never won his hometown tournament. His best finish is third, which he has done three times. In 2019 he made a hole-in-one on the 203-yard 9th with a 4-iron en route to a 63 and a five-shot 36-hole lead, and then Brandt Jobe ran him down on Sunday and Couples finished third for the fourth time in eight appearances. If he's in the field and in contention Sunday, the noise at Snoqualmie Ridge will be something to be part of.

The record book. Tom Kite (2006, 2008), Bernhard Langer (2010, 2016) and Stephen Ames (2023, 2024) are the only multiple winners. The tournament scoring record is 19 under 197, set by Jerry Kelly in 2017 and matched by Ames in 2023. The course record is 60, set by Kevin Sutherland during the second round in 2018.

The Course

The Club at Snoqualmie Ridge opened in 1999 and was designed by Jack Nicklaus. It's a par-72, 7,264-yard championship layout at the base of the Cascades, and it was voted the most beautiful clubhouse in Washington state by Architectural Digest in 2018. It played as TPC at Snoqualmie Ridge until 2016.

The property runs from 575 to 870 feet above sea level, which is the thing to understand before you decide what shoes to wear. This is a ridge course with real elevation change. It is a hilly walk, and it is worth every step.

There's also an eagle sanctuary on the 14th hole, which tells you something about where you are.

Where To Stand

We talked through the course with the club pro. These are the holes that reward standing still. Think of it as a loop rather than a list.

Start here:

• No. 1, par 5, 554 yards. A classic Nicklaus opener that sets the tone. Bleachers here are first-come, first-seated. It's also the best place on the property to be for the Friday flyover, since you get the opening ceremony, the plane, and the first tee shots all in one spot.

• No. 10, three-tier green. A par 4 where the approach is everything. Land on the wrong shelf and you're facing a putt with a break visible from the rope line. Watch four or five groups come through and you'll see the full range of outcomes.

• No. 13, par 3, roughly 190 yards. The prettiest hole on the course. Mt. Si sits directly behind the green. It's also practical: there are concessions, restrooms, and a satellite first aid station in this area. Good place to reset in the middle of a loop.

Then work back in for the finish:

• No. 14, par 4, 448 yards over Bear Canyon. The signature hole and the best watching on the property. There's a seventy-foot drop over the canyon and the deepest bunker on the course at fifteen feet. It is a scary tee shot over a chasm, and even when the green seems unreachable, it's fun to try. Players will take it on. Some will pull it off. Some won't. The Alaska Airlines Canyon Club sits right here with a front-row view of the green.

• No. 17, par 3. The pressure hole, and here's why.

• No. 18, par 5, 498 yards. The easiest hole on the course. Reachable in two. Which means a one-shot lead standing on the 17th tee is not a lead at all. Players who need to make something happen have one clean chance at 17 and a very live chance at 18, and players protecting a lead have to survive both. Rod Pampling won in 2021 from the clubhouse because Jim Furyk and Woody Austin both failed to get up and down from greenside bunkers on 18. Jay Don Blake beat Mark O'Meara on the second playoff hole there in 2012 in front of 28,000 people. Loren Roberts birdied 17 and 18 to steal it in 2009.

If you only have two hours on Sunday, spend them between the 17th tee and the 18th green.

Three Ways To Plan Your Day

The first-timer (about four hours). Arrive an hour before your first group. Spend twenty minutes at the practice range watching swings up close. Walk out to 13 for the Mt. Si photo, then over to 14 and stay a while. Work back in toward 17 and 18 for the finish and the autograph area.

The golf sicko (full day). Get there at gates. Range, then follow one group for a full nine so you can actually see how a professional manages a round rather than just watching individual shots. Break at 13 for food. Second half, park at 14 and watch the whole field come through the canyon. Finish at 17-18.

With kids (three to four hours). Seahawks Village at the top of the 18th hole opens at 11:30 a.m. with crafts, a putting contest, and a lounge overlooking the green. Start there, walk out as far as 14 and back, and time your visit to the Village around the day's feature: the Seahawks World Championship trophy Friday from noon to 3 p.m., Cliff Avril signing autographs Saturday from noon to 1:30 p.m., and Taima the Hawk Sunday from noon to 2 p.m. The First Tee Seattle Putting Championship runs Saturday at 2 p.m.

Upgrades: What's Worth It

Alaska Airlines Canyon Club, $40 per day. Premium hospitality at the tournament's most dramatic vantage point, watching players take on the par-4 14th over Bear's Canyon, with a front-row view of the green. Food and beverage are available for purchase. It costs the same as a three-day grounds pass but it puts you at the best hole on the course.

Worth knowing: Atmos Rewards cardholders who buy a grounds pass are eligible for a complimentary upgrade to the Canyon Club, first-come, first-served and subject to capacity, valid for the named cardholder only. If you want a guaranteed spot, buy the Canyon Club ticket.

ANA Lounge, $350 per day. All-inclusive hospitality overlooking the 18th green, with food and beverages included, table and tiered seating, and a front-row seat for the finish. This is the corporate-entertaining option, and it's the right one if you're hosting clients or you want to watch Sunday's finish without standing.

Grounds pass. The best value is the $40 tournament pass. Re-entry is allowed with a hand stamp from the Main Gate, so you can come and go across three days.

Make A Weekend of It

If you're coming from outside the area, the Snoqualmie Valley gives you a reason to stay the night rather than fight I-90 twice.

Snoqualmie Falls is a five-minute drive from the course and one of the most visited natural attractions in the state. The viewing platform is free and takes fifteen minutes. Salish Lodge sits directly above the falls, and historically the only way the general public has been able to play The Club at Snoqualmie Ridge is through a stay-and-play package there. Worth a call if you want to tee it up on the same course the pros just finished on.

North Bend is ten minutes further east and is Twin Peaks country if that's your thing, plus it's the trailhead town for Mount Si itself. The same mountain you'll be photographing behind the 13th green is a four-mile climb if you want to earn your beer.

More Than Golf

The Boeing Classic was founded in 2005 by Virginia Mason Franciscan Health and the Seattle Seahawks, with Boeing as title sponsor since the beginning. It has raised more than $12 million for Virginia Mason Franciscan Health and local charities including The First Tee of Greater Seattle.

"For more than two decades, Virginia Mason Franciscan Health has been a proud partner in this world-class tournament," said Julie Manas, President of CommonSpirit Health's Northwest Region. "It's an event that not only treats our community to some of golf's most elite competitors, but also fuels our critical work in lifesaving care and groundbreaking medical research."

Championship Sunday is Military and Veterans Appreciation Day. Active, retired and Reserve military get free admission and parking. First tee player announcements are made by military personnel, and Old Glory serves as the pin flag on the 18th green. The tournament partners with Folds of Honor to provide thirteen educational scholarships to the spouses and children of fallen or disabled service members and first responders, and fans are encouraged to wear red, white and blue.

The Youth Clinic runs Tuesday, August 11 at noon on the driving range. It's open to the public, free, for ages 6 to 18, with instruction from a PGA TOUR Champions professional and a prize pack. No clubs needed, and parents can stay and watch the pros practice afterward.

Know Before You Go

Getting there. Spectator parking is $10 at Mount Si High School, 8651 Meadowbrook Way SE, with shuttles running about every ten minutes to the Main Entrance. From I-90 eastbound take exit 25 or 27 and follow signage. From I-90 westbound take exit 25 and go north on Snoqualmie Parkway. Cadillac owners park free in the general lot.

Gates. Friday 9 a.m., Saturday 8 a.m., Sunday 8 a.m.

Free admission applies to a lot of people. Boeing employees and retirees plus one guest with proof of employment. Virginia Mason Franciscan Health employees plus one guest with a current ID badge. Active, veteran and retired military and their families with valid ID, including free parking. Washington Athletic Club and Bellevue Athletic Club members and immediate family with a valid membership card, including free parking. Check before you buy.

Cameras. This one catches people out. No standalone photo or video cameras on competition days, though they're allowed on practice days. Phones are fine throughout, on silent, no flash, and content is for personal use only. No live streaming.

What you can bring. One sealed clear water bottle up to 16 ounces. Compact portable chairs are fine, oversized lawn chairs are not. No outside food, no coolers, no signs or banners, no speakers, no pets other than service animals, no metal spikes. Strollers and diaper bags are permitted.

On course. Concessions are near the 10th, 13th, 14th and 18th holes. Restrooms are at the 10th, 13th and 14th and near the clubhouse. Main first aid is by the 18th green with satellite stations at 4 and 13. There are no ATMs on site.

Dress for it. This is an outdoor event subject to changing weather. Smart casual, sensible shoes. It's mid-August in the Cascade foothills, which can mean 85 and sunny or 58 and drizzling. Layers, and shoes you can climb a ridge in.

Autographs. Don't ask while players are competing. The autograph area is near the 18th hole after rounds finish.

Tickets

Single day pass $20. Tournament pass, good all three days, $40. Alaska Airlines Canyon Club $40 per day. ANA Lounge $350 per day. Children 14 and under free with a ticketed adult.

Northwest Links members and followers: use code BOGONWL26 for buy-one-get-one tickets at boeingclassic.com.

We're proud to partner with the Boeing Classic on this one. It's the only PGA TOUR event our region gets all year, it's a Nicklaus course you otherwise can't play, and every ticket sold puts money into cancer research and youth golf in the Puget Sound. Bring somebody who's never been.

See you at the 14th.