When Stephen Ames lifted his third Mitsubishi Electric Classic in 2024, he celebrated two important moments: his successful defense at TPC Sugarloaf and his 60th birthday. Yes, you read that right. Both events transpired on the same day. “Two reasons to celebrate tonight,” said Ames after the win. Even though the 2025 event will end a day before Ames’s birthday (April 28), the veteran golfer has a chance to do something that no one has ever done before: win four times at TPC Sugarloaf. If he does so, he will enjoy plenty of perks with the win.

The event at TPC Sugarloaf, held from April 25 to 27, will feature a strong roster of 78 veteran golfers competing for a total purse of $2 million. Interestingly, to recognize the achievements of these veteran golfers in their illustrious careers, this PGA Tour Champions event does not have a cut. This means that all 78 golfers participating in the 54-hole event will have the opportunity to compete for the substantial monetary prizes through Sunday.

The winner of the 28th edition of the Mitsubishi Electric Classic will take home $300,000, a total of a standard 15% payout according to the PGA Tour Champions prize money distribution chart. The golfer who finishes in second place will receive $176,000 (8.80%) of the purse, followed by the third-placed golfer, who will earn a $144,000 prize. The event may not be very lucrative for the last finisher, however, with the 78th-place golfer taking $1,000. However, here’s a complete breakdown of the 2025 Mitsubishi Electric Classic purse:

However, aside from the money prizes, the TPC Sugarloaf event offers plenty of other perks, especially for the Mitsubishi Electric Classic winner. Earnings from this event will directly contribute to the Charles Schwab Cup points list, helping golfers qualify for the 2025 Charles Schwab Cup playoffs. At the end of the 2025 season, the top five players in the final standings will share a bonus pool of $2.1 million, distributed as annuities based on their points.

Although the PGA Tour Champions does not give OWGR points for its events, the points earned in this tournament are important for players’ postseason eligibility. This makes the event a key opportunity for those striving for a top position in the Charles Schwab Cup standings. With so much on the line, the competition at the ongoing 2025 Mitsubishi Electric Classic is looking just as tough!

How does the 2025 Mitsubishi Electric Classic look after the first round?

For one of the Hall of Famers present at TPC Sugarloaf, putting hasn’t been a great advantage to him this season. Jerry Kelly has faced plenty of putter issues this season, including one incident where his putter was broken by an airline! To deal with these putter issues, Kelly put his hope in an Odyssey 2-Ball putter from storage. The result? Thanks to his use of the putter, the same model he had previously used to win tournaments, he shot a tournament record 10-under 62 in the first round at TPC Sugarloaf. Now at the top of the leaderboard, Kelly recorded a 33 on the front nine and a 29 on the back, making it the lowest nine-hole scores of the 2025 season on the PGA Tour Champions.

The other three Hall of Famers present at TPC Sugarloaf are doing great as well. Thanks to his score of 32 on the front nine and 33 in the back, Ernie Els is trailing after Kelly with a total score of 65. Vijay Singh, who dropped out of the Masters because of back issues, is standing alone in the 3rd position on the leaderboard, thanks to his score of 6-under 66. Lastly, the fourth Hall of Famer present at TPC Sugarloaf, Bernhard Langer, is tied with Retief Goosen for T4 with a score of 67.

Stephen Ames has claimed victory at the Mitsubishi Electric Classic three times in his career (2017, 2023, and 2024). Although the two-time defending champion may not be playing as well as his fellow veteran golfers, he has performed admirably so far. After he recorded a double bogey on the first hole, followed by bogeys on holes 2 and 9, Ames currently sits in 37th place with an even par.

There are many other golfers hitting it strong at TPC Sugarloaf, including Hiroyuki Fujita (T6) and Colin Montgomerie (T6). However, who are you rooting for? Let us know!