The Insperity Invitational has come a long way since its first tee-off in 2004. Back then, it was called the Administaff Small Business Classic and was played at Augusta Pines Golf Club in Spring, Texas, not The Woodlands, the course it’s currently played on. It has since moved venues, changed its name, and more than doubled its purse. Today, it is the richest non-major event on the PGA Tour Champions calendar.

Historically, the Insperity Invitational was played in October for the first eight years, but it shifted to its current May slot in 2012 and has been a spring fixture since then. The 2026 edition runs May 8-10 at The Woodlands Country Club, Texas. This year, the field consists of 78 players and spans 54 holes, with no cut, meaning every professional who completes all three rounds receives a paycheck.

The tournament offers a prize purse of $3 million, and the purse has steadily grown since the tournament’s debut. In 2004, when Larry Nelson won the inaugural edition, the total purse stood at $1.6 million. It stayed flat through 2010 and then climbed gradually, reaching $1.8 million in 2013, $2 million in 2014, and $2.2 million in 2018. The purse saw the biggest jump in 2022 when the purse rose to $2.3 million. Then, by 2023, it was $2.7 million. The purse hit its $3 million mark in 2025 and has held there in 2026.

The winner collects 15% of the total purse, which is $450,000. The second place earns $264,000, and the third takes $216,000. Fourth place is worth $180,000, and fifth brings in $144,000. The payouts continue down to the last, where the 78th-place finisher earns $1,500. Here’s a total breakdown of the entire purse.

Beyond the prize money, the tournament also plays a major role in the season-long Charles Schwab Cup race. Every dollar earned during the regular season converts into one point. At the end of the regular season, the top 72 players qualify for a three-event playoff series, where the stakes increase further, as every dollar earned counts as two points.

The winner of the Charles Schwab Cup receives $1 million from a $2.1 million bonus pool shared among the top five finishers, with all payouts made as annuities. Unlike the PGA Tour, the PGA Tour Champions does not award official World Golf Ranking points.

The numbers tell one part of the story, and the other part is what has happened on the course over two decades of competition.

What makes the Insperity Invitational different from every other stop on the Champions Tour?

The Insperity Invitational is the only true invitational on the PGA Tour Champions. What we mean by that is every other event on the schedule is open entry by points or exemption, but this one handpicks its 78-player field.

The tournament course was designed by Bruce Devlin and Robert von Hagge, and its 13th hole is a par 5 where the green sits on an island, making it one of the oldest island greens in the sport. In fact, the 18th green is also surrounded by wooden stadium bleachers, making it among the first purpose-built spectator structures in PGA Tour history.

The tournament also holds an overlooked piece of golf history. The 2006 edition marked the final PGA Tour-sanctioned start of Arnold Palmer’s career. He withdrew during the round and gave an emotional interview on site, thanking his playing partners and the fans. Palmer had also been the one who encouraged the Insperity chairman to back the event in the first place, making that goodbye fitting.

Additionally, every year during the second round, the tournament hosts the Folds of Honor Greats of Golf. It is a nine-hole scramble where legends of the game compete in a separate exhibition. Icons like Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Lee Trevino, Tom Watson, and Annika Sorenstam have all taken part over the years.