Golf and Hoops at the 2026 Cologuard Classic  

Tournament Settles into New Home at La Paloma

By Steve Rivera

Dan Nentl isn’t out to make the 2026 Cologuard Classic his own in as much as it takes a village to make it all run well and enjoyable for everyone. But Nentl can try to ratchet the event up a bit. 

That will be the case for Nentl as he’ll try to add “a little spin” to the 2026 Cologuard Classic by Exact Sciences being that he’s the new tournament director.

Some changes from last year?

One venue will be a bit bigger, making the 15th hole entertainment area better for the crowd. It’ll be a double-decker tent.

“It’ll be a festive area and much less expensive to get into,” Nentl said. “And there will be fun things if a golfer gets a birdie and such.” 

And, given this year’s tournament week starts on St. Patrick’s Day, it’ll accommodate for that. Throw in that the tournament pro-am coincides with the first day and weekend of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament on March 19, there will be plenty of screens and TVs to see all the action.

“For the pro-am, we’re adding an Irish themed party and with the NCAA games going on we’re adding a fun zone where we are adding a bunch of TVs for those who want to walk over and watch basketball,” he said. “We add things every year but it’s all about the Tucson Conquistadores working together and caring about the community.”

In fact, every year, the Conquistadores make efforts “to make the community better” and the annual Cologuard Classic by Exact Sciences is one of the many ways. 

They’ll hope to improve on it again this year after last year’s good showing, despite some unusually cold, breezy weather. 

Still, more than 40,000 fans crossed the gates at La Paloma Country Club, which enjoyed its first year as the tournament venue. Almost $675,000 was raised for local charities and the event had an estimated $2 million economic impact – making it $25 million over the years – and there were 366 cancer survivors in attendance.

“With the success we’ve had recently, we are giving back more than ever,” said Geoff Hill, executive director of the Tucson Conquistadores, which oversees and helps run the Cologuard Classic. “The ($675,000) impacts people greatly, from those with colorectal cancer, through screening awareness. It impacts our mission of giving back to local youth organizations and the local military.”

There are fixes to be made too – given the tight fit it experienced for so many people and activities – when compared to the spacious Omni Tucson National Resort, the tournament site for the previous nine years.

“It was a new experience that had some challenges that we’re going to improve upon,” Hill said. 

Still, officials have created new partnerships with the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona “where we’ve donated thousands of pounds of food and have given tens of thousands (of dollars) to those in need.”

How was the feeling of giving back to the charities?

“It’s incredible,” Hill said. “It’s really rewarding because we hear their stories, see their faces. It’s truly impactful.”

Through the years – more than 60 years of professional golf – the Conquistadores have helped raise more than $38 million for local charities.

Shortly after last year’s event, Nentl became the new tournament director. He quickly turned to thinking about this year.

“I started thinking, how do I get the crowd control better behind 18?” he said. “How do I make the garden range better. The TV compound was too crowded.”

All things to think about for 2026.

“We take about six weeks off after the last tournament then we start meeting right away,” Nentl said. “We’ve been meeting since March to make things better.”

And here it is – scheduled in mid-March and up against the NCAAs, a regular part the scheduled for Tucson’s beloved Arizona Wildcats. The Conquistadores have faced the challenge before, mostly against the Pac-12 basketball tournament. This is different given many fans ventured to Vegas for hoops but fewer will for the NCAA tournament given the cost.

“People still want to help support the underprivileged people in youth sports, mentoring and education in Tucson, so they attend the event,” he said. “We’ll just have to buy more TVs.”

Now, it’s about going to see golf and getting a good seat to watch basketball.

“Exactly,” Nentl said.

Lady A Coming to Cologuard Classic 

The Cologuard Classic is going country, rock and pop all in one for its annual concert. 

Grammy award-winning Lady A will head the CQ Fest on March 20 at Rillito Park, 4502 N. First Ave. The concert serves as the Military Appreciation Concert in support of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and it benefits the DM50. Gates open at 4 p.m.

Lady A has seen great mainstream success with what it calls “a smooth fusion of country, rock and pop.”

In addition to seven Grammy awards and other honors, the group has been named Vocal Group of the Year three times each by the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association.

CQ Fest is the annual concert festival hosted by the Tucson Conquistadores, the local non-profit organization and tournament management group behind the Cologuard Classic.

Tickets are $49 and can be purchased at www.CologuardClassic.com.

Photo courtesy Tucson Conquistadores