AKRON, Ohio – Jim Furyk, Fred Couples, Steve Stricker, Ernie Els and defending champion Jerry Kelly highlight the 81-player field for the 2021 Bridgestone SENIOR PLAYERS Championship, the tournament announced Friday. The third major of the year on PGA TOUR Champions will begin Thursday, June 24, at Firestone Country Club’s historic South Course.

Furyk is set to make his much-anticipated tournament debut. In 17 starts at Firestone on the PGA TOUR, Furyk posted 10 top-10s, including two runner-up finishes and two third-place finishes, but victory eluded him. During the 2020-21 combined season on PGA TOUR Champions, the 51-year-old has two victories and eight top-10s, and he’s currently 10th in the Charles Schwab Cup standings.

Kelly is one of eight past champions in the field, and he’ll look to become the first player to successfully defend his title since Bernhard Langer (2014-2016). He’s in a familiar position, as he’s coming off his second straight victory at his hometown event, the American Family Insurance Championship in Madison, Wisconsin. The win was his eighth on PGA TOUR Champions and it propelled him to No. 1 in the Schwab Cup.

In addition to Kelly and Langer, other past champions in the field include Retief Goosen (2019), Vijay Singh (2018), Scott McCarron (2017), Kenny Perry (2013), Couples (2011) and Jay Haas (2009). The field also features four players who won at Firestone Country Club on the PGA TOUR: Vijay Singh (2008), Darren Clarke (2003), Jose Maria Olazabal (1994, 1990) and David Frost (1989).

In all, 28 of the top-30 players in the Schwab Cup standings are scheduled to compete, including 12th-ranked Stricker. The U.S. Ryder Cup Captain has made nine career starts in senior majors, tallying two wins, five top-10s and a sixth-place finish at the 2019 Bridgestone SENIOR PLAYERS.

Admission is free after 4 p.m. every day, Wednesday through Sunday, and kids under the age of 18 are admitted free. In addition, admission is free for first responders, as well as active duty, reserve, retired military members and their dependents, and veterans. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit BridgestoneSENIORPLAYERS.com.