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 Bernhard Langer (top) and Jay Haas are still tough to beat (Photo: Mark Susson). Jay Haas vs. Bernhard Langer for 2008 Champions Tour honors lacked that publicity but also was a tough choice. Langer won three times during his first full year on the over-50 circuit, including a playoff victory over Haas in the Toshiba Classic at Newport Beach Country Club. Haas, on the other hand, only won twice, but one of his victories came at the Senior PGA Championship. Plus, Haas won the season-long Charles Schwab Cup points race, in which Langer finished third. Langer’s peers voted him Player of the Year, while the Golf Writers Association of America selected Haas. As the Champions Tour returns to the Southland early next month, the strength of Haas and Langer remains one of five hot senior topics open for discussion: Question: Are Langer and Haas still going to dominate? History suggests Langer could be poised for equal or greater success. The two-time Masters champion joined Lee Trevino (1990) and Bruce Fleisher (1999) as one of only three players to earn Champions Tour Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year honors in the same season. Haas, 55, became the first senior ever to the writers’ Player of the Year award three years in a row. Answer: The pair will again battle down the stretch for the money and Schwab Cup titles. Question: Can John Cook break through? In 2008, nobody had more top-10 finishes on the Champions Tour (15) than Cook. But the part-time Corona del Mar resident had only one victory — the AT&T Championship. Statistically, Cook ranked second in greens in regulation and still has an all-around solid game. Answer: Cook will win at least twice in 2009. Question: Will Mark O’Meara rebound? The former Long Beach State standout had 14 top-25 finishes in 16 events during his rookie season of 2007, but followed it up with only two in 2008. O’Meara, 52, admitted he was struggling with personal issues throughout the season, but he still showed flashes of top form, especially when he made it through sectional qualifying for the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines. Answer: If his mind is right, O’Meara wins his first Champions Tour event this season. Question: Is Hale Irwin done? Nobody in Champions Tour history has collected more cash than Irwin, who has netted nearly $25 million. From his 50th birthday in 1995 through the end of 2005, the three-time U.S. Open champion won 44 events on the senior circuit. But Irwin, 63, has won only twice in the past three seasons. The problem could be on the greens, where he ranked 70th in putts per round in ’08. Answer: It will take a miracle for Irwin to win again unless he fixes his putting woes. Question: Which rookies will rise? This year’s crop of Champions Tour rookies is an intriguing bunch and includes Masters winner Fred Couples, U.S. Open champion Steve Jones, British Open victor Tom Lehman and PGA Championship winner Bob Tway. Murrieta resident Tom Pernice Jr., Occidental College’s Olin Browne and Golf Channel broadcaster Curt Byrum also will be in the mix. Answer: Tway and Lehman, always steady players should make headlines in their rookie years. |
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