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 Player never won The Tradition, the fourth major on the Champions Tour, but he won five senior majors before The Tradition began in 1989. His three Senior British Open, three Senior PGA, two U.S. Senior Open and one Senior Players Championship titles, however, give him the world slam. “I’m very, very proud of that and it was harder than winning the regular tour’s Grand Slam,” Player said. “You only have a window of so many years on the Champions Tour — maybe seven years — when you’re at your peak. So accumulating titles is much harder.” Look at the list of Champions Tour winners and you see that other than Hale Irwin and Lee Trevino, no player has topped the annual leader board more than two years after accomplishing the feat for the first time. In other words, a Champions Tour player only has a few years in which to dominate. “A lot of guys who come on the tour and really take off haven’t played a full schedule in years on the PGA Tour,” Irwin said. “So their bodies haven’t taken the pounding that other guys have, and their minds are sharper because they haven’t been in that pressure-cooker week in and week out. So they’re fresher.” Here’s a look at some of the names to keep an eye on this year: Craig Stadler First Champions Tour season: 2003. The Walrus has won eight times his first two years on the tour and finished in the top 10 in 19 of his 35 starts. If he can duplicate last year’s five-win season, he would tie his PGA Tour mark of 13 wins. Hale Irwin First Champions Tour season: 1995. The ageless wonder continues to defy the laws of nature. He turns 60 this year but remains at the top of his game. He won twice last year and finished in the top 10 in 14 of his 23 starts. “I look forward to Hale having another great year,” said Jim Kelly, the TV voice of the Champions Tour. “ I think he’ll be in the top 5 and in line for the Schwab Cup.” Tom Kite First Champions Tour season: 2000. Depending on how often he plays on the PGA Tour, Kite should be a favorite in the majority of his senior events. He finished in the top 10 in nearly half of his 27 starts last year. “I think we’ll get a good indication of how serious he is on the PGA Tour very early on,” Kelly said. “If he doesn’t perform to his exact standards, you’ll see Kite playing a lot on the Champions Tour.” Tom Watson First Champions Tour season: 1999. He’s never played in more than 14 events in one season, but he usually finishes strong. Last year was the first time Watson didn’t win an event, but he still garnered five top 10s in only 12 starts, and would love to add a U.S. Senior Open title to his impressive resume. Greg Norman Turned 50 in February. Few observers think Norman will play more than a few events, and no one knows for sure how much, if any, his skills have eroded. But Norman’s involvement with the tour would be a huge marketing boost. “I think he’ll most likely play the majors and then cherry pick those events that would be most beneficial to his business interests,” Kelly said. Jay Haas First Champions Tour season: 2004. Haas is still productive on the PGA Tour and the fact that his son is playing on the regular circuit will likely keep his Champions Tour schedule fairly light. But if he does play, watch out. Haas played three times last year and finished second twice and third once. Peter Jacobsen First Champions Tour season: 2004. Though he dealt with injuries most of the season, Jacobsen made a splash in his debut year. In only his third event, he beat Irwin for the U.S. Senior Open crown, making him the second youngest holder of that title. He finished in the top 10 in five of his other eight events, and shared the third-round lead at The Tradition before falling to Vicente Fernandez. If he plays a lot, he could be a dominant force. Curtis Strange Turned 50 in January. Strange should have the biggest impact of any of the first-time players because he’s been vocal about jumping into the Champions Tour on full-time basis. The two-time U.S. Open champion stepped down from his job as a golf analyst in May, presumably to work on his game. Jerry Pate First Champions Tour season: 2004. The former U.S. Open champion didn’t set the Champions Tour on fire in his first year of eligibility, finishing in the top 25 in only 14 of 27 events. But he nearly won a major. Leading with two holes to play, Pate bogeyed the last two holes to lose The Tradition to Stadler by a stroke. D.A. Weibring First Champions Tour season: 2003. Weibring may be ready for a breakout year. He’s beginning his third season and, though he’s only won twice in two years, he’s collected 22 top 10 finishes in 39 events. |
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