CHAMPIONS TOUR UPDATE – Week of May 13
RECENTLY
Joe Daley, who won the 2012 Constellation SENIOR PLAYERS to earn a spot in last week’s PLAYERS Championship, missed the cut at TPC Sawgrass after rounds of 78-77—155.
At 49 years, 2 months and 22 days old, Jeff Maggert finished T2 at 11-under 277 at THE PLAYERS last week. Maggert, who will be eligible for the Champions Tour when he turns 50 in February next year, was trying to eclipse Fred Funk (48 years, 9 months, 14 days) as the oldest winner in tournament history.
The Michael Allen/Life Reimagined with Jane Pauley segment, which was filmed at last year’s Dick’s Sporting Goods Open and aired on NBC’s TODAY Show in September 2012, recently received a silver (top honor) Telly Award in the sports category. The Telly Awards receive over 13,000 entries annually from the finest ad agencies, production companies, TV stations, cable companies, interactive agencies and corporations in the world.
Rocco Mediate, who won the 2013 Allianz Championship in his Champions Tour debut, will appear on Feherty on Golf Channel at 10 pm ET Monday, May 13.
COMING UP
The Senior PGA Championship will take place at Bellerive CC in St. Louis, Mo., May 20-26. Many players who competed in the 1992 PGA Championship at Bellerive are expected to return this year for the Senior PGA Championship. Here’s a look at the scoreboard from the 1992 PGA Championship held at Bellerive:
Score Position Player Note
278 1 Nick Price 2013 Presidents Cup International Team captain
281 T2 John Cook Won first event of the season in Hualalai (Mitsubishi)
Nick Faldo Current CBS/Golf Channel announcer
Jim Gallagher, Jr. Has 3 top-10s in 42 Champions Tour starts
Gene Sauers Lost playoff at last event (Insperity Championship)
282 6 Jeff Maggert Turns 50 Feb 20, 2014
283 T7 Russ Cochran Shot 69 three times at Bellerive in 1992 (76 in R3)
Dan Forsman Never broke 70 in 4 rounds at Bellerive in 1992
284 T9 Brian Claar Now VP of Champions Tour Rules & Competition
Anders Forsbrand Won 2012 Scottish Senior Open
Duffy Waldorf Has 5 top-10s in 11 Champions Tour starts
Regions Financial will light up the Regions Center building in downtown Birmingham with the image of a golfer in preparation for the upcoming Regions Tradition at Shoal Creek. This lighting display uses more than 2,200 lights on all four sides of the building and reaches 20 stories, allowing a 360-degree view of the image on the building from anywhere near the city center.
CHARLES SCHWAB CUP
Bernhard Langer leads the season-long Charles Schwab Cup race by 252 points over David Frost. John Cook is in third position, 423 points behind Langer. Tom Pernice, Jr. is fourth (440 points back) and Rocco Mediate is fifth (467 points back). Recent winner Esteban Toledo is sixth, 484 points behind Langer. Pernice is the only player in the top six of the standings who has not won this year.
NUMBERS
5 – The number of players with a sub-70 scoring average through eight events on the Champions Tour in 2013 (Fred Couples/68.11, Bernhard Langer/68.86, David Frost/69.48, Tom Lehman/69.87, Tom Pernice, Jr./69.94).
ON THIS DATE
5/16/71 – Hubert Green wins his first TOUR title when he birdies the first playoff hole to defeat Don January at the Houston Champions International.
5/19/00 – Jim Colbert ties a Champions Tour record with eight straight birdies in the opening round of the TD Waterhouse Championship on his way to a 61.
DID YOU KNOW?
More than half of the 85 players who made the cut in the 1992 PGA Championship at Bellerive CC are currently active on the Champions Tour and are expected to return to Bellerive for the upcoming Senior PGA Championship.
QUOTES TO NOTE
“I said ‘Hey,dad. I just made $1,800.’ And then he hung up on me.” – Fred Couples shared the story of how he informed his father he had turned professional during interviews at his recent World Golf Hall of Fame induction.
“Are you kidding? I’m doing as good as I can be…..in this tournament…..in my profession.” – Joe Daley’s response, when asked before the start of last week’s PLAYERS Championship how he was doing.
TWEET OF THE WEEK
Olin Browne @OlinBrowne Watching GC lead up to Players. The Kiwi is reinforcing his status as best in the biz. Love the line about stats. Keep it going Frank. $