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Big Names, Newcomers Helping Champions Tour

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By MICK ELLIOTT, The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 18, 2008

TAMPA - Happy to tout maturity, but fighting never to show its age, the Champions Tour begins a 29th season today, teeing off in Hawaii and hard-selling its relevancy.

It is often hard to know exactly what to make of senior golf. Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus have gone and taken with them the glory years. Meanwhile, Tiger Woods often seems to dwarf his own tour, much less all others.

Nevertheless, the Champions Tour marches on; still feisty after all these years.

"I'm pleased to report that the competition on this tour is as good as it's ever been," Champions Tour president Rick George proclaimed.

George makes a compelling case. Twenty-nine events in 2007 produced 21 different champions. There were eight first-time tour winners, including three from the 2007 rookie class - Mark Wiebe, Bernhard Langer and John Cook.

Recognizable names were aplenty. Last season's top 30 money winners include four World Golf Hall of Famers: Tom Kite, Hale Irwin, Tom Watson and Ben Crenshaw.

Fred Funk won on the PGA Tour and Champions Tour.

While the length of tournament courses increased in 2007 to an average yardage of 6,958, the year's average winning score of 66.8 is the best in history.

"But one of the things that really sets us off from other professional sports is what our players do outside the ropes," George said. "The interaction with the fans, the sponsors and their guests."

The appeal, apparently, is two-sided.

Cook, who turned 50 in October and won in San Antonio in his second senior event, is passing up this week's Bob Hope Chrysler Classic for the first time in 28 years to be in Hawaii for the senior's MasterCard Championship.

"I have played the Bob Hope right from my PGA Tour rookie year," Cook said. "I actually intended to play again this year, then something happened to me in San Antonio that set my schedule in a positive way. I am very, very much committed to the Champions Tour."

He'll be joined by some good company. Former PGA Championship winner Jeff Sluman is eligible for his first full season. Others who become eligible include major-championship winners Hal Sutton, Larry Mize, Ian Woosnam, Sandy Lyle and Steve Jones.

Last year's Fab Four rookie cast of Nick Price, Nick Faldo, Seve Ballesteros and Langer return for their second lap.

"We've got, in my estimation, a real promising year ahead of us on the Champions Tour," George said. "I can tell you that I feel pretty strongly about the quality of player that we have from their name recognition, from their past on the PGA Tour and, most importantly, as people and what they do for our sponsors and guests."

The 2008 schedule remains at 29 events, with a record purse of $55.5 million. NBC will televise four events, including Tampa's Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am. ABC and CBS have one each, and the Golf Channel has the rest.

"I don't know if I'll play any PGA Tour events," Cook said. "I might. I don't want to give up some that have been very special to me. But if they happen to oppose a Champions Tour event, I'm fully committed to the Champions Tour. And that is pretty much what my schedule will be."

Reporter Mick Elliott can be reached at (813) 281-2534 or melliott@tampatrib.com.

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