The first major of the PGA Tour Champions 2016-17 season is upon us, with the 29th-annual Regions Tradition. For the second year in a row, the tournament will be hosted at Greystone Golf & Country Club.
Featuring eight of the top-11 players from last year’s final leaderboard, the 79-player field is loaded with the tour’s biggest stars, including defending champion Bernhard Langer and John Daly, who makes his first start since his breakthrough win at the Insperity Invitational.
The Field: Quick Glance
- 63 PGA Tour winners with 382 total career victories
- 60 PGA Tour Champions winners with 258 total career victories
- 24 of the top-25 players in the current Charles Schwab Cup standings
- 22 players with a PGA Tour Champions major victory; 19 with a PGA Tour major
- 8 former champions of the Regions Tradition
- 8 members of the World Golf Hall of Fame (including Ian Woosnam, who will be inducted in September 2017)
- 8 players in the field attended a SEC university: Steve Lowery (Alabama), John Daly (Arkansas), John Huston (Auburn), Mark Calcavecchia (Florida), Scott Dunlap (Florida), Scott Parel (Georgia), David Toms (LSU) and Jeff Maggert (Texas A&M).
The Skinny
Tournament: Regions Traditions
Title Sponsor: Regions Financial Corporation
Dates: May 19-21
Course: Greystone Golf & Country Club, Founders Course
Where: Birmingham, Alabama
Distance: 7,299 yards, par 70
Architect: Bob Cupp (1991)
Format: 72 hole competition, no cut
Purse: $2,300,000
Winning Share: $345,000
Website: RegionsTradition.com
Golf Channel Live Coverage
All times are Central
Round | Day | Date | Time |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Thursday | May 18 | 11:30 AM – 2:30 PM |
2 | Friday | May 19 | 11:30 AM – 2:30 PM |
3 | Saturday | May 20 | 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM |
4 | Sunday | May 21 | 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM |
Weather Report
A weak weather disturbance will cross Alabama on Thursday to produce a few showers and storms, mainly during the afternoon/early evening hours. The ridge of high pressure regains some strength Friday to keep us dry, but another system will approach the region from the northwest this weekend, bring the likelihood of rain and storms late Saturday through Sunday.
(Forecast prepared by on-site meteorologist Willis Young.)
Defending Champion
Bernhard Langer posted four rounds in the 60s and cruised to a 17-under-par finish – six strokes clear of runner-up Olin Browne. For the week at Greystone, Langer recorded one eagle and 19 birdies against just four bogeys. The then 58-year-old, and four-time Charles Schwab Cup winner, hit 90% of his fairways (47 of 52) en route to his victory.
The win at the Traditions was Langer’s sixth major championship title on the PGA Tour Champions (he added number seven at the Constellation SENIOR PLAYERS Championship later in the year).
Recent Champions
2015 Jeff Maggert
2014 Kenny Perry
2013 David Frost
2012 Tom Lehman
2011 Tom Lehman
Storyline 1: The First of Five Majors
Starting this week in Alabama, five of the next seven tournaments are major championships on PGA TOUR Champions.
- Regions Tradition | May 18-21 | Greystone Golf & Country Club (Birmingham, Alabama)
- KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship | May 25-28 | Trump National Golf Club (Washington, D.C.)
- U.S. Senior Open Championship | June 29 – July 2 | Salem Country Club (Peabody, Massachusetts)
- Constellation SENIOR PLAYERS Championship | July 13-16 | Caves Valley Golf Club (Baltimore, Maryland)
- The Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex | July 27-30 | Royal Porthcawl Golf Club (Bridgend, Wales)
Storyline 2: Daly Carries Mojo Into First Major
John Daly will be making his first start since he captured his first PGA Tour Champions victory at the Insperity Invitational. The win came in Daly’s 22nd start on Tour, and he earned $322,500 to move from No. 42 to No. 8 in the Charles Schwab Cup standings. He has carded five consecutive rounds under-par (67.60 average) and has three straight top-15 finishes.
Last year, Daly finished tied for 15th in his debut at the Regions Tradition. Before the win, the last time Daly won a PGA TOUR-sanctioned event was the 2004 Buick Invitational, a span of 13 years, 2 months and 22 days. He is now the 12th player with victories on the Web.com Tour, PGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions.
Storyline 3: Sutherland, Jimenez Extend Streaks
Two players continued top-10 streaks at the Insperity Invitational, as Kevin Sutherland finished fourth and Miguel Angel Jimenez finished T7.
For Sutherland, it was his ninth straight top-10, dating back to the final two events of last season. He now has 30 top-10s in 62 starts, though he has yet to claim victory. On the season, he leads the Tour in Greens in Regulation (78.09%) and is third in scoring average (68.50).
Jimenez’s streak is now at five straight top-10s, and this stretch includes his fourth career victory at the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic. He has carded 19 consecutive rounds under-par and he has the fourth-best scoring average on Tour this season (68.59). He is rated as the Tour’s best overall driver, as he is 13th in driving distance (288.5 yards) and 12th in driving accuracy (78.15%).
Regions Tradition – Full Field
79 Players in the Field
Stephen Ames
Tommy Armour III
Woody Austin
Jay Don Blake
Paul Broadhurst
Mark Brooks
Olin Browne
Bart Bryant
Brad Bryant
Tom Byrum
Mark Calcavecchia
Jim Carter
Roger Chapman
Russ Cochran
Joe Daley
John Daly
Marco Dawson
Glen Day
Scott Dunlap
Joe Durant
Brad Faxon
Carlos Franco
David Frost
Fred Funk
Doug Garwood
Bob Gilder
Mike Goodes
Paul Goydos
Jay Haas
Gary Hallberg
Todd Hamilton
Brian Henninger
John Huston
Kohki Idoki
Lee Janzen
Tom Jenkins
Miguel Angel Jimenez
Brandt Jobe
Tom Kite
Bernhard Langer
Tom Lehman
Steve Lowery
Sandy Lyle
Jeff Maggert
Scott McCarron
Rocco Mediate
Larry Mize
Colin Montgomerie
Larry Nelson
Mark O’Meara
Jose Maria Olazabal
Scott Parel
Jesper Parnevik
Jerry Pate
Steve Pate
Corey Pavin
Tom Pernice Jr.
Kenny Perry
Tom Purtzer
Loren Roberts
Gene Sauers
Wes Short, Jr.
Joey Sindelar
Vijay Singh
Jeff Sluman
Jerry Smith
Rod Spittle
Steve Stricker
Kevin Sutherland
Esteban Toledo
David Toms
Kirk Triplett
Bob Tway
Scott Verplank
Duffy Waldorf
Willie Wood
Ian Woosnam
Alternates:
Scott Simpson
Bill Glasson
Dan Forsman
Blaine McCallister
Danny Edwards
John Jacobs
Bobby Wadkins
Denis Watson
Tim Petrovic
Fran Quinn
Credit: PGA Tour Champions Media Notes and Guide, Getty Images