senior pga tour 1994

Senior PGA Championship Winners and History

Inaugurated in 1937 at Augusta National Golf Club, the Senior PGA Championship was organized by none other than Bobby Jones. In the first competition, Jock Hutchison came away with the winner’s share of the $2,000 purse (about $30,000 in today’s money).

The PGA Senior Championship moved from Georgia to Florida in 1940, hoping for better weather. Sarasota hosted two years, and Ft. Myers another before World War II interrupted play. Following the war, the Championship was moved to Dunedin, Florida. The PGA eventually would move its offices there.

From 1945 to 2000, PGA National in Dunedin and Palm Beach Gardens, Florida was the event’s semi-permanent home. Since 2001, however, the event has been on the road: Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, NJ (2001); Firestone Country Club, Akron, Ohio (2002); Aronimink Golf Club, Philadelphia (2003); Valhalla, Louisville, KY (2004); Laurel Valley GC, Ligonier, Pa (2005); Oak Tree GC, Edmond, OK (2006); The Ocean Course, Kiawah Island (2007); Oak Hill CC, Rochester, NY (2008); Canterbury GC, Beachwood, OH (2009) and Colorado GC, Parker, Colo. (2010). The tournament returned to Valhalla in 2011. I

To qualify, players must be at least 50 years old. Other Eligibility requirements follow:

• Any past winner of the Senior PGA Championship
• Any past winner of a regular major championship
• Any past member of the United States Ryder Cup team
• The top 15 finishers in the previous year’s Senior PGA Championship
• The top 50 on the Champions Tour money list (previous year and current year)
• Any winner of a Champions Tour event since the last Senior PGA Championship
• The top 35 finishers from the Callaway Golf Senior PGA Professional National Championship
• Any winner of the previous five U.S. Senior Opens
• The winner of the last Senior British Open
• The top eight players from the previous year’s European Seniors Tour Order of Merit
• The top four players from the previous year’s Japanese Seniors Tour Order of Merit
• A one-time exemption for those who have just turned 50 and have won a PGA Tour, Japan Golf Tour, or European Tour event in the last 5 years
• The top 30 on the career money list, both Champions Tour and combined Champions Tour and PGA Tour
• A one-time exemption for former PGA Professional National Champions turning 50
• Invitations for those not meeting criteria above also are made

A list of Senior PGA Championship winners follows:

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PGA Tour Champions History: How It’s Changed Over The Years

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Table of Contents

The PGA Tour Champions history dates back to 1980 when the governing body formed the Senior PGA Tour.

Although it was formed in 1980, the 1978 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf championship paved the way for the Tour. The popularity of the event highlighted a demand for fans to see their legends play beyond their retirement age.

Golf historians will want to read on to educate yourself on the evolution of the PGA Tour Champions from its formation to its current structure with the Charles Schwab Cup.

Overview of the PGA Tour Champions History

1937 – inaugural senior pga championship.

The inaugural Senior PGA Championship teed off in December 1937, becoming the only competitive event for golfers over 50. Augusta National played host to the first two editions of the event before organizers moved further south to Sarasota to avoid rain delays experienced in Georgia.

Although the official formation of the PGA Tour Champions was still five decades out, this event got the wheels turning.

1978 – Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf Success

In 1978, the first Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf tournament teed off at Onion Creek Country in the City of the Violet Crown, Austin, Texas. The event saw legends joining forces in two ball teams and battling it out against a field of golf royalty featuring Sam Snead, Arnold Palmer , and Lee Trevino.

The success of the event among fans and players alike was the push needed to form the Senior PGA Tour.

1980 – Senior PGA Tour Established

Following the success of the Legends of Golf Tournament, the Senior PGA Tour was officially formed in 1980. The 1967 PGA Championship winner, Don January, topped the money list in the inaugural year, a feat he would repeat twice more, back to back in 1983 and 1984.

Miller Barber won in 1981 and 1982, making him and January the dominant forces in the early years of the Tour.

1990 – Charles Schwab Cup Formation

The Senior PGA Tour saw its first grand evolution in 1990 when it created the Charles Schwab Cup. Originally, the event was the New York Life Champions tournament before rebranding to the PGA Senior Championship, with numerous title sponsors from 1992 to 2002.

In 2003, Charles Schwab took over as title sponsor, and the final event of the season became the Charles Schwab Cup Championship. 

From its inception in 1990 until 2015, the top 30 on the money list for the season earned an invite to a no-cut final event. However, the tour officials changed tactics in 2016 and opted for a FedEx Cup-style three-tournament playoff. 

The Playoffs Structure

The top 72 players on the money list gain entry to the playoffs. The Dominion Energy Charity Classic is first up, where the top 54 players qualify for the Simmons Bank Championship. After round two of the playoffs, the best 36 players move on to battle it out for the Charles Schwab Cup.

Despite the similarities to the FedEx Cup, the points system differs. The winner of the Charles Schwab Cup will not necessarily top the money list. For example, Padraig Harrington won the Cup in 2022, but Steve Alker topped the money list.

2002 – PGA Champions Tour Name Change

The Tour body decided to switch the tour name to a more deserving title that honored the work of its members. After carrying the name of the Senior PGA Tour for 22 years, it changed to the Champions Tour post-October 2002 and kept the brand until changing it once more in 2015.

2015 – PGA Tour Champions Name Change

Operating for 13 years under the PGA Champions Tour had seen significant growth in tournaments and prize money. However, it was decided to rebrand for the third time in the Tour’s history, this time changing to the PGA Tour Champions, which is how it remains at the time of writing this.

PGA Champions Tour All-Time Money List

Bernhard Langer has earned more than any other golfer on the PGA Tour Champions, amassing over 35 million dollars. This is significantly more than the second-placed Hale Irwin. There is a wide gap between Irwin and third-place Gil Morgan, who won over 20 million dollars in his career.

Here is a breakdown of the top 10 earners of all time on the Seniors Tour.

PGA Tour Champions Fun Facts 2024

What famous golfer never played in the senior tour.

LIV Golf CEO and two-time Major Champion Greg Norman has never played on the PGA Senior Tour, even though he is eligible. He saw the PGA Tour Champions as “ceremonial golf” and, after competing fiercely for decades, felt it did not offer the competitive edge of the main tours.

Did any golfers ever succeed on the Champions Tour without playing in the PGA Tour?

Yes, Mike Goodes succeeded on the Champions Tour without playing on the PGA Tour. In fact, Goodes only went pro when he turned 50. He has featured 282 times on the PGA Tour Champions and conjured up $6,234,722 in career earnings. Plus, he won the 2009 Allianz Championship.

Who played in the PGA tour and didn’t stand out until the Tour Champions?

Steven Alker played on the PGA Tour in 2003 but failed to retain his card. Since joining the PGA Tour Champions in 2021, the Kiwi has played in 38 events, won 6 times, finished 2nd on seven occasions, and 3rd six times. Therefore, he has finished in the top 3 in 21 of 38 outings.

How do you qualify for the PGA Tour Champions?

Professionals can qualify for the PGA Tour Champions through past wins on the PGA Tour. Alternatively, a top 5 finish at the previous season’s PGA Tour Champions National Qualifying tournament will get you on the tour for the year.

PGA Tour veterans can qualify if they have earned 5 PGA Tour points in their career. A single point is assigned for winning a regular tournament, while a Major counts for 3 points.

Besides becoming a full-time tour member, golfers can qualify for individual events by carding one of the four lowest scores for that week. In addition, there are sponsor exemptions and tournament invitations awarded occasionally.

Popular qualifying methods:

• Top 54 on the money list the previous year
• 5 PGA Tour points (Tournament victory = 1, Major = 3)
• 5 PGA Tour champions points (Tournament victory = 1, Major = 2)
• Top 10 players on the all-time money list
• Top 5 players from PGA Tour Champions National Qualifying 
• Invitation by organizers or players

F requently Asked Questions

Who has the most wins in champions tour history.

Bernhard Langer has 46 Champions Tour wins, which is the most in the history of the tour. He overtook Hale Irwin when he won the 2023 U.S. Senior Open.

What is the difference between the PGA Tour and the PGA Tour Champions?

The PGA Tour consists of golfers under 50, while the PGA Tour Champions is for golfers over 50.

How much money has Bernhard Langer made on the Champions Tour?

Bernhard Langer has made $35,989,514 on the Champions Tour since joining in 2007. He is the highest earner of all-time on the PGA Tour Champions ahead of Hale Irwin with $27,158,515.

Related Content to Read Next

Top 25 PGA Tour Champions Players to Watch in 2024

10 Top Golf Mental Game Tips to Birdie More Holes

PGA TOUR Champions 2024 Schedule + Tournament Details

Matt Callcott-Stevens has lived and breathed golf since he was four. As a junior, he played competitively, until he discovered his talents were better suited to writing about the game. Matt holds a Postgraduate in Sports Marketing through the Johan Cruyff Institute in Barcelona and has provided golf game improvement tips to seniors and the average golfer for seven years.

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1994 Senior PGA Tour explained

The 1994 Senior PGA Tour was the 15th season of the Senior PGA Tour , the main professional golf tour in the United States for men aged 50 and over.

The following table lists official events during the 1994 season. [1] [2]

The money list was based on prize money won during the season, calculated in U.S. dollars. [3]

Notes and References

• Web site: 1995 Senior PGA Tour Media Guide . PGA Tour . 2 December 2023.
• Web site: 2004 Champions Tour Media Guide Tournament Chronology . PGA Tour . 2 December 2023 . 219–233 (5-21–5-35 in document) . April 7, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140407071856/https://svrns8web1.pgatourhq.com/Tour/WebTemplate/media.nsf/2c47cc31e412bc4985256e6e00287832/3b11341dae1ad9b38525753e005e561b/$FILE/2004-mg-ct.pdf.
• Web site: 1994 Money list . PGA Tour . 2 December 2023 . http://web.archive.org/web/20150924114330/http://www.pgatour.com/champions/stats/stat.109.1994.html . 24 September 2015.
• Trevino, Floyd, Nicklaus, Palmer to play in Skins Game . The Napa Valley Register . 13 (5B in paper) . Napa, California . 8 January 1995 . 2 December 2023 . Newspapers.com . subscription.
• Web site: 1994 Scoring average . PGA Tour . 2 December 2023.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License . It uses material from the Wikipedia article " 1994 Senior PGA Tour ".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy .

Senior tour began with Legends event

This weekend's Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf is the ultimate celebration of the Senior PGA Tour. It is the event that spawned the 50-and-over circuit, and one that still enjoys tremendous popularity.

In 1978, the year of the first Legends tournament, it was one of only three senior events being played more or less as an exhibition.

Now, there are 45 senior tournaments with more than $29-million in prize money.

The tournament, which begins Friday at the Barton Creek Country Club in Austin, Texas, has a purse of $1.1-million with two-man teams competing in a best-ball format.

Last year's tournament was the first to be an individual stroke play event, but the players lobbied to have it reverted to the original format. Among the teams are Arnold Palmer-Tom Wargo, Lee Trevino-Mike Hill and Chi Chi Rodriguez-Jim Dent.

GTE Suncoast Classic: The popularity of the Legends tournament made events like Tampa's GTE Suncoast Classic possible. The tournament announced record charity proceeds Wednesday of $284,800. Since the tournament's inception in 1988, it has donated more than $1.4-million to local charities.

And it appears the event will be around for a while. GTE, which is dropping its sponsorship of senior events in Indianapolis and California and from the PGA Tour's Byron Nelson Classic in Dallas, is committed to Tampa for two more years and also to a senior event in Seattle.

"We're really fortunate that this happens to be a really big growth area for GTE," tournament director Denny Antram said.

Masters mayhem: The four rounds of the Masters have been closed to daily ticket sales for more than two decades, leaving the practice rounds as the only avenue for fans to see one of the most famous courses in the world.

Now, even the practice rounds will be a tough ticket. Augusta National Golf Club announced this week _ in reaction to overcrowding at this year's tournament _ that practice-round passes will be limited.

Tickets for the three practice days next year will be sold in advance application. Applications will be accepted by mail and cannot be postmarked before June 1. Tickets will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis.

Applications can be made for up to eight tickets per day. Prices are $16 for the first day and $21 for the second and third day. For more information, call (706) 667-6700.

No repeat: Through 17 tournaments this year on the PGA Tour, there have been no multiple winners. If another player wins this weekend in Atlanta who has not won previously this year, it will match the longest such stretch without a multiple winner since 1964 _ when Jack Nicklaus became the first repeat winner after 18 tournaments.

Birdie binge: Imagine making nine putts in a row under any circumstances. Omar Uresti did it two weeks ago. During the third round of the Nike Tour's Shreveport Open, all were for birdies. And, by the way, he won the tournament the following day.

Uresti's streak _ on holes 4 through 12 at Southern Trace Country Club _ is the greatest in men's professional golf.

He beat the Nike Tour record of six straight birdies and the PGA Tour mark held by Bob Goalby, Fuzzy Zoeller and Dewey Arnette at eight. Goalby set the record during the fourth round of the 1961 St. Petersburg Open at Pasadena Yacht & Country Club.

"It as just kind of a wild feeling," Uresti said. "I was oblivious to everything but the course, my swing and the pin."

On five holes, he had birdie putts inside 6 feet. The last birdie came on a 20-footer at the 426-yard par-4 12th. Uresti, 25, from Austin, Texas, won the tournament on the sixth hole of a sudden-death playoff. It was his first victory and was worth $31,500.

Fluke?: No-name Mike Heinen won the Houston Open by shooting 4-under-par 68 Sunday. His previous best finish this year was a tie for 22nd. Last year he played on the Nike Tour.

"You wonder if this guy is going to be the next superstar or is this a fluke week where he just had everything going," said Tom Kite, who finished tied for second.

Slow play: Cristie Kerr, 16, who is competing in this week's state high school boys tournament in Sarasota, played with the pros last weekend in the LPGA's Sprint Championship. She couldn't believe the pace of play.

"Maybe I'm impatient because we play so much faster in junior golf," said Kerr, who missed the cut. "I had no idea they played so slow out here. I plan to take more time in the future so I will be better prepared."

THE NUMBERS

This week's events

PGA _ BellSouth Classic.

Course: Atlanta Country Club, Atlanta, Ga.

Purse: $1.2-million.

TV: ESPN-c, Thursday-Friday; Ch. 13, Saturday-Sunday.

Defending champion: Nolan Henke.

Notes: Henke began the final round four strokes behind Nick Price at last year's tournament, but matched his opening-round 67 to win by two strokes. But Henke is struggling; he has missed the cut in seven of 12 events since his Atlanta victory. A field of 156 will begin play on the 7,018-yard, par-72 course.

LPGA _ Sara Lee Classic.

Course: Hermitage Course, Old Hickory, Tenn.

Purse: $525,000.

Defending champion: Meg Mallon.

Notes: Mallon and Tina Tombs completed three rounds last year tied at 205. Mallon won on the third hole of sudden death on the 6,290-yard, par-72 course.

SENIORS _ Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf.

Course: Barton Creek Country Club, Austin, Texas.

Purse: $1.1-million.

TV: Ch. 10, Saturday-Sunday.

Defending champion: Harold Henning.

Notes: Rain interrupted last year's tournament each day. George Archer shot consecutive 66s for a four-stroke lead after 36 holes but faded with a 74 in the final round. Henning and Don January shot 69-70-65, but Harold won with a par on the second playoff hole on the 6,777-yard, par-72 course.

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COURSE LENGTHS BIG ISSUE FOR SENIORS

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Their eyesight has slipped a bit, their muscles don’t have that same rubbery flexibility they did 20 years ago, and most prefer to ride in carts.

The men who play the PGA Senior Tour – who must be at least 50 years old – freely admit their skills aren’t what they used to be. But how different are they, really?

The elder statesmen of golf begin play today at the PGA Seniors Championship at PGA National Resort in Palm Beach Gardens. The golf course will play to a combined yardage of 6,718, relatively short by the regular tour’s standards, relatively long by the senior tour yardstick. Regular championship courses average about 7,000 yards while senior tours run about 6,500 yards.

For at least this week, there probably won’t be much complaining about holes that are too easy or greens that can be comfortably reached with an 8-iron.

The length of the courses has become a large issue with the seniors. Arnold Palmer and Raymond Floyd lead a contingent that feel the courses on the whole are too short, set up to accommodate the egos of the over-60 set who play alongside the golfers in their 50s.

“I still think that the man who can hit it, the man who can go out and play on a normal championship golf course, is the guy who should be rewarded for his play,” Palmer, 64, said. “I’m one of the older guys playing this tour, and I still feel that way.”

Floyd, 51, is even more adamant.

“I was shocked by the shortness of the golf courses,” said Floyd, who started in 1992.

“I’ve never seen a sport that perpetuates its players. We have a retirement plan. And God love these guys. But if they are not capable of competing or not putting on a show where it does not embarrass them, then they should not come back. You can’t set up a golf course just to save the integrity of our super seniors (the over-60 players).”

Tour administrators freely concede that the playing ability of the 60-year-olds plays a part in decisions of hole length. A forced carry over water will necessitate a shorter tee so everyone can reach dry land, for example.

“Everyone has got to understand that we are dealing with players ranging in age from 50 to 75,” said Brian Henning, Senior PGA Tour director. “I am not about to set up a golf course to embarrass anybody.

“I have every concern for the integrity of golf, but I’m not going to set up a golf course for one guy. I’m going to set it up for the benefit of the Senior Tour. And the Senior Tour is not one guy. It’s all of us.”

Longer courses would greatly benefit the younger seniors, making Floyd an overwhelming favorite every week. That, many players feel, would doom the tour.

“If guys like him win every week, it takes a lot away from the game,” said Gibby Gilbert, 53, who turned professional in 1963. “I think it’s nice to see the average guy win every now and then.”

Frank Beard, 54, who has more than $1.7 million in career earnings, wrote a retort in Golf World magazine that the focus of the Senior Tour is as much showcasing the great old names of golf as it is proving which of the over-50s has the best golf game.

“What are the fans and the sponsors paying to see?” he wrote. “The overwhelming success of the Senior Tour is based on presenting nostalgia that can perform, precisely in that order.

“I mean, you can find plenty of no-name 50-year-golfers today who can probably beat some of our super seniors, but people won’t pay to see them. Fans come out to see the old-timers and to thrill to that fact that Jerry Barber, Don January, Arnold Palmer, even Raymond, can still play.”

Beard said the Senior Tour is gradually lengthening its courses, increasing length by more than 200 yards since 1989. For the older guys, though, he still favors some sort of accommodation.

“Really, what do we gain by seeing a handful of super seniors knock it in the water?” he said. “So, we move the tee up a few yards. Are we prostituting ourselves if we soften an occasional hole so that the whole field moves along, so that everybody is happy and we show a little respect for the people who built the tour in the first place? I don’t think so.”

Lee Trevino agrees. The problem might be solved by dividing the 50-year-olds’ tees from the 60s. Outside of that solution, he finds no other adjustment worthy of consideration.

“You can’t ask some of these older guys to get on a par 4 or a par 3 that they can’t reach (in regulation shots),” he said. “It’s worked very good this long. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. You have to look at everybody.”

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GOLF / THOMAS BONK : Albus Thrives as Ironman of Senior Tour

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This is what you call progress:

--In 1991, Jim Albus was the golf pro at Piping Rock Club on Long Island.

--In 1992, he won $404,693 on the Senior PGA Tour.

--In 1993, he won $627,883.

--In 1994, he has won $990,253.

Back up a little bit. In 1990, most everywhere except New York, there was only one question. Who is Jim Albus?

Well, he’s 54, a former baseball and basketball player at Bucknell and a would-be golfer at UCLA, who has done very well on the post-50 tour.

Since getting his spike marks all over the senior tour, Albus has banked more than $2.3 million, which not only is nice, but may keep him from playing himself ragged. It’s always tee time for Albus. In his three years on the tour, he has missed a total of five events.

Albus played every round in all 35 events on the senior schedule in 1991, mainly because he was trying to finish in the top 30 on the money list and earn an exemption. He finished 20th and earned a reputation.

“I got called ‘Ironman,’ ” he said. “I’m exempt now because of the all-time money list, so I probably will cut down a little next year. But now, I only take time off when I get tired or I start grumping against my wife.”

Albus, Dale Douglass, Chi Chi Rodriguez, Gary Player, Tony Jacklin, Bob Murphy, Simon Hobday and others will play in the $750,000 Ralph’s Senior Classic Oct. 17-18 at Rancho Park, the event benefiting the Centinela Hospital Children’s Charity Fund.

Douglass is the defending champion. He defeated Jim Dent with a birdie on the first hole of a playoff last year. Albus tied for third after opening with a 66.

Maybe that’s not so surprising because Albus is on familiar ground at Rancho Park. When he was at UCLA, Albus was a four-handicapper not quite good enough to play on the team. He had no eligibility left, so it didn’t matter anyway. What mattered to him was playing golf, something he did a lot at Rancho Park.

“I learned to play there,” he said. “I used to spend every possible spare minute I had on the putting green at Rancho.”

Albus, who won the Senior Players Championship in 1991 when he still was a club pro, knows a good thing when he sees it.

“The senior tour, well call it a mulligan, a second chance,” he said. “It works both ways. Some guys like me who haven’t played at all get going, then there are guys who had mediocre careers on the regular tour and all of a sudden they’re stars.”

Impeach it: Seve Ballesteros is not voting for the Presidents Cup, the Ryder Cup-like competition between American golfers and the rest of the world’s (except Europeans) that is making its debut this weekend.

“I think it’s bad,” Ballesteros told Golf World.

“Very bad,” he said. “There’s only one Ryder Cup. I think it’s all business and money more than anything else. I don’t like imitations.”

The Ryder Cup is a United States Golf Assn. event. The PGA Tour runs the Presidents Cup.

Quiz I: Who said this?: “Something happened to my swing and I don’t know what my tendencies are; I don’t know where it’s going.”

Nick Price after winning the Canadian Open last week.

Quiz II: Who said this?: “It’s very discouraging to play against that guy.”

Mark Calcavecchia, who lost by a shot to Price despite a closing-round 67 and also finished second to Price at the Western Open.

Price of success: Price’s victory in Canada assured him of his second consecutive PGA player-of-the-year award with more than double his winning point total of a year ago and the most award points since the new scoring system began in 1982.

Price has 186 points, based on seven victories worldwide. He has 18 victories in the 1990s. Tom Watson, who won the player-of-the-year award five times, had 156 points in 1982 and won 20 times in the 1980s.

Masters champion Jose Maria Olazabal is closest to Price with 66 points.

The National Assn. of Golf Professionals of Westlake Village is launching a tour with at least six tournaments this year, beginning Oct. 10-11 at China Lakes golf course in Ridgecrest. Women and seniors have separate events. General Manager Dick Corlew said the men’s event will have a purse of $20,000. Details: (805) 373-1211. . . . Johnny Lujack, Glenn Davis, George Blanda, Gene Mauch, Al Rosen and Ann Meyers Drysdale are some of the sports celebrities scheduled to play in the Ralph Kiner Klassic Oct. 28 at Soboba Springs Country Club. The event benefits the San Jacinto Chamber of Commerce. Details: (909) 654-9246.

Anne Sander of Santa Barbara will try for her eighth U.S. Golf Assn. title in the Senior Women’s Amateur Thursday through Friday at Sea Island Golf Club at St. Simons Island, Ga. Sander, 56, won the senior event in 1987, 1989, 1990 and 1993. She won the U.S. Women’s Amateur in 1958, 1961 and 1963. . . . The men’s Senior Amateur will be Monday through Saturday in Nicholasville, Ky.

Walt Hazzard’s celebrity golf classic will Oct. 31 at Spanish Hills Country Club in Camarillo. The event benefits the L.A. Sports Academy. . . . Paul Azinger is the host of a pro-am Monday at Lake Nona in Orlando, Fla., to benefit the Leukemia Society of America’s lymphoma research program. Details: (407) 425-4900. . . . U.S. Amateur champion Tiger Woods of Cypress, making his his collegiate debut for Stanford, finished first in the William B. Tucker Invitational at Albuquerque, N.M., Saturday after shooting 68-72-68 for an eight-under par 208.

The Greater Los Angeles invitational will be played Oct. 10 at Wood Ranch in Simi Valley. The event benefits the National Jewish Center for Immunology and Respiratory Medicine in Denver. Details: (818) 905-1300. . . . A purse of $2.1 million will be at stake in the team match-play Diners Club matches Dec. 8-11 at the Jack Nicklaus course at PGA West at La Quinta. Players will come from the PGA Tour, including Lanny Wadkins and Azinger, the LPGA tour (Donna Andrews and Michelle McGann, Laura Davies and Karen Lunn, Patty Sheehan and Nancy Lopez) and the Senior PGA Tour (Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, Bob Murphy and Jim Colbert, Dave Stockton and Al Geiberger). The event will benefit the VIVA Foundation for the Eisenhower Medical Center’s programs with Sexual Assault Services.

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THEN, HE RAN THE TOUR

Now, he's just trying to get a game former commissioner beman given sponsor's exemption for kemper.

When he was commissioner of the PGA Tour, Deane Beman helped conceive and design the Tournament Players Club at Avenel. This week, they are letting him come back to play it.

Kemper Open officials have given Beman one of their eight sponsor's exemptions into the tournament, which begins Thursday. Beman, for his part, appreciates the gesture.

"This guy literally is the father of the modern PGA Tour," tournament chairman Ben Brundred said. "He's the father of this TPC at Avenel. He's 59 years old. He's not going to be trying to play much longer. . . . I'm sure we'll get some lip from guys we couldn't accommodate, but I knew that when we gave him the exemption. To me, this one's a no-brainer."

For Beman, it will be a nostalgic week. He learned the game just down Bradley Boulevard at Bethesda Country Club, went to Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School and then the University of Maryland. He won the 1963 U.S. Amateur championship, played on four Walker Cup teams and won five times in seven years on the tour after leaving a prosperous Bethesda insurance brokerage firm in 1967 at the age of 29 to play professional golf full time.

But Beman gave that up seven years later to run the tour, and he stayed in that job for 20 years, retiring in 1994. He engineered the most explosive period of growth in the history of the organization with relentless, hard-bargaining leadership.

Now, after virtually giving up the game in his first dozen years as commissioner, Beman is back playing on the Senior PGA Tour he created, for more prize money than most of his contemporaries ever thought they could earn past the age of 50. But some of those men have openly denigrated him for trying to come back and play on their plush turf.

The criticism stems from Beman's reliance on sponsor's exemptions to get into many Senior Tour fields.

Though he won more than $360,000 on the regular tour and gave up a two-year exemption when he became commissioner (he had won an event in 1973), Beman does not have enough lifetime winnings to be fully exempt on the senior circuit.

"It doesn't surprise me," said Brundred, only the second regular tour tournament chairman to give Beman a sponsor's exemption. "You're talking about a lot of self-centered people. They're all for themselves. Just look at what he did for them. He's the reason the seniors are even out there playing."

Other senior players also may bear grudges over disciplinary actions Beman took against them while he was commissioner, especially his handling of a senior tour purse-splitting scandal at the end of his tenure in 1993. Beman disciplined 51 players with fines of more than $100,000 after it was learned that many players were pooling prize money paid out in unofficial "shootouts" held prior to some senior events, then splitting it among themselves no matter who won or lost. Beman felt strongly that that arrangement compromised the integrity of the game, and after an internal investigation, he came down hard.

So, while he is not exactly shunned on the senior tour, neither is he the most popular man in the clubhouse.

"It bothers people that Deane is taking up a spot {in tournaments} and it bothers me, too," senior player Bud Allin told Sports Illustrated last month. "It would be different if he could play a little, but he can't play a lick anymore. He looks like Elmer Fudd swinging the club. After he took so many exemptions that first year he played {more than 20 in 1995}, he should have stopped asking."

Beman is aware there is sentiment that he should stop playing, but he smiles and pauses for a moment when he is asked to respond to that criticism.

"I'll put it as nicely as I can put it," he said. "If everybody over the age of 50 got a mulligan, I should have a mulligan, too. . . . They're entitled to their own opinion, and they can think what they want to think. It's not something I was unaware of before the story was written."

Asked if anyone had expressed those sentiments to him face to face, he said "no." Pausing again, he added: "If I didn't think I could play with them, I wouldn't be there. If I'm reasonably healthy, I can be competitive, and if I'm not competitive, I won't be out there. There's no reason to be, unless you can play at a reasonable level."

Beman hasn't been reasonably healthy since he started playing the senior tour at the end of 1994. First, he had a rib cage problem that turned out to be referred pain from a back injury. That was treated with medication and physical therapy. More recently, Beman has been plagued by a sore left shoulder that nearly forced him to have arthroscopic surgery early in the season.

Instead, he consulted with well-known orthopedist James Andrews in Birmingham. He was told to take six weeks off and was given a rehabilitation program, then treated with a cortisone injection about six weeks ago "that's really done the magic trick."

When he finished 35th in the NFL Classic in New Jersey two weeks ago, he said "it was the first time I've been able to play without pain in 2 1/2 years. My game has really improved. I'm hitting the ball better than I have since I started playing again."

He has played in only four events this year and won about $12,000. In '95, he finished with $154,000, good for 62nd on the money list. Now that he's healthy again, he said, "There's just no reason I shouldn't be very competitive whenever I play."

Though he's the only senior player in the field, he would like to think that will be the case this week, on a course that will cut him no slack in distance or difficulty. But he knows the terrain like no one else, because he helped architect Ed Ault design much of the layout. Avenel was among the early TPC stadium courses, a Beman concept long before the first one was built at tour headquarters in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

He is immensely proud of the idea and its execution, just as he is of the financial bonanza golf reaped under his guidance. He often was criticized for being too distant and aloof from the men whose pocketbooks he helped line, but no one questioned his work ethic, his single-minded attention to detail or his vision for the game.

Yet, ask him what he is most proud of over his 20-year tenure as the most powerful man in golf and he hardly hesitates.

"We are now clearly in the era of big money in sports," he said, "and I got in just at the beginning of that. But the thing I think I'd like to be most credited with was maintaining the traditional values of the game and the players -- sportsmanship, respect for the game, your fellow players, respect for the officials, for the rules. No other sport has come close to that.

"Money is a big factor, certainly, but money has not corrupted the game as it has in many other sports. And we worked at that every day. We worked at making players aware of the traditions, that they play by the rules and conduct themselves as gentlemen. The players like that. They like their image, and they should like it."

Beman insists he has never had second thoughts about quitting as an active player in the prime of his career to take control of the tour. But now, he likes nothing better than to spend hours on the range, beating balls, pitching or putting.

"Basically, I'm a golfer and I like to play golf," he said. "It's really just that simple." CAPTION: The Beman File Born: April 22, 1938. Birthplace: Washington, D.C. Residence: Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. Amateur Career: Won U.S. Amateur title, 1960, 1963; won British Amateur Championship, 1959; member of four Walker Cup teams. Turned Pro: 1967. Pro Career Highlights: Winner of 1969 Texas Open, 1970 Greater Milwaukee Open, 1971 Quad Cities Open, 1972 Quad Cities Open and 1973 Shrine-Robinson Classic. PGA Tour Career Earnings: $369,647. After Playing Career: Succeeded Joseph C. Dey Jr. as PGA Tour commissioner on March 1, 1974. Served in that post until June 1, 1994. ... Was instrumental in the development of Tournament Players Clubs and the Senior PGA Tour in 1980 and the Nike Tour in 1990. Joined Senior PGA Tour: 1994. Senior Tour Highlights: Entered 16 tournaments in 1996 and had one top 10 finish. His best finish was fifth at the Maui Kaanapali Classic. ... Led the tour in driving accuracy in 1996. Senior PGA Tour Earnings: $220,729. CAPTION: Former PGA Tour commissioner Deane Beman is familiar with the rough and fairways of the TPC at Avenel; he helped design the course and also pioneered the TPC concept.

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Larry Gilbert, 55, Well-Known Member of Golf's Senior Tour

By Clifton Brown

• Jan. 22, 1998

Larry Gilbert, a prominent golfer on the Senior PGA Tour, died of lung cancer yesterday at Samaritan Hospital in Lexington, Ky. He was 55.

A longtime club professional in Kentucky and Tennessee, Gilbert joined the Senior Tour in 1992 and immediately became a top money-winner. He won more than $3.2 million in his career, including a career-best $902,816 last year. But on Sept. 2, he was found to have inoperable lung cancer. He left the tour and began chemotherapy in Nashville, but his health steadily declined.

Gilbert's most notable victory occurred last July, when he captured the Ford Senior Players Championship at the TPC of Michigan course in Dearborn. It was his only victory in a major tournament, and it was his first triumph since 1994, when he joined the Senior Tour. Starting the final round in a four-way tie for first place, he shot a five-under-par 67 to win by three strokes over Isao Aoki.

''I was thinking of so many things,'' Gilbert said after that victory. ''All of those times on the practice tee, when you're dreaming of being on the 18th green playing for a championship. And I thought of my mother and father and how proud they'd be of me.''

A three-time winner on the Senior Tour, which is for golfers 50 or older, Gilbert also won the Dallas Reunion Pro-Am and the Vantage Championship, both in 1994.

Gilbert, who was born in Fort Knox, Ky., was the college-division champion of the National Collegiate Athletic Association in 1965, when he attended Middle Tennessee State University.

He won the PGA of America Club Professional Championship in 1981, 1982 and 1991, and he also won 10 Kentucky PGA championships. But his best finish on the regular PGA Tour was 25th, in the 1982 World Series of Golf, and his career earnings were only $19,123.

Known for his consistency on the Senior Tour, Gilbert had a streak of 21 consecutive rounds of par or better in 1996. In his five years on the tour, he was a top-20 money-winner three times, and he was never out of the top 30.

Before his illness was discovered, Gilbert was playing some of the best golf of his life.

''It's a tragedy to lose a man as fine as Larry Gilbert just as he reached the pinnacle of his career,'' said Tim Finchem, commissioner of the PGA Tour.

Gilbert is survived by his wife, Brenda, and two sons, Allen and Chris.

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Pga championship returning to kiawah island in 2031.

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KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. — The PGA Championship is returning to the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island in 2031, the coastal course where the previous two champions set tournament records.

Phil Mickelson became the oldest major champion at age 50 in 2021 when he won the PGA Championship at Kiawah for his sixth major. Rory McIlroy set a PGA Championship record with an eight-shot victory when he claimed his second major at the Ocean Course in 2012.

Only eight other courses have hosted the PGA Championships three times or more.

Kiawah Island first came onto the golf landscape when the United States narrowly defeated Europe in the 1991 Ryder Cup.