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CHAMPIONS - Charles Schwab Cup Championship Preview
From The Sports Network
| DATES: Thursday, November 1st through Sunday, November 4th |
| SITE: Desert Mountain Club (Cochise Course), Scottsdale, Arizona |
| COURSE ARCHITECT: Jack Nicklaus (1986) |
| Hole-By-Hole: | 1 - Par 4 397 Yds | 10 - Par 4 424 Yds | |
| 2 - Par 3 181 Yds | 11 - Par 3 189 Yds | |
| 3 - Par 4 475 Yds | 12 - Par 5 523 Yds | |
| 4 - Par 5 546 Yds | 13 - Par 3 138 Yds | |
| 5 - Par 4 448 Yds | 14 - Par 4 450 Yds | |
| 6 - Par 4 341 Yds | 15 - Par 5 548 Yds | |
| 7 - Par 3 215 Yds | 16 - Par 4 413 Yds | |
| 8 - Par 5 569 Yds | 17 - Par 3 225 Yds | |
| 9 - Par 4 433 Yds | 18 - Par 5 511 Yds | |
| ------------- | ------------- | |
| 36 3,605 Yds | 36 3,421 Yds | |
| Annual: | 23rd |
| Television: | Golf Channel - Thursday/Saturday -- 4:30-7 p.m. (et), |
| | - Sunday -- 3:30-6 p.m. (et) |
| Defending Champion: | Jay Don Blake |
| Runner-Up: | Mark Calcavecchia |
| Tournament Record: | 266 (John Cook, 2009) |
| 54-Hole Record: | 197 (Ray Floyd, 1992; John Cook, 2009) |
| 36-Hole Record: | 130 (Jim Thorpe, 2003; John Cook, 2009) |
| 18-Hole Record: | 61 (Michael Allen, 2010 - TPC Harding Park) |
| Total Purse: | $2,500,000 |
| Shares: | 1st Place - $440,000; 2nd Place - $254,000; 3rd Place - $213,000 |
| 2011 Finish |
| Player | Score | Player | Score |
| Jay Don Blake | 276 | David Frost | 279 |
| Mark Calcavecchia | 278 | Five players at | 280 |
| Jay Haas | 278 | | |
| Loren Roberts | 278 | | |
| Michael Allen | 278 | | |
| Past Charles Schwab Cup Championship Winners |
| Year | Winner (Score) -- Runners-Up |
| 2011 | Jay Don Blake (276) -- M.Calcavecchia, J.Haas, L.Roberts, M.Allen |
| 2010 | John Cook (267) -- Michael Allen |
| 2009 | John Cook (266) -- Russ Cochran |
| 2008 | Andy Bean (268) -- Gene Jones |
| 2007 | Jim Thorpe (268) -- Fred Funk, Denis Watson |
| 2006 | Jim Thorpe (271) -- Tom Kite |
| 2005 | Tom Watson (272) -- Jay Haas |
| 2004 | Mark McNulty (277) -- Tom Kite |
| 2003 | Jim Thorpe (268) -- Tom Watson |
| 2002 | Tom Watson (274) -- Gil Morgan |
| 2001 | Bob Gilder (277) -- Doug Tewell |
| 2000 | Tom Watson (270) -- John Jacobs |
| 1999 | Gary McCord (276) -- Larry Nelson, Bruce Fleisher |
| 1998 | Hale Irwin (274) -- Gil Morgan |
| 1997 | Gil Morgan (272) -- Hale Irwin |
| 1996 | Jay Sigel (279) -- Kermit Zarley |
| 1995 | Jim Colbert (282) -- Ray Floyd |
| 1994 | *Ray Floyd (273) -- Jim Albus |
| 1993 | Simon Hobday (199) -- Ray Floyd, Larry Gilbert |
| 1992 | Ray Floyd (197) -- George Archer, Dale Douglass |
| 1991 | Mike Hill (202) -- Jim Colbert |
| 1990 | *Mike Hill (201) -- Dale Douglass, Lee Trevino |
| Note:Previously called New York Life Champions (1990), Senior Tour |
|
Championship (1991-92), Hyatt Senior Tour Champions (1993), Golf
Magazine Senior Tour Championship (1994), Energizer Senior Tour
Championship (1995-98), Ingersoll-Rand Senior Tour Championship (1999),
IR Senior Tour Championship (2000), Senior Tour Championship at
Gaillardia (2001-02).
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| Top Contenders in the Field |
| Player | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | | |
| Jay Don Blake | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | Won | | |
| Michael Allen | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | 2nd | T-2 | | |
| Jay Haas | --- | 2nd | T-6 | T-20 | T-16 | T-10 | 16th | T-2 | | |
| Loren Roberts | --- | T-5 | T-4 | T-13 | 4th | T-6 | T-24 | T-2 | | |
| Mark Calcavecchia | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | T-29 | T-2 | | |
| David Frost | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | T-3 | 6th | | |
| Russ Cochran | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | 2nd | T-5 | T-7 | | |
| Fred Couples | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | T-10 | T-7 | | |
| Kenny Perry | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | T-7 | | |
| Jeff Sluman | --- | --- | --- | --- | T-5 | T-3 | 15th | T-12 | | |
| Olin Browne | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | T-17 | T-12 | | |
| Peter Senior | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | 26th | 17th | | |
| Bernhard Langer | --- | --- | --- | --- | T-18 | T-6 | T-3 | T-18 | | |
| Tom Lehman | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | T-5 | T-18 | | |
| John Cook | --- | --- | --- | --- | 13th | Won | Won | T-20 | | |
| Mark Wiebe | --- | --- | --- | --- | T-21 | T-16 | 28th | T-20 | | |
| Brad Bryant | --- | T-13 | T-19 | T-10 | 3rd | T-3 | 27th | T-25 | | |
| Corey Pavin | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | T-10 | T-26 | | |
| Chien Soon Lu | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | T-17 | T-26 | | |
| Fred Funk | --- | --- | --- | T-2 | T-25 | T-25 | T-5 | --- | | |
| Dan Forsman | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | T-18 | T-20 | --- | | |
| Larry Mize | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | T-10 | T-24 | --- | | |
| Mark McNulty | Won | 4th | 23rd | 4th | T-5 | T-10 | --- | --- | | |
| Mike Goodes | --- | --- | --- | --- | T-16 | 21st | --- | --- | | |
| Roger Chapman | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | |
| Joe Daley | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | |
| Bill Glasson | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | |
| Gary Hallberg | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | |
| Kirk Triplett | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | |
| Willie Wood | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | |
| Sports Network Selections |
| Pick to Win - Bernhard Langer |
| Darkhorse - Peter Senior |
| |
| Last Week's Pick to Win (Fred Funk) - Finished tied for 17th |
| Last Week's Darkhorse (Mark Wiebe) - Finished tied for 13th |
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| NOTES: |
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The final regular-season event of the 2012 schedule is upon us with key races
yet to be decided. It's quite fitting that this tournament will produce not
only the Player of the Year, but also the $1 million annuity for capturing the
Charles Schwab Cup and the money title.
Bernhard Langer leads the money list over Michael Allen by $406,808. Allen
would have to win this week and have Langer finish in 24th place or worse to
win the money title. Langer leads Tom Lehman in the race for the Charles
Schwab Cup by 211 points and Roger Chapman by 657 points. Only those three
players can win the Cup with double points awarded this week. There are six
first-timers in the field - Chapman, Joe Daley, Bill Glasson, Gary Hallberg,
Kirk Triplett and Willie Wood.
The tournament is moving to its seventh different venue this year at the
Cochise Course at Desert Mountain Club in Scottsdale, Arizona. TPC Harding
Park in San Francisco hosted in 2010-11 after seven years at Sonoma Golf Club
in California. Hyatt Dorado Beach in Puerto Rico hosted the first four years.
The Dunes Golf and Beach Club played host to this event six straight years
prior to the 2000 move to the TPC Myrtle Beach. Gaillardia Golf & Country Club
in Oklahoma staged the event in 2001-02.
Last year, Jay Don Blake shot rounds of 71-68-66-71 to win by two strokes over
Mark Calcavecchia, Jay Haas, Loren Roberts and Allen. Blake finished at
8-under-par 276 for his second Champions Tour title of 2011. Lehman may have
left a bigger mark, as he won the season-long race for the Charles Schwab Cup
title and the money title.
In 2010, John Cook carded rounds of 64-69-67-67 to successfully defend his
title. Cook finished at 17-under 267 and defeated third-round leader Allen by
two strokes at TPC Harding Park. Langer captured the year-long Charles Schwab
Cup title and the $1 million annuity.
Cook fired a 62 in the second round in 2009 to take the lead and never trailed
again as he won by five strokes over Russ Cochran. Cook matched the record for
lowest 54-hole score in a 72-hole event in Champions Tour history at 197 set
by Jack Nicklaus at the 1990 Mazda Senior Tournament Players Championship. He
completed the season's final tournament at 22-under-par 266. Cook also set the
tournament's 72-hole scoring record. The previous record of 268 was set by Jim
Thorpe in 2003, then matched by Thorpe in 2007 and Andy Bean in 2008. The
other big winner in 2009 was Loren Roberts, who finished in a tie for sixth at
minus-13. The finish helped Roberts secure the season-long Charles Schwab Cup.
It was the second time in three years that Roberts won that title.
In 2008, Andy Bean fired a 6-under 66 in the final round and cruised to a
record-setting win. Bean finished four spectacular rounds at 20-under-par 268
for a 9-shot win over Gene Jones, the largest margin of victory in tournament
history and the largest on the Champions Tour in 2008. Bean was the only
player in the field to fire four rounds in the 60s.
Thorpe birdied five of his last six holes in the final round of 2007,
including his final four, to shoot a 6-under 66 and successfully defend his
title. Thorpe ran away with it in the end. He finished at 20-under-par 268 and
won by three strokes over Fred Funk and Denis Watson. Thorpe has three wins at
this event, having previously won in 2003 and 2006.
In 2005, Tom Watson erased a 6-shot deficit in the final round to come from
behind and win. He birdied the 72nd hole to fire an 8-under 64 and win the
tournament by a single stroke at 16-under-par 272. The win not only gave
Watson the tournament title, but it allowed him to win his second year-long
Charles Schwab Cup title. He also won the Cup in 2003. Watson has won this
event three times, having previously won in 2000 and 2002.
Hale Irwin has the most top-10 finishes in tournament history with nine,
followed by Gil Morgan and Tom Kite with eight and Tom Watson with seven. Jim
Colbert and Thorpe are the only players to go wire-to-wire in winning the
season-ending event. Colbert led from start-to-finish at the 1995 tournament
despite a final-round 74, and Thorpe turned the trick in 2003.
There have been two playoffs in tournament history. In the inaugural event in
1990, Mike Hill defeated Dale Douglass and Lee Trevino with a birdie on the
first extra hole. The other came in 1994, when Raymond Floyd bested Jim Albus
with a birdie on the fifth extra hole.
Only one player leading the money list heading into this event has captured
the title -- Irwin (1998). Irwin appeared in 13 consecutive tournaments from
1995-2007 and returned in 2011. Brad Bryant, Jay Haas and Loren Roberts have
the longest current streaks with eight.
Watson is the all-time money winner at this event with $1,979,500 in earnings.
Thorpe, with his three wins and five top-10s, is second ($1,681,616).
Although this is the final regular-season event, the Champions Tour continues
action November 6, as they compete against the PGA Tour and LPGA Tour at the
Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge in Nevada.
10/30 20:07:28 ET
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As of October 30, 2012, at 08:07 PM ET
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