ENDICOTT, N.Y. – They were among the best golfers in the world. Major champions. Hall of Famers. They are … well … champions.
It’s the natural order of things in sports. When one generation ages up, those players make way for the next, upcoming generation.
Golf is rare in that it offers its players a chance to extend their careers and compete and give fans one more chance to see their heroes.
The Champions Tour.
This weekend, like it has every year since 2007 (excluding the 2020 pandemic), the Champions Tour has rolled into En-Joie Golf Club for the Dick’s Open. The circuit is for players 50 years of age and older, one more change to chase glory.
“It gives us an opportunity to play until we’re old. We’re pretty much the only sport that you can play until whenever you want, 70 lets say, if you’re good enough,” said South African Retief Goosen, a two-time U.S. Open champion (2001 and 2004) and 2019 inductee into the World Golf Hall of Fame. “Rugby, cricket, football, baseball, those guys are done pretty much once they’re 35, then they got their whole lives ahead of them still. We’re very lucky we can still play for something out here and compete, have a chance to win now and then.”
Goosen, 57, has won five times on the Champions Tour, including in April at the Mitsubishi Electric Classic in Georgia, allowing fans to get a new look at the golfer who reached as high as No. 3 in the world in 2006.
“I think it’s more, fans who are coming to the Champions Tour are fans of our era,” he said. “They were younger when we were younger and they sort of follow us and see their heroes when they were younger and we were in our 30s.”
That may be true, but Bernhard Langer was signing quite a few autographs for kids and young adults who likely didn’t see his glory days that included Masters championships in 1985 and 1993.
“Whoever follows golf I think follows all ages,” Langer said. “The majority of the people. they watch us, they know us better than the guys on the PGA Tour because we’ve been around longer, we’ve made our names and they know all about us.”
Perhaps no other golfer has experienced a renaissance on the Champions Tour quite like Langer.
His stellar career included 42 European Tour wins and two European Tour Order of Merrit titles in the 1980s. He was already a Hall of Famer before joining the Champions Tour, but has surpassed his PGA success with 47 Champions Tour wins, including 12 majors, and nine Player of the Year honors.
“It gives you a chance to prolong your career,” he said. “Most other sports, you’re done when you’re in your 30s or 40s. Golf is unique because it’s very technical; it’s very mental. It’s not all about physical. You don’t have to be 20 years old. It’s helps, but you dont have to be. It’s like a second career within a career and it’s been very beneficial to many of us.”
A number of newer Champions are looking to match Langer’s success.
Boo Weekley, 52, is relatively new to the Champions Tour. After winning three PGA Tour titles, he won his first Champions Tour event in May, the Insperity Invitational.
He says he’s enjoying the more laid-back atmosphere his new tour presents.
“I’d say out here it’s a lot funner, I just wish we were playing for their money,”” he joked. “It’s fun to be out here. I get to hang out with the guys I played with when I was out on tour. A lot of them are a bit older than I am, but it’s still fun to be able to come out and play and enjoy the time with them.”
Bo Van Pelt, 51, is in his second year on the Champions Tour, but is enjoying the lifestyle and the opportunity to spend more time with family that wasn’t always available when he was grinding on the PGA Tour.
“It was kind of dumb luck for me. My youngest graduated high school the week I turned 50, so it’s kind of the last chapter of professional golf. My wife’s been able to travel a bunch and see guys that I’ve known for 30 years,” he said. “The level of play is good and the people are excited when we come to town. It’s a blessing.”
This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: PGA Tour Champions, Dick’s Open an extended stage for world’s best
Reporting by Anthony Maluso, Special to the Press & Sun Bulletin / Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Anthony Maluso, Special to the Press & Sun Bulletin | USA TODAY Network
