I’m taking this (almost) completely out of context, but in a recent interview Tom Watson called out what he calls the “Tiger Tour”:

“The regular tour is basically a Tiger Woods tour, and some people say that’s getting old,” Watson said. “But our tour doesn’t get old. Every year you have new names coming out. That makes it new and exciting. People will tune in to see how Seve Ballesteros does or to see how Mark O’Meara does. That gives us great viability.

The most important thing about our Champions Tour is that every year somebody of note comes out, usually more than one or two. That gives a new story every year about the tour.”

Watson was, of course, simply trying to hype the steady influx of new (and yet familiar) players onto the Champions Tour. But there’s definitely an edge in those comments.

This year, Gary Player will mark his fiftieth appearance at The Masters. He won the event in 1961, becoming the first non-American to do so. He won again in 1974 and 1978. In all, he won nine majors and 163 tournaments. He’s the only player to have won the British Open in three different decades.

Perhaps even more important in this day and age: he recently celebrated his fiftieth wedding anniversary just before the MasterCard Championship in Hawaii..

And then the 71 year old Player went out and shot two rounds of 69 in that event.

I had the pleasure of watching Player at this past year’s Ford Senior Open in Dearborn, Michigan. While long past his prime—even by Champions Tour standards—you still could see glimpses of the youth. I wonder if there’s ever been a golfer who maximized his skills as much as Player.

Seve Ballesteros—one of the most exciting players of the 1980s—is planning a comeback next year. He was apparently inspired by rounds of 74 and 77 at the Open Championship at Hoylake.

Don’t do it, Seve. Play in one last Masters, if you wish, and then go on the Champions Tour. I guarantee you will be welcomed there.

I know he’s said it before, but this time I think he really means it: Arnold Palmer is retiring from competitive golf.

He had begun play on Friday at the Administaff Small Business Classic, but after hitting two balls into the water on the fourth hole, he announced his withdrawal from the tounament. He complained of a sore back.

But here’s why I admire Arnold Palmer so: in spite of this withdrawal, he continued to play out the round—he just didn’t keep score. Injury or no, the 77 year old King wasn’t going to disappoint his Army.

After the round, Palmer announced his retirement:

“I’m a sentimental guy and I start thinking, usually it’s after I’m finished. Here it is and we’re done,” said Palmer. “It’s been a great road and I’ve loved every second of it. And I still do.”

I just regret that I never had the chance to watch him play in person. I’d still pay to see him play—even if he didn’t keep score.

Long Live The King

The Champions Tour has announced its 2007 Schedule.

There have been a couple of additions to last year’s schedule, and one major switch.

New in 2007 will be the Principal Charity Classic in the Des Moines, Iowa area, and the Ginn Championship in Florida. The Dick’s Sporting Good Open will be played at the En-Joie Golf Course in Endicott, NY, replacing the PGA Tour’s BC Open, which was a staple of that area for 34 years.

The Allianz Championship, which was formerly played in Des Moines—now replaced by the Principal Charity Classic—will move to Boca Raton, Florida in February. That will give the Senior Tour three Florida Events in February.

For me, though, the most significant change is the change in venue and sponsorship of the Senior Players Championship. Ford’s abandoment of golf led the Senior Players Championship to move from Dearborn to Baltimore, where it will be known as the Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship. I’m just glad that I took my ten year old to see the Seniors last summer. He had a great day, and still talks about how Gary Player came over to the ropes to talk to him as we followed him down the fairway. He didn’t know who Gary Player was at the time, but now he asks about the Black Knight every time there’s a tournament on tv.

The full schedule follows:

When the PGA Tour realigned its season for next year, several long standing tour stops found themselves on the outside looking in. One of these was the BC Open, which has always been a bit of an underdog, scheduled as it was opposite the British Open. It had been a tour stop for thirty years.

Still, it was a tournament that by all accounts had tremendous community support. And it was held at the club with the best name in golf: The En-Joie golf Club. I was sorry to see it go.

But there’s good news in Endicott, New York. Dick’s Sporting Goods has signed a three year agreement to sponsor a Champions Tour tournament at the En-Joie Golf Club.

Ironic isn’t it. After thirty years of seeing the guys play at the BC Open, Endicott will get to see them all over again on the Champions Tour. A lot of old faces coming home.

Arnold Palmer is making one of his rare playing appearances this weekend at the Constellation Energy Classic. He is, by his own admission, not likely to play well, but to fans of hte King, that doesn’t matter. It certainly doesn’t matter to me. I relish the opportunity to see the man play, and am just sorry that I haven’t had the chance to see him in person.

The tournament is on The Golf Channel.

There’s a good article on Palmer and his recent activities from the Associated Press.