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PGA TOUR Staff

Ben Crenshaw's second-place finish last week at the U.S. Senior Open was his best finish to date on the Champions Tour. His previous best was a tie for third earlier this year at the Toshiba Senior Classic.

Brad Bryant is the new leader in the Charles Schwab Cup race following his win last week at the U.S. Senior Open. Jay Haas had held the lead since March 11.

Hale Irwin had played in 50 Champions Tour events that featured 36-hole cuts since joining the Tour in 1996 and had never missed a cut. His streak ended last week at the U.S. Senior Open when he missed qualifying for the weekend by a single stroke.

Mike Sullivan won the B.C. Open at En-Joie GC on the PGA TOUR back in 1994. He returns to that same course this week in a different role. Sullivan will serve as a Rules Official this week in the inaugural Dick's Sporting Goods Open.

You don't necessarily want to lead the U.S. Senior Open after 54 holes. Only two of the last 10 54-hole leaders have gone on to win the event?Don Pooley in 2002 and Bruce Lietzke in 2003.

While the Dick's Sporting Goods Open is one of the newest events on the Champions Tour, most of the competitors in this year's field have played on this course previously. The En-Joie Golf Course hosted the B.C. Open, a regular stop on the PGA TOUR from 1971-2005. Among players in the field who claimed their first PGA TOUR victory at the B.C. Open are Richie Karl (1974), Gil Morgan (1977), Howard Twitty (1979) and Don Pooley (1980).

The Dick's Sporting Goods Open is one of the three new events on the 2007 Champions Tour schedule, joining the Allianz Championship in Boca Raton, Fla. and The Ginn Championship at Hammock Beach in Palm Coast, Fla.

Wayne Levi, a native of New Hartford, N.Y., should feel right at home at En-Joie Golf Club. The 1984 champion, Levi played in 27 B.C. Opens during his career, making 21 cuts. He posted five top-10 finishes and earned $234,613 in that period. When he won the 1984 title, Levi earned $54,000 for his victory. This year's champion will earn $240,000.

Richie Karl, an Endicott native, is playing this week as a sponsor's exemption. Karl, who won the 1974 B.C. Open, last played a Champions Tour event in 1999. His best finish since he turned 50 was a tie for fifth at the weather-shortened ACE Group Classic.

The Champions Tour's only other appearance in upstate New York came during a stretch from 1982-91 when a tournament was played in the Syracuse area. The Greater Syracuse Senior's Pro Golf Classic was contested at Bellevue Country Club from 1982-84 before it moved to the Lafayette Country Club in 1985 and remained there until its final season in 1991.

Denis Watson (fourth) and Tom Purtzer (fifth) are the highest points earners in the Charles Schwab Cup who are also in the Dick's Sporting Goods Open field this week. And both players had close calls at En-Joie Golf Club during their PGA TOUR careers. Watson was the B.C. Open runner-up in 1993, losing to Blaine McCallister by a stroke. Purtzer also finished second?in 1979?falling by a stroke to Howard Twitty. Watson had one other top-10 finish at the B.C. Open (ninth in 1991), while Purtzer had two others (tied for 10th in 1978 and ninth in 1986).