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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- The Senior Open Championship at Muirfield will welcome two new Champions Tour Rookies with major credentials, Nick Faldo and Wayne Grady, when the competition begins July 26-29 near Edinburgh, Scotland.

Nick Faldo will head to Muirfield for the Senior British Open. (WireImage)

Faldo, a six-time major champion, will take time off from his current duties as CBS' lead golf analyst and a member of the GOLF CHANNEL's broadcast team for early- round coverage of PGA TOUR events to celebrate his 50th birthday in style. With son Matthew by his side as caddie, the World Golf Hall of Fame member -- who turned 50 Wednesday- competes first at the Open Championship at Carnoustie before heading to Muirfield to make his Champions Tour debut at the Senior Open Championship.

A native of Welwyn Garden City, England, Faldo has enjoyed an incredible career highlighted by nine PGA TOUR wins and 34 international victories. Among his victories, Faldo captured three British Opens (1987, '90 and '92) and three Masters (1989, '90 and '96). He has also been a member of 11 European Ryder Cup teams and will captain the 2008 squad at Vahalla Golf Club.

Joining Nick for his inaugural Champions Tour event will be Wayne Grady who turns 50 on July 26. Grady, a native Australian, is the winner of the 1990 PGA Championship at Shoal Creek Country Club in Birmingham, Ala. Grady currently resides in Queensland, Australia and has a home in Orlando, Fla. He also captured the 1989 Westchester Classic on the PGA TOUR and has five international titles. He is former chairman of the Australasian PGA Tour and member of three World Cup teams. Recently his growing golf design company has been involved in several golf projects in Vietnam.

"Having Nick make his Champions Tour debut at Muirfield, the site of two of his three Open Championships, is only fitting to celebrate what we hope is the next plateau of Nick's distinguished career," said Champions Tour President, Rick George. "While we realize his extensive telecast commitments may preclude him playing many events, we are enthused nonetheless to have Nick on the roster of stellar rookies joining our Tour this season." George added: "We are also fortunate to have Wayne Grady included in the impressive field at Muirfield as well. Both players will only enhance the distinguished list of champions competing on our Tour. "

In all, the 2007 rookies account for 72 PGA TOUR titles including 15 major championships. Faldo will join fellow major winners Mark O'Meara and Nick Price, also a World Golf Hall of Fame member, in the first wave of Champions Tour rookies to compete this year. So far this season, O'Meara has had one runner-up and four top-10 finishes, earning nearly $550,000 in nine events, while Price measures in with more than $300,000 after 10 appearances with two top-10s, including a third-place finish at the Senior PGA Championship.

Between now and October, several PGA TOUR stars from the 1980s and 1990s are set to join O'Meara, Price and two-time TOUR winner Donnie Hammond who started playing the Champions Tour circuit this past April. The following are brief bios and, in some cases, quotes from a few players who will debut later this season:

Bernhard Langer (turns 50 on August 27, 2007)
Debut: Scheduled to debut at Wal-Mart First Tee Open at Pebble Beach in Pebble Beach, Calif. Aug. 31-Sept. 2, 2007

Born in Anhausen, Germany....Resides in Anhausen, Germany and Boca Raton, Fla.....Three PGA TOUR wins, including 1985 and '93 Masters....58 international wins....Led European Order of Merit in 1981 and '84....No. 1 in Official World Golf Ranking for three weeks in 1986....Member of 10 Ryder Cup teams and captain in 2004....Inducted into World Golf Hall of Fame in 2002.

Quote from Langer: "I definitely view the Champions Tour as a competitive landscape. The closer I get, the more I devote time to preparing for it. I'll probably play the Masters as long as I can and maybe Hilton Head because they are two of my favorite courses, but otherwise I'll be competing predominantly on the Champions Tour.

Jeff Sluman (turns 50 on Sept. 11, 2007)
Debut: Scheduled to debut at Great Hickory Classic at Rock Barn Presented by Kia Motors
in Conover (Hickory), N.C.
Sept. 14-16, 2007

Born in Rochester, N.Y....Resides in Hinsdale, Ill.L....Six PGA TOUR wins, including 1988 PGA Championship....two-time Presidents Cup Captain's Assistant under Jack Nicklaus.

John Cook (turns 50 October 2, 2007)
Debut: Scheduled to debut at Administaff Small Business Classic in Spring (Houston), Texas
Oct. 12-14, 2007

Born in Toledo, Ohio....Resides in Windermere, Fla. ....11 PGA TOUR wins.....two international wins....Member 1993 Ryder Cup team.

Quote from Cook: "I know the caliber of play (on the Champions Tour) is outstanding just from watching telecasts and talking with other players. That said, when I come out, my game needs to be stepped up a level. I want to come out and be able to compete right away. There's no transition for me. They're just shooting great scores."

Completing the Champions Tour's 'rookie' Class of 2007 this fall are two-time PGA TOUR winner, Mark Wiebe (turns 50 Sept. 13), and two players with three PGA TOUR victories each, the colorful Fulton Allem (Sept. 15) and Phil Blackmar (Sept. 22).