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PGA TOUR Staff

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- This week's Administaff Small Business Classic (October 12-14) in Spring, Texas, will feature two Champions Tour rookies 'saddling up' to complete the stellar Class of 2007.

John Cook is looking forward to his Champions Tour debut. (Ehrmann/WireImage)

Eleven-time PGA TOUR winner John Cook, who turned 50 on October 2, will compete in his first Champions Tour event, which is being held at the Augusta Pines Golf Club. The tournament is near the Woodlands, site of Cook's second-place finish at the 1999 Shell Houston Open. His lone PGA TOUR win in Texas came at the 1998 Byron Nelson Golf Classic. Cook was also the winner of the 1978 U.S. Amateur.

Joining Cook in his inaugural Champions Tour event is Phil Blackmar, who turned 50 on September 22, but like Cook, was not eligible for last week's Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship in Baltimore, Md., the Champions Tour's fifth and final major. Blackmar earned a berth in this week's Administaff event by shooting a 3-under-par 69 in the Monday Qualifying tournament. He is a three-time winner on the PGA TOUR and a three-time all-Southwest Conference selection at the University of Texas where he graduated with a degree in finance. Like Cook, he has also enjoyed success in the Lone Star State with one of his three TOUR victories coming at the 1997 Shell Houston Open at the Woodlands.

Both players hope to join Mark Wiebe, the first member of the Class of 2007 to win in his first start on the circuit. At the recent SAS Championship near Raleigh, Wiebe became the 12th player in Champions Tour annals to win in his debut and also matched Bobby Wadkins as the circuit's youngest winner at 50 years, 10 days.

Cook has been getting advice from his peers about joining the Champions Tour. "They've been very helpful and really enjoy playing the Champions Tour. Mark O'Meara told me the events have been great and the competition is exactly what I anticipated it would be," said Cook. "They shoot very low scores and the players' skills really have not diminished. If you have a good week putting, you get that fire back and you have a chance to win. Nick Price said the same thing. It's very competitive. I knew it would be. I've been working on my game pretty hard and I've been watching. These guys are no slouches out here."

Blackmar echoed Cook's assessment about the competition when he commented earlier this year while covering the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf for CBS. "The quality of play on the Champions Tour is so much better than people at home realize, and it's only going to get better with all the players who will be turning 50 coming over from the PGA TOUR."

Cook and Blackmar join a stellar Class of 2007 rookies who all turned 50 this year and have been competing on the Champions Tour.

The Administaff Small Business Classic is Mark O'Meara's 15th event since turning 50 last January. He is currently 15th on the Champions Tour money list with $826,749 and five top-10 finishes. World Golf Hall of Fame member Bernhard Langer is also competing this week, his fourth start on the Champions Tour since his debut in August at the Wal-Mart First Tee Open at Pebble Beach. He has one top-10 finish to his credit since turning 50 August 27th. Fellow rookie and Hall of Fame member Nick Price is not playing this week, but has three top-10s to his credit after 15 starts and is currently 38th on the money list at $445,792.

Jeff Sluman, a six-time winner on the PGA TOUR, including the 1988 PGA Championship, is playing his fourth consecutive event since his birthday on Sept. 11 in between his assistant captain's duties for Jack Nicklaus at the recent Presidents Cup.

Other rookies competing this week are Donnie Hammond, a long time PGA TOUR player who had two TOUR victories in his career. He is playing his 15th tournament since turning 50 in April. Hammond's best finish was a ninth place at the Senior British Open in July.

Wayne Grady, winner of the 1990 PGA Championship, is playing in his ninth event and Fulton Allem, a three-time winner on the PGA TOUR, turned 50 last month and has competed in one tournament so far, but is an alternate for this week's tournament.

The Class of 2007 brings impressive credentials for the next phase of their professional careers. In all, the 2007 rookies account for 75 PGA TOUR titles including 15 major championships.