E-Notes: Haas shooting for a Champions Tour money record ![]() Jay Haas With just two events remaining in the official 2007 season, Jay Haas, the Champions Tour's leading money-winner, is making a bid to become the second player in Tour history to reach the $3-million plateau in season earnings. Hale Irwin is the only other player to do so, earning $3,028,304 in 27 starts during the 2002 season. Haas has won four times and finished second in four other events. He's earned $2,523,121 and needs $476,879 in his final two events of the year. Bernhard Langer's 25-under par effort in winning last week's Adminstaff Small Business Classic equaled the Champions Tour's all-time record for a 54-hole event set by Loren Roberts at the 2006 MasterCard Championship. More on Langer: He is the first native of Germany to win on the Champions Tour. Since the Tour began in 1980, winners have come from 12 countries outside the United States. With two weeks left in the season, the Charles Schwab Cup race looks to be just like last year when the crown wasn't decided until the very final putt of the season. After a T4 last week, Jay Haas has closed to within a mere 69 points of leader Loren Roberts. After being played for 17 years at The Dominion Country Club, the AT&T Championship moved to Oak Hills Country Club in 2002. Oak Hills served as the host of the Texas Open from 1961 to 1966 and again from 1977 to 1994. ![]() Mark McNulty This is the last week players can qualify for the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship in Sonoma, Calif., open to the top-30 money winners on Tour following this week's action. A year ago, the 30th spot went to Mark McNulty. He earned $646,459. With a similar number of events on this year's schedule, 28 players have already exceeded that figure. Jim Thorpe currently sits in the 30th position ($597,038), while Tom Jenkins is No. 31 ($594,239), a difference of $2,799. Fred Funk, the 2006 AT&T Championship winner, will attempt to successfully defend a title for the first time this year. The closest Funk came to defending on the PGA TOUR was when he lost in a five-way playoff at the rain-shortened Buick Challenge the year after winning at Callaway Gardens. Lee Trevino (1991-92) and Jim Albus (1994-95) are the only players to win back to back at the AT&T Championship. Jim Thorpe and Tom Jenkins are trying to extend Champions Tour victory streaks. Thorpe came into the 2007 season having won at least one event in seven consecutive years, while Jenkins currently has a run of five straight seasons with at least one win. This year, Thorpe's best finish is a tie for second at the season-opening MasterCard Championship at Hualalai. Jenkins' best effort came at the AT&T Champions Classic, where he tied for fourth. ![]() Lee Trevino Jay Haas' victory in 2005 made him the sixth player to capture both a Champions Tour and PGA TOUR event in San Antonio, Texas. John Mahaffey, the 1999 AT&T Championship winner, also won the 1985 Texas Open. Don January was the first player to win on both Tours, claiming the inaugural event at The Dominion in 1985 after winning the 1975 Texas Open on the PGA TOUR. Other double winners in the Alamo City include Bruce Crampton (1964 Texas Open, 1986 Benson & Hedges Invitational); Chi Chi Rodriguez (1967 Texas Open, 1987 Vantage at The Dominion); and Lee Trevino (1980 Texas Open, 1991-92 Vantage at The Dominion, 1998 Southwestern Bell Dominion). The following players in this week's field had holes-in-one at this course when it hosted the Texas Open: Tom Kite, Gary McCord, Gil Morgan, Don Pooley and Lanny Wadkins. Of that group, Morgan and Wadkins have had Champions Tour holes-in-one. Morgan's came at the 2005 Greater Hickory Classic at Rock Barn, while Wadkins' was in 2000 at the Nationwide Championship. |