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By John Maginnes
PGATOUR.com Contributor

HILTON HEAD, S.C. -- Who invited the kids to the AARP party at the Verizon Heritage?

Last year Aaron Baddeley broke a trend of 30- and 40-somethings winning in the low country. Badds was 25 when he claimed his first PGA TOUR victory on Easter Sunday. Fellow Aussie Peter Lonard earned the title the previous year but he was 37 when he donned the tartan plaid.

Aaron Baddeley may have won last year, but Harbour Town is a place for the older guys to excel. (Ehrmann/WireImage)

It is hard to be cool in tartan plaid. Can you imagine Ian Poulter's reaction if you tried to add plaid to his wardrobe? Not to suggest that I endorse some of the fashion decisions that the young Englishman has made. He must spend more on excess baggage fees at the airport than any other player in the world. Fashion has become a big part of the PGA TOUR in the last few years for the young guys.

But if you have driven through a country club neighborhood on any Saturday afternoon then you know that old men don't care. There is a guy who lives two doors down from me who routinely cuts his grass in white shorts and an old golf shirt. You remember the shirts from the 1980s with the hard collars, don't you? Well, that's what he wears. To complete the ensemble he has black socks pulled up to his knees and loafers that look like they were surplus issued from the WWII..

So I contend that the old guys dominate on Hilton Head because they don't care how they dress. Of course, you can throw Davis Love III into the argument for the other side. Friday was DL3's 43rd birthday. He picked up his first of five tartan jackets at Harbor Town 20 years ago. Davis is fashionable. No question about it. In his Polo garb he always looks classy. But Davis is not a pedicure kind of guy. He likes his blue jeans and motorcycles. Like many TOUR players he has been known to kill defenseless animals with excess firepower. Dinner jackets are not required at Davis' house for dinner.

I suppose you could even mention Stewart Cink, the two-time champion, as a snappy dresser, as well. But remember, he met his wife when he was still in college. I think that is reasonable to assume that she has been dressing him for most of his 33 years. Not to mention, Stewart was too young to win here both times that he was victorious. The old guys just forgot to let him know.

This year the title and the jacket are going to an old guy. Is it a stretch to call Ernie Els an old guy? At only 37 it is possible that his best golf is still in front of him. But his days of hanging out at the Quarter Deck after play are over. As a father of two, Ernie is a confirmed adult. Additionally, Ernie has logged more air time than most commercial pilots in what will be a World Golf Hall of Fame career and that certainly has to add a little age. He is old enough to proudly wear plaid.

Right behind Ernie on the leaderboard is 40-year old Jerry Kelly. Jerry is from a place where people call themselves cheeseheads. To display loyalty to their beloved Green Bay Packers they wear foam blocks of cheese on their heads. This is a fashion faux pas even in the heartland. I don't know if Jerry owns one of these novelty items. But I do know that he is old enough to wear plaid.

And then there is Fred Funk. Obviously at 50, Fred has found the fountain of youth. He has a win on both the Champions Tour and the PGA TOUR this year. I have never seen Fred cut his grass but he is certainly old enough to do it in shorts and dark socks. Furthermore, he would have no qualms about wearing a plaid jacket.

So the old guys will win here this year. Aaron Baddeley ruined the age curve a year ago but part of that was ignorance. Apparently Aaron was only recently fitted for his tartan jacket. He owns one now but he can lend it to his grandfather.