2009 Champions Tour rookies: Tom Lehman

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Tom Lehman will have 50 candles on his birthday cake on March 7, 2009, which means he can join the Champions Tour.

Dec. 2, 2008
By Lauren Deason, PGATOUR.COM Editorial Coordinator

Some of golf's favorite names and most familiar faces will be joining the Champions Tour in 2009. Over the next three weeks, PGATOUR.COM will take a look at the former PGA TOUR winners who turned 50 in late 2008 or who will hit the half-century mark in 2009 and likely make their Champions Tour debut.

Tom Lehman had an odd-man-out moment at the British Open in 2008.

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Lehman tied for 32nd at the British Open in July 2008.

The Basics

NAME: Thomas Edward Lehman

HT: 6-2 WT: 215

BIRTHDATE: March 7, 1959

BIRTHPLACE: Austin, Minn.

RESIDENCE: Scottsdale, Ariz.

TURNED PRO: 1982

TOUR WINS: 5

Click here to learn more about Lehman.

Photo gallery

Click here for a look back at Lehman's TOUR career.

The 49-year-old was paired on Thursday with Azuma Yano of Japan, a 31-year-old who sported gold earrings in both ears. The other member of their threesome was Johan Edfors, who wore a painter's cap over his chin-length hair and was decked on silver shoes that matched his silver bag that day. The color on Edfors' putting grip? Pink.

Lehman, dressed in a more subdued ensemble with black pants, black shoes and a black rain jacket, could only smile as he spoke to Sports Illustrated's Cameron Morfit after the round.

"Here's what I know about the young guys: If you call them they'll never answer their phone, and they'll never call you back," Lehman said. "If you text-message them, they'll answer in 20 seconds."

The funny thing was, the man who will turn 50 on March 7, 2009 outscored Edfors and tied Yano that day. Or maybe it's not so funny, considering Lehman tied for eighth at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard in mid-March of '08 and also tied for sixth at THE PLAYERS Championship. Not to mention, he won the Claret Jug in 1996 and has four other TOUR victories to his credit.

Lehman was the PGA TOUR Player of the Year and leading money winner in 1996, but his road to the TOUR wasn't easy. He first tried his hand on the TOUR from 1983-85, but couldn't earn enough to stay. So he packed his bags and played on several mini-tours in the U.S. plus traveled to Asia, South Africa and other international spots during the late 1980s. Lehman returned to the U.S. and won four times on the Nationwide Tour in 1990 and 1991.

By 1992, Lehman had worked his way back to the PGA TOUR and finished 24th on the money list that season. He finished inside the top 20 a handful of times over the next decade and even placed as high as 42nd in 2006. Lehman's ready for a new challenge, though, as he approaches the big 5-0.

So is Lehman ready to go from being the old man to the rookie on the Champions Tour?

"Turning 50 is a milestone. As a golfer, I've always been competitive and always wanted to play my best. I've enjoyed my years on the PGA TOUR but at some point I'll know when it's time to move on," Lehman said.

"The Champions Tour is something I look forward to with a lot of anticipation. There's a great camaraderie on the Champions Tour but it's also very competitive. It's a great situation to be in and I really look forward to that."

Five things you may not know -- or may have forgotten -- about Lehman

1. A devout Christian, Lehman is actively involved with Fellowship Christian Athletes and enjoys speaking about his faith. During those first few years on TOUR when he struggled to make it, Lehman said he learned to shift his focus from money and success to following God. "I wouldn't trade those bad years, golf-wise, for anything, because those were some of the best years of my life, especially in terms of meeting friends, growing spiritually and growing as a person," Lehman once said.

2. When Lehman served as the Ryder Cup Captain for Team USA in 2006, he and his wife Melissa brought 15 cases of luggage to Ireland. Included in one of the bags was about 500 pounds of tortilla chips -- Lehman couldn't even move the bag, it was so heavy -- to make homemade chips and salsa across the pond. The Lehmans live in Scottsdale, Ariz., which he said is "the land of Mexican food", and wanted to make sure the team got authentic food while they were away from home.

3. For three consecutive years in the 1990s, Lehman came thisclose to winning the U.S. Open but fell just short. In fact, he held the 54-hole lead in 1995, 1996 and 1997 but shot a final-round 74 in 1995 to finish third, fired a 71 on Sunday in 1996 to tie for second and had a 73 on the last day in 1997 for a solo third.

4. Lehman is passionate about designing golf courses and has had a hand in designing courses on the PGA TOUR, Nationwide Tour and the Champions Tour. His Lehman Design Group projects include the Somerby Golf Club in Byron, Minn., which hosts the Nationwide Tour's Rochester Area Charities Showdown at Somerby. On the Champions Tour, there's the TPC Twin Cities, which Lehman developed with Arnold Palmer. And Lehman also co-designed (with John Fought) The Gallery Golf Club, home of the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship on the PGA TOUR.

5. Lehman will fit right in on the Champions Tour since one of his hobbies is fishing. Though he's a skilled fly fisherman, there was one especially memorable time when Lehman accidentally hooked himself instead of a fish. Click here to read his take on that unforgettable -- and painful -- fishing moment.