International flavor spices up team event

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SAVANNAH, Ga. -- With the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf returning to its historic roots and becoming an all-team event again for the first time since 2001, Champions Tour players from across the world have joined forces and declared themselves a team in the Legends Division (ages 50-59). Held annually at the Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa in Savannah, Ga., the tournament will count as official win/official money when the event returns on April 21-27, 2008.

Bernhard Langer celebrates his recent win at the Toshiba Classic. (Laberge/Getty Images)

Bernhard Langer and David Edwards have announced that they will team up in Savannah. Langer, a 2002 World Golf Hall of Fame inductee, is a two-time Masters champion (1985 & '93) with over 60 international titles. The German golf sensation has won twice in just nine starts on the Champions Tour since his debut last August, including a seven-hole playoff victory over defending champion Jay Haas at last week's Toshiba Classic in Newport Beach, Calif.

A four-time winner on the PGA TOUR, Edwards earned his first Champions Tour title at the 2006 3M Championship in Minnesota in his 11th start on the circuit.

Fellow Masters champions Sandy Lyle and Ian Woosnam will pair up for their first trip to Savannah. The 2008 Champions Tour rookies have played together on several European Ryder Cup and World Cup squads during their professional careers on the PGA TOUR and European Tour. Lyle, a native of Scotland with 29 worldwide titles, is a two-time major champion (1985 British Open and 1988 Masters) who earned a win at the 1987 PLAYERS Championship after outlasting Jeff Sluman in a playoff. He made his Champions Tour debut last week at the Toshiba Classic.

Woosnam, a native of Wales with over 40 international victories, earned his Green Jacket from Augusta National Golf Club in 1991 after defeating Jose Maria Olazabal by one stroke. He will make his first Champions Tour appearance later this month at The Ginn Championship at Hammock Beach.

Two of Japan's best-known golfers, Isao Aoki and Joe Ozaki, have also declared themselves a team. World Golf Hall of Fame member Aoki has 74 worldwide victories to his name and is the only Japanese player in history to claim titles on six different Tours. Aoki has won nine times on the Champions Tour since his debut in 2004.

A long-time fixture on the Japan Golf Tour, Ozaki has 35 international victories to his credit. The Tokyo resident came close to capturing his first Champions Tour title at the 2007 Boeing Classic after joining the record seven-man playoff near Seattle, but was eliminated on the first extra hole when three players, including eventual winner Denis Watson, made birdies.

Rounding out the list of recent commitments is the team of Mark James and Eduardo Romero. A native of England, James was a mainstay on the European Tour from 1976-2003 capturing 22 titles during his career. Since joining the Champions Tour in 2004, James has added three additional victories to his resume.

Nicknamed "El Gato" (The Cat) because of the way he stealthily stalks and overcomes opponents, Romero has enjoyed a successful career marked with over 93 international victories. Born and raised in Argentina, Romero claimed one Champions Tour title at the 2006 JELD-WEN Tradition, one of the Tour's five major championships, in his rookie season.

Played as an individual stroke-play event over the past six years, the new two-man, better-ball format will bring back the excitement that began in 1978. The Legends Division will remain an Official Money/Official Win competition.

Tickets are on sale now at Kroger Super Markets throughout Savannah, Ga., Waycross, Ga., Brunswick, Ga., Hilton Head, S.C., Myrtle Beach, S.C. and Beaufort, S.C. starting at $25 for a daily pass (The price of single day tickets increases to $30 at the gate). Weeklong Emerald Club passes are $75 ($65 for age 60+). Emerald Club passes include admission into the National Car Rental Emerald Club Pavilion Wednesday-Sunday. Tickets may also be purchased by calling toll free, 877-942-1123 or visiting the tournament's Web site at www.libertymutuallegends.pgatour.com.

The Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf is part of the Champions Tour's "The Road to the Charles Schwab Cup", a season-long points race that kicks off in Hawaii with 29 official events and culminates in Northern California at Sonoma Golf Club October 27 -- November 2, with $2.1 million in payouts awarded to the season's top five leading performers.