Notes: JELD-WEN Tradition celebrates 20th anniversary
THE SCHEDULE: This year's JELD-WEN Tradition marks the 20th anniversary of the Champions Tour's fourth of five major championships. The JELD-WEN Tradition is also the 21st of 29 Charles Schwab Cup events on the 2008 Champions Tour schedule. This year's official Champions Tour season concludes with the Charles Schwab Cup Championship in Sonoma, CA, October 27-November 2.
DATES: August 11-17, 2008
PURSE: $2,600,000 ($390,000 to the winner)
SITE: The Crosswater Club at Sunriver Resort; Sunriver, Oregon
PAR: 36-36 -- 72
YARDS: 7,478
COURSE DESIGNER: Bob Cupp (1995)
FORMAT: 72-hole stroke-play championship with no cut.
DEFENDING CHAMPION: Mark McNulty -- 66-68-70-68 272 (-16), defeated David Edwards by five strokes.
JELD-WEN TRADITION HISTORY: The JELD-WEN Tradition was originally founded by real estate developer Lyle Anderson in 1989 to honor the game's great champions. It was hosted by the Golf Club at Desert Mountain in Scottsdale, Ariz., a Lyle Anderson property, from 1989-2001 before moving to another Anderson property in Arizona, Superstition Mountain, in 2002. The tournament relocated to Aloha, Oregon in 2003 and was played at The Reserve Vineyards and Golf Club until 2007 when it moved to Central Oregon. Last year, The Crosswater Club at Sunriver Resort near Bend became the tourament's fourth venue. Jack Nicklaus is the only four-time winner of the Lyle Anderson Trophy, awarded annually to the Tournament Champion.
TELEVISION: The JELD-WEN Tradition will be televised by the GOLF CHANNEL all four days of competition. Each round will air live on GOLF CHANNEL from 3:30-6:00 p.m. (PT).
THE TITLE SPONSOR: JELD-WEN, Inc. is the world's leading manufacturer of reliable windows and doors. Based in Klamath Falls, Oregon, JELD-WEN began as a small Oregon millwork plant in 1960 and has grown into a company with more than 150 divisions and more than 20,000 employees worldwide. JELD-WEN is the official window, door and millwork provider of the PGA TOUR and Champions Tour. JELD-WEN was the only window or door manufacturer to be named 2003 Energy Star "Partner of the Year" by the U.S. Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency. Eight JELD-WEN product lines have earned the Good Housekeeping Seal.
GIVING BACK: The JELD-WEN Tradition Foundation Board supports innovative educational programs for K-12 school-age children, based on its vision for improving education in Oregon by engaging students in learning. Both the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Oregon and the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Oregon will again receive charitable proceeds from this year's championship.
2007 JELD-WEN TRADITION RECAP: Mark McNulty, who hadn't finished in the top 10 in any of his previous 13 starts last year, won by five strokes over David Edwards despite making a double-bogey at the last hole. McNulty, who was out of the lead only in the second round, carded scores of 70-68 on the weekend for his sixth career victory on the Champions Tour. The win came just in time as he needed a top-30 finish on the money list to be fully exempt in 2008. McNulty started his final round with birdies at Nos. 2, 3, 5 and 7 to charge into a three-stroke lead over Edwards. His birdie at the third hole was a 30-footer and he made a 24-footer at the fifth. On the back nine, McNulty added a birdie at the par-four 11th and clinched the tournament with a birdie at the 15th hole. McNulty, a native of Zimbabwe, became the third international player to win, joining Graham Marsh (1999) and Eduardo Romero (2006).
THE CROSSWATER CLUB: Honored by Golf Digest as one of "America's 100 Greatest Courses," Crosswater was designed by architect Bob Cupp and opened in 1995. The course hosted the PGA Professional National Championship in 2007 as well as the USGA Senior Womens Amateur. Crosswater also served as the venue for the 2001 PGA Professional National Championship and was the site of a Shell's Wonderful World of Golf match in 1999 between Fred Couples and John Daly. Situated on 600 scenic acres of woodlands and carefully preserved wetlands, Crosswater gets its name from the gently flowing Deschutes and Little Deschutes Rivers. Depending on tee selection, the rivers can come into play as often as seven times in a round. At 7,478 yards, the Crosswater layout remains as the longest course on the Champions Tour in 2008 and the second longest in the history of the circuit. Sunriver Resort sits 4,190 feet above sea level. John D. Gray, founder of Omark Industries, and Donald V. McCallum, a Portland attorney, founded Sunriver Resort and construction began in 1968. In 1943, the area that is now Sunriver Resort was claimed as a training ground for combat construction battalions of the U.S. Army and was established as Camp Abbot.
TOURNAMENT STORYLINES
SEASON'S FOURTH MAJOR WILL AGAIN HAVE IMPLICATIONS: With 780 Charles Schwab Cup points going to the winner of the JELD-WEN Tradition, as well as a check for $390,000, the outcome of the season's fourth major championship in 2008 will certainly have a major impact on post-season honors and awards like the Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, leading money-winner and the Charles Schwab Cup champion. Eduardo Romero earned 940 Schwab Cup points for winning the U.S. Senior Open and jumped from 11th place into the third position (1,559) behind Bernhard Langer (1,905) and Jay Haas (1,767).
STAR-STUDDED FIELD: It will truly be a winning field at the fourth major of the season. This year's JELD-WEN Tradition field will have 11 professionals who have combined to win 26 major championships on the PGA TOUR. Playing in this year's JELD-WEN Tradition are six U.S. Open champions, six Masters champions, two British Open champions and one winner of the PGA Championship. This year's field also features four Ryder Cup captains in Ben Crenshaw, Tom Kite, Tom Watson and Bernhard Langer.
MCNULTY DEFENDS: Mark McNulty, a third-place finisher at the recent U.S. Senior Open, will defend a title for the sixth time in his Champions Tour career at this year's JELD-WEN Tradition. The closest he's come to successfully defending a title on the Champions Tour was at the 2005 Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am when, as the reigning champion, he finished T2 at the TPC Tampa Bay. Jack Nicklaus won this championship in back-to-back years twice. The Golden Bear won in 1990-91 and again in 1995-96. Gil Morgan won in consecutive years in 1997-98.
LANGER, SLUMAN, COOK HIGHLIGHT NEW FACES: Since the Champions Tour was in Central Oregon last summer, there have been quite a few new additions to the ranks. Among the group of new faces at this year's JELD-WEN Tradition are former major champions Bernhard Langer (1985, 1993 Masters), Jeff Sluman (1988 PGA Championship), John Cook (1978 U.S. Amateur) and Ian Woosnam (1991 Masters). Other former PGA TOUR winners making their first appearances in this event include: Fulton Allem, Dan Forsman, Joey Sindelar and Mark Wiebe.
VAUGHAN'S SURPRISE WIN: Bruce Vaughan, the ex-firefighter from Hutchinson, Kan., will make his second appearance in the JELD-WEN Tradition this year. However, he will play in the event for the first time as a fully-exempt player after his surprise victory in the recent Senior British Open Championship. In mid-July, Vaughan defeated John Cook with a birdie on the first playoff hole at Royal Troon Golf Club and his appearance at Crosswater this year will be his first since that improbable triumph in Scotland. Vaughan finished T56 in last year's JELD-WEN Tradition.
VIVA EDUARDO: Eduardo Romero, the 2006 JELD-WEN Tradition champion, claimed his second major championship with a victory at the U.S. Senior Open. The win was Romero's second on the Champions Tour in his last three starts and he became the second Argentine to win that event, joining Roberto De Vicenzo who claimed the 1980 U.S. Senior Open.
FIRST TO THREE: The list of players with a pair of victories in 2008 stands at six, the most since the 2000 season. Rookies such as Bernhard Langer have won twice this year as had Jay Haas, Scott Hoch, Tom Watson, Denis Watson and Eduardo Romero. Who will be the first to claim a third victory in 2008? Last year, the answer was Haas who won his third title in mid-June at The Principal Charity Classic.
WHO'S NEXT TO BREAK THROUGH?: Andy North, Jeff Sluman and Bruce Vaughan have been the only first-time winners on the Champions Tour so far this year, but this championship has produced several first-time winners, including two of its last three champions. Among the group of players who made the JELD-WEN Tradition their first Champions Tour title are: Jack Nicklaus (1990), Tom Kite (2000), Loren Roberts (2005) and Eduardo Romero (2006).
OREGON CONNECTIONS: A trio of Champions Tour players have local ties to the state of Oregon. Among that group are: Bob Gilder, Peter Jacobsen and Mark Wiebe. Gilder was born and lives in Corvallis, Jacobsen hails from Portland and went to the University of Oregon, Wiebe was born in Seaside.
KEEN COMPETITION THUS FAR: In the first 20 official events on the Champions Tour this year, 13 have been decided by a playoff or just one stroke. In fact, going into the JELD-WEN Tradition, nine of the last 12 tournaments have been decided by a single stroke. So far, nine of 20 second/third-round leaders have gone on to win events.
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE: Lonnie Nielsen, the 2006 JELD-WEN Tradition runner-up, may have a bit of an advantage in Central Oregon. He's the only Champions Tour player with a pair of tournaments under his best at Crosswater. Nielsen finished T35 in the 34th PGA Professional National Championship at Crosswater in 2001 and was T12 in last year's JELD-WEN Tradition after being near the bottom of the leaderboard through 36 holes.
IRWIN GUNNING FOR FOURTH DIFFERENT MAJOR TITLE: Hale Irwin, the Champions Tour's all-time victory leader with 45 titles, will try to join Jack Nicklaus as the only other player to claim a fourth different major. An Irwin victory at this year's JELD-WEN Tradition would also tie him with Nicklaus for the most senior majors (8) and at 63 years and just over two months of age, he would also become the Champions Tour's oldest winner ever. Nicklaus won four JELD-WEN Tradition titles (1990, 1991, 1995, 1996), a pair of U.S. Senior Opens (1991, 1993), the 1990 Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship and the 1991 Senior PGA Championship. Irwin has won four Senior PGA Championships (1996, 1997, 1998, 2004), a pair of U.S. Senior Opens (1998, 2000) and the 1999 Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship. He was the runner-up to Nicklaus in the 1996 Tradition.
KITE FLYING HIGH AT JELD-WEN TRADITION: Tom Kite, the 2000 JELD-WEN TRADITION winner, has also finished among the top-five in four of the last five championships in Oregon. Kite was T2 in 2003, T4 in 2004, T4 in 2006 and T4 in 2007. Of his 20 rounds played in Oregon, Kite has been in the 60s nine times with 16 sub-par rounds to his credit.
JELD-WEN TRADITION CHAMPIONSHIP RECORDS
Lowest 18 holes -- 62 (10-under) by Doug Tewell, (4th Round, 2001), Tom Watson (2nd Round, 2003)
Lowest first 36 holes -- 130 (14-under) by Tom Watson (2003)
Lowest last 36 holes -- 130 (14-under) by Jack Nicklaus (1996)
Lowest 54 holes -- 199 (17-under) by Gil Morgan (1997)
Lowest 72 holes -- 265 (23-under) by Doug Tewell (2001)
Lowest opening-round score -- 65 (7-under) by Phil Rodgers (1991), Jack Nicklaus (1992), Raymond Floyd (1994), Hale Irwin (1996), Ed Sneed (1996), Jim Ahern (2000)
Lowest 2nd-round score -- 62 (10-under) by Tom Watson (2003)
Lowest 3rd-round score -- 64 (8-under) by Al Geiberger (1993), Isao Aoki (2003), Dana Quigley (2003), Allen Doyle (2004)
Lowest final-round score -- 62 (10-under) by Doug Tewell (2001)
Lowest finish by a winner -- 62 (10-under) by Doug Tewell (2001)
Highest finish by a winner -- 72 (even) by Tom Kite (2000)
Lowest start by a winner -- 65 (7-under) by Raymond Floyd (1994)
Highest start by a winner -- 72 (even) by Eduardo Romero (2006)
Largest 1st-round lead -- 3 strokes by Phil Rodgers (1991)
Largest 2nd-round lead -- 6 strokes by Phil Rodgers (1991)
Largest 3rd-round lead -- 5 strokes by Gil Morgan (1997)
Largest margin of victory -- 9 strokes by Doug Tewell (2001)
Best come-from-behind-win -- 5 strokes by Jack Nicklaus (1991), Eduardo Romero (2006)
Wire-to-wire winners -- Doug Tewell (2001)
Playoffs (6) -- (1994) Raymond Floyd defeated Dale Douglass with a birdie on the first extra hole, (1995) Jack Nicklaus defeated Isao Aoki with a birdie on the third extra hole, (2000) Tom Kite defeated Larry Nelson and Tom Watson with a birdie on the sixth extra hole, (2002) Jim Thorpe defeated John Jacobs with a birdie on the first extra hole, (2005) Loren Roberts defeated Dana Quigley with a bogey on the second extra hole, (2006) Eduardo Romero defeated Lonnie Nielsen with a birdie on the first extra hole.
TOURNAMENT NOTES
BIG PURSE: At $2.6 million, the JELD-WEN Tradition equals the largest purse on the Champions Tour. Both the U.S. Senior Open and Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship also feature purses of $2.6 million in prize money.
STUCK ON 70: Each of the last seven winners of the JELD-WEN Tradition has recorded at least one round of 70 en route to victory. Jim Thorpe, the 2002 champion, shot 70 in each of his last three rounds before winning in a playoff. Craig Stadler, the 2004 champion, had a 70 in both his first and second rounds.
GIL MORGAN LEADS THE WAY: Gil Morgan, a two-time winner of the JELD-WEN Tradition (1997-98), is the all-time money leader in the event with $961,842, while Tom Kite is second with $843,241. Jack Nicklaus is third with $799,750 and Tom Watson ranks fourth with $756,337.
ONE OF THE LONGEST: At 7,428 yards, the Crosswater Club will again play as one of the longest layouts in the history of the Champions Tour. Here's a breakdown of the longest course Listed below is a chart of the longest courses in Champions Tour history:
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FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH: A total of 13 of the previous 19 JELD-WEN Traditions have been won by players 53 or younger. Jack Nicklaus claimed his first of four Tradition titles just two months and 11 days after turning 50 and is the youngest winner in tournament history. Nicklaus is also the oldest winner of the championship, earning his last Tradition title in 1996 at 56 years, two months and 17 days of age.
GOOD START IS CRITICAL: In the previous 19 JELD-WEN Traditions, only Eduardo Romero, the 2006 champion, has opened with a round of par or higher and gone on to win. In fact, only six times has a player shot a first-round score in the 70s and still won. Two years ago, Romero was T24 after his even-par 72 in the first round, the lowest position ever by a winner.
SUB-PAR ROUNDS NEEDED: In the previous 19 JELD-WEN Traditions, the champion has posted an over-par score in any round just three times en route to victory. Jack Nicklaus had a 73 in the second round of the 1991 event, yet rallied to win that year. Nicklaus also rebounded from a second-round 74 to win the 1996 event. In 2003, Tom Watson fired a 1-over 73 on Saturday, but closed with a 2-under 70 on Sunday to wrap up his win. Four players have carded four straight rounds in the 60s in a JELD-WEN Tradition with Gil Morgan, the 1997 champion (66-66-67-67), being the only eventual winner. Mike Hill (1993/69-68-68-67), Dale Douglass (1994/68-68-69-66) and Mike McCullough (2001/67-69-69-69) all finished second.
CLOSING THE DEAL: Of the 17 JELD-WEN Traditions that have gone 72 holes, eight have been won by the leader/co-leader after 54 holes. Mark McNulty, the 2007 champion, was a co-leader after three rounds last year. Before him, the last third-round leader to go on and win was Doug Tewell in 2001.
CROSSWATER'S FIRST TEST: The Crosswater Club at Sunriver played as the easiest among the Champions Tour's five majors last year, however, it was also the hardest layout for a JELD-WEN Tradition since 2000. Here's a breakdown of how it stacked up against the last seven JELD-WEN Traditions.
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IT'S BEEN CLOSE: Five of the last six JELD-WEN Traditions have been decided in either a playoff or by one stroke. Playoffs were the norm in 2002 (Jim Thorpe), 2005 (Loren Roberts) and 2006 (Eduardo Romero). In 2003, Tom Watson beat Gil Morgan, Jim Ahern and Tom Kite by one stroke. In 2004, Craig Stadler nipped Allen Doyle and Jerry Pate by a shot.
WIN HERE IS IMPORTANT: Only once has the winner of the JELD-WEN Tradition not qualified for the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship (top-30 money-winners). In 1996, Jack Nicklaus won the event and eventually placed 38th on the final earnings list. Nicklaus added a second victory that year but played in just seven official events overall. The only players to win this event and also claim the Arnold Palmer Award (leading money-winner) that same year were Lee Trevino (1992) and Tom Watson (2004).
PLAYOFF HISTORY: There have been six playoffs in 19 JELD-WEN Traditions, including overtime in two of the last three championships. The longest playoff came in 2000 when Tom Kite defeated Tom Watson and Larry Nelson is six extra holes (Nelson eliminated on second extra hole).
ACES, ACES, ACES: There' have been 12 holes-in-one made at the JELD-WEN Tradition including at least one in four of the last five years. Last year, both Don Pooley and Danny Edwards made aces at Crosswater and both came during the second round of the tournament. Pooley aced No. 7 with a 5-iron shot while Edwards aced No. 3 with a 7-iron shot.
TIDBITS: Isao Aoki holds the record for most birdies in the championship, 27 in 1997, although he still fell six strokes short of the champion that year, Gil Morgan...Tom Watson's victory at the 2003 JELD-WEN Tradition came on the heels of his victory in the Senior British Open at Turnberry, making him the last player in Champions Tour annals to win consecutive major championships.
WYNDHAM CHAMPIONSHIP WINNERS IN JELD-WEN TRADITION FIELD: This week's stop on the PGA TOUR is the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, NC. A number of former winners of that event are in this year's JELD-WEN Tradition field: Craig Stadler (1980), Larry Nelson (1981), Andy Bean (1984), Joey Sindelar (1985), Scott Simpson (1987), Mark O'Meara (1996) and Scott Hoch (2001).
BY THE NUMBERS...BREAKING DOWN THE FORMER CHAMPIONS IN OREGON
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ON THIS DATE
8/11/85 -- Hubert Green bests Lee Trevino down the stretch for his second major title, claiming the PGA Championship at Cherry Hills.
8/11/74 -- Using an old putter he found in the attic of his rented home, Lee Trevino held a one-stroke margin over Jack Nicklaus after 54 holes then matched Nicklaus' final-round 69 for a one-stroke PGA Championship win at Tanglewood CC in Winston-Salem.
8/12/84 -- Denis Watson shoots rounds of 63-68 on the weekend to defeat Payne Stewart by one stroke at the Buick Open in Michigan. It was his first PGA TOUR victory.
8/12/90 -- Australian Wayne Grady is a three-stroke winner over Fred Couples at the PGA Championship at Shoal Creek.
8/13/78 -- One week after his victory at the PGA Championship at Oakmont, John Mahaffey makes it two straight with a win at the American Optical Classic in Sutton, MA. Raymond Floyd and Gil Morgan fall two strokes short.
8/14/94 -- After opening with rounds of 67-65, Nick Price closes with a 67 and rolls to a six-stroke victory over Corey Pavin at the PGA Championship at Southern Hills in Tulsa. It was his second win in the tournament and his 11-under-par 269 broke a 30-year-old tournament mark set in 1964 by Bobby Nichols (271).
8/14/77 -- For the first time ever, a major championship was decided in sudden death when Lanny Wadkins made a six-foot par putt to defeat Gene Littler on the third extra hole at the PGA Championship at Pebble Beach. Wadkins began the final day six behind Littler and was still five back at the turn despite a pair of eagles on the front nine. Littler bogeyed five of the first six holes on the back allowing Jack Nicklaus to tie him at No. 15. Trailing by just one at that point, Wadkins' only birdie of the day at No. 18 would help set up the playoff after Nicklaus bogeyed No. 17 to fall one back.
8/14/83 -- Trailing Isao Aoki by three strokes heading into the final round, Wayne Levi plays a flawless final round which featured seven birdies and no bogeys and his closing-round 65 gave him a one stroke win over Aoki and Calvin Peete at the Buick Open in Michigan.
8/14/88 -- Turning in one of the best closing-round efforts in tournament history, Jeff Sluman came from three strokes back to win his first PGA TOUR title, the PGA Championship at Oak Tree GC in Edmond, Okla. Trailing third-round leader Paul Azinger by three strokes after 54 holes, Sluman shoots a final-round 6-under-par 65 and pulls away for a three-stroke win.
8/15/76 -- Six years after winning his first PGA Championship, Dave Stockton added a second when he defeated Raymond Floyd and Don January by one stroke at Congressional CC.
8/15/03 -- Dave Stockton ties a 54-hole Champions Tour record for largest margin of victory when he cruises to a nine-stroke win at the Franklin Quest Championship in Park City, Utah. Stockton closes with a 9-under-par 63 in the win.
8/16/70 -- Dave Stockton shot a final-round 73 but was still able to hold off Arnold Palmer and Bob Murphy to win the PGA Championship at Southern Hills in Tulsa.
8/16/92 -- Nick Price made critical birdies on the 16th (25-feet) and 17th (12-feet) holes in the final round to hold off a quartet of players, including Nick Faldo, John Cook, Gene Sauers and Jim Gallagher, Jr., by three strokes at the PGA Championship at Bellerive CC in St. Louis. Sauers had led the event for 59 holes before playing a six-hole stretch at 5-over-par.
8/16/03 -- Jim Thorpe ties a Champions Tour record when he shoots a 10-under-par 60 in the second round of the Long Island Classic. Thorpe would follow up with a 67 on Sunday.
8/17/69 -- Despite a closing-round 74, Raymond Floyd prevails by one stroke over Gary Player to win the PGA Championship at the NCR CC in Dayton.
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