Champions Tour will be represented at Masters

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Greg Norman will return to Augusta National for the first time since 2002.

Apr. 8, 2009
By Michael McPhillips, PGA TOUR Staff

There are 11 current Champions Tour players in Augusta this week as former Masters Tournament champions and a 12th if you include Fred Couples, who turns 50 on Oct. 3 and is scheduled to make his Champions Tour debut at the Administaff Small Business Classic this fall. He is coming off a strong finish this past week with a tie for third at the PGA TOUR's Shell Houston Open.

Though not a past champion, Greg Norman will also appear at Augusta National thanks to a strong showing at last year's British Open.

Check out the 13 Champions Tour players in the field:

Player	Year(s) won	Fast facts
Ben Crenshaw	1984, 1995	Celebrating the 25th anniversary of first win; Captured second Green Jacket at Augusta National just days after long-time mentor Harvey Penick died.
Fred Couples	1992	Turns 50 on Oct. 3; The 2009 Presidents Cup captain is making his 25th start at Augusta National; He's only missed the cut once (2008) in 24 appearances; He has 11 top-10s, including a T3 (2006) and a runner-up finish (T2-1998).
Raymond Floyd	1976	World Golf Hall of Fame member; The 66-year-old will compete in his 43rd Masters; He's made 27 cuts and missed 15 over the years; He's finished as a runner-up three times (1985,'90,'92).
Larry Mize	1987	Won in a playoff over Greg Norman with a 140-foot chip-in on the 11th hole; Notched three top-10s in 25 starts (16 cuts made / 9 missed); A native of Augusta, Ga., Mize worked on a Masters scoreboard during his early teen years.
Mark O'Meara	1998	This year marks his 25th Masters; O'Meara has three top-10s to his credit and has made 18 cuts made; He also won the British Open in 2008 and, at age 41, became the oldest player to win two majors in the same year.
Gary Player	1961,1974,1978	Holds the record for most Masters appearances and is making his 52nd start at Augusta National at age 73; He also has 15 top-10s, including two T2s (1962, '65) and a third in 1970; He's made the cut an astonishing 30 times.
Craig Stadler	1982	Claimed his Green Jacket in just his fourth start at Augusta National; Will be making his 31st appearance; He has five top-10s including a solo third place in 1988 and nine top-25 finishes; Made 21 cuts.
Bernhard Langer	1985,1993	Earned honors in 2008 as the Champions Tour Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year; Making his 27th Masters start with eight top-10s, including a T4 in 2004; He has made the cut 21 times.
Sandy Lyle	1988	His 28th start at age 51 includes playing on the weekend the last two years; He finished 45th in 2008 and 43rd in 2007; Was the first British winner of Masters and put haggis, a Scottish dish, on the menu for the Champions dinner the following year.
Tom Watson	1977,1981	Won five British Opens and a U.S. Open to go along with his two Green Jackets; Making his 35th appearance; He has three runner-up finishes (T2-1978,'79 and solo 2nd-1984) and a third-place finish in 1991 with 15 top-10s overall.
Ian Woosnam	1991	Will be his 21st appearance with 13 cuts made overall, including a 44th place finish last year; Defeated Jose Maria Olazabal by one stroke at the 1991 event.
Fuzzy Zoeller	1979	Will be the 30th anniversary of his Masters win in a playoff over Ed Sneed and Tom Watson; Shares the distinction with Horton Smith (1934) and Gene Sarazen (1935) to win the prestigious event at Augusta National in his first attempt; He has made the cut 18 times and has 10 top-25 finishes.
Greg Norman	n/a	Not a past Champion but is making his first return to Augusta National since 2002 on the basis of his T3 at the 2008 British Open; In his last Masters appearance finished T36; He has nine top-10s in 22 starts, including three runner-up finishes (1996,1987,1986) and three third place finishes (1999, T3-'95,1989).

In preparation for Augusta National, Norman played the last two weeks. He made the cut at the Shell Houston Open (T70) on the PGA TOUR and finished T36 at the Champions Tour's Cap Cana Championship in the Dominican Republic two weeks ago.

Players such as Bernhard Langer and Fred Couples have contended on the PGA TOUR in the past few years. Langer tied for 15th at the 2008 PLAYERS Championship, while Couples had two top 10s in 2008, including a T4 at the Shell Houston Open to go along with his tied for third at the 2009 Shell Houston Open.

Six of the former Masters Champions in the field last played on the Champions Tour two weeks ago in the Dominican Republic at the Cap Cana Championship. Here is how they stacked up at the Punta Espada Golf Club for The Cap Cana Championship: