Notes: Bryant grabs second title in 2006
By Phil Stambaugh
PGA TOUR staff
 

Brad Bryant won for the second time in his last four starts (Toshiba Classic) and claimed his second career title on the Champions Tour overall in his 30th career start. Bryant joined Loren Roberts (3) and Jay Haas (2) as the third multiple winner on the Champions Tour in 2006

Bryant became the 15th different winner of the Regions Charity Classic in as many years as this event has been played. At 51 years, four months, 26 days, he became the tournament's youngest winner since Hubert Green in 1998.

Bryant won this year's Regions Charity Classic in his second appearance in the event. Last year, Bryant finished T8 at Greystone with an 8-under-par 208 total.

Bryant played all 54 holes without making a bogey and, dating back to last week in Austin, has now gone 56 straight holes without a blemish on his scorecard. In fact, he's had just one bogey in his last 74 holes on the Champions Tour. Bryant became the 18th player to go bogey-free in a Champions Tour event and the first since Doug Tewell at the 2004 Greater Hickory Classic at Rock Barn. Bryant is the second player in the history of this event to not make a bogey. The late George Archer was bogey-free in the 1994 event but finished T5 at Greystone that year.

Bryant hit an amazing 53 of 54 Greens In Regulation, an all-time record for a Champions Tour event. Bryant missed only the 10th green on Saturday by four inches and easily made par on the hole. Jay Sigel (1994 Northville Long Island Classic), John Paul Cain (1994 Ameritech Senior Open) and Lee Trevino (1995 Brickyard Crossing Championship) held the previous mark for a single event, hitting 51 of 54 Greens In Regulation.

Bryant picked up 240 Charles Schwab Cup points and vaulted up into third place with 616 points. Loren Roberts picked up 52 points today and still leads the Schwab Cup competition with 987 points. Jay Haas is second with 801 points and Tom Kite remains in fourth place with 616 points. At the end of the official season, the player earning the most Charles Schwab Cup points will collect a $1 million annuity.

Bryant's final-round 64 matched the lowest finish of this event by a winner .

Bryant's 2006 Regions Charity Classic Stats
CategoryFinal Round54-hole stats
Driving Accuracy9 of 14 32 of 42 (T64)
Driving Distance270.4 279.5 (T26)
Greens In Regulation18 of 1853 of 54 (1)
Putts Per Round2995 (T50)


Mark McNulty's Champions Tour career-low 54-hole totals
Year Tournament Total To Par Finish
2004 SBC Championship 195 -18 Win
2005 Administaff Small Business Classic 200 -16 Win
2006 Regions Charity Classic 201 -15 2nd
2004 Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am 200 -13 Win


Greystone/RTJ Trail at Ross Bridge Overall Course Comparison, 2005 vs. 2006
Category 2005 2006
Scoring Average71.93171.678
Players Under Par3947
Easiest Holepar-5, 2nd -- 4.773par-5, 13th -- 4.593
Most Difficult Holepar-4, 3rd --4.296par-4, 18th -- 4.352

Jim Thorpe's 9-under 63 matched the 18-hole tournament record (Jack Kiefer/1992, Graham Marsh/1995, Terry Dill/1998, Gil Morgan/2001, Hale Irwin/2002), set the RTJ at Ross Bridge course record and also established a new mark for the best final-round score in tournament history. Thorpe carded a pair of eagles, becoming the sixth player this year to have two eagles in a round. The score was Thorpe's best since his opening-round 63 at last year's Blue Angels Classic.

For the first time since the 2002 Siebel Classic in Silicon Valley, a pair of brothers both finished among the top-10. David Edwards finished third and older brother Danny finished T6. Both players were making their first appearance in Birmingham. Four years ago, both Lanny and Bobby Wadkins finished T7 in California.

D.A. Weibring finished T55, the highest standing by a defending champion since Sammy Rachels was T63 in 2003 after winning in 2002.

Loren Roberts fell short in his quest to become the quickest to a million in a season on the Champions Tour. Roberts earned $51,840 with a T6 this week and now has $986,520 in seven events. He can equal Hale Irwin's mark of eight events to get to a million set in 1998 in his next start.

Dan Pohl was the only player in the field to average over 300 yards this week (303.0)Mark McNulty led the field in putting with only 84 total putts.