TURNBERRY, Scotland --A new wave of major winners is about to join the Champions Tour and could dominate golf for the over-50 set for the next decade.

Nick Faldo, Bernhard Langer, Seve Ballesteros, Nick Price and Mark O'Meara will be able to join the Champions Tour next year after turning 50. Sandy Lyle, Ian Woosnam and Hal Sutton are eligible in 2008, and another group of major champions -- Tom Lehman, Bob Tway, Fred Couples, Corey Pavin, Paul Azinger and Mark Calcavecchia -- arrive in 2009.

"To have these fellows coming along is going to be a great addition, so it's looking very healthy," said Gary Player, now 70 and the owner of six Champions Tour majors to go with the nine he won on the PGA TOUR.

Recent Senior British Open champion Loren Roberts and runner-up Eduardo Romero -- who battled each other in a thrilling final round on Sunday -- are also only in their early 50s. Ditto for Senior PGA Championship winner Jay Haas, who ranks second to Roberts on the money list as well as in the Charles Schwab Cup standings.

So Tom Watson, who turns 57 in September, may find it tougher to add to his four Champions Tour major wins. But Player says the new comers shouldn’t think it will be easy winning on the Champions Tour, adding that the new arrivals will have to play regularly to make an immediate impact.

Faldo currently spends much of his time in the United States as a TV commentator, and Ballesteros, whose game has suffered after a series of back problems, has only just returned to competitive golf after a break of almost three years.

Nice Price is one of a slew of great PGA players eligible to join the Champions Tour (WireImage)

"I think Bernard Langer will do very well," Player said. "He's in great shape. I think Seve will struggle initially and I think Faldo will struggle. The only reason I say that is because they're not putting all their time into golf, whereas Bernhard Langer is putting in a lot of time."

The involvement of players who were behind Europe's Ryder Cup turnaround in the 1980s has rekindled suggestions that there should be an equivalent competition among players 50 and older.

European Seniors Tour managing director Alan Stubbs suggested that it would probably be the United States against an international team. That would include Norman of Australia, Romero and Japan's Joe Ozaki.

"It's more liable to be a Senior Presidents Cup," Stubbs said. "It brings in more players - with Romero going well this week and people like Greg. There's a willingness to create this event sooner rather than later."

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