MasterCard Championship at Hualalai

(Ka'upulehu-Kona, HI) - Champions Tour rookie Scott Simpson captured his first Champions Tour victory at the Wal-Mart First Tee Open at Pebble Beach and earned an invitation to the 2007 MasterCard Championship at Hualalai.  Simpson, a former resident of Kailua, HI, joined five other first-time winners who will be making their first trip to Hualalai. 

Other first-time winners on the Champions Tour in 2006 are:

Player Tournament
Jerry Pate Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am
Brad Bryant Toshiba Classic, Regions Charity Classic
John Harris Commerce Bank Championship
David Edwards 3M Championship
Eduardo Romero JELD-WEN Tradition

Both Morris Hatalsky and Bobby Wadkins have earned return trips to Hualalai with victories this year.  Hatalsky, whose two-year exemption following his win at the 2003 Columbus Southern Open ended in 2005, collected his third Champions Tour victory at the Puerto Vallarta Blue Agave Golf Classic in April and will make his third appearance at Hualalai.

Wadkins, winner of this year's Boeing Championship at Sandestin and Ford Senior Players Championship, returns to Hualalai for the first time since 2003.  The Richmond, Va. native earned a five-year exemption with his victory at the Ford Senior Players Championship in July, one of five Champions Tour major championships.

The season-opening MasterCard Championship at Hualalai is open to winners of Champions Tour cosponsored tournaments, which awarded official money, in the past two years (2004-2005) and winners of Champions Tour major championships in the last five years (2002-2006).  The five Champions Tour majors are the Senior PGA Championship, U.S. Senior Open, Senior British Open, Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship and the JELD-WEN Tradition.  Four sponsor exemptions may also be awarded to players with a minimum of 30 combined career victories or players with a minimum of 15 combined victories with at least one major championship win.