Longevity, low scores among reasons to give thanks in 2018

The calendar has hit late November, meaning it’s time for turkey and all of the trimmings.

It’s also a time to give thanks for all we have, not just delicious birds, or birdies as the case may be.

It was another banner year on PGA TOUR Champions -- more of the same from Bernhard Langer, some first-time winners, many familiar faces in the winner’s circle, events at new courses, returns to old courses, and millions of dollars raised for so many deserving charities.

With all of that in mind, here are some things we’re thankful for regarding PGA TOUR Champions in 2018:

LONGEVITY

Langer set the bar a while ago, and the 61-year-old German just keeps raising it. He has won five times since he turned 60, including twice this past season. You know who else has won five times since Langer turned 60? That would be no one. If the players on PGA TOUR Champions planned on waiting until he slowed down, well, they long since have given up that notion. Langer has forced them to work harder in the fitness trailer and on the course just to keep up. No one is as consistent, no one prepares better, and no one craves the winner's circle more than Langer.

But look at what Langer has wrought? Just check the 2018 winner’s circle. It included Tom Lehman at 59, Mark Calcavecchia and Kenny Perry at 57, and Vijay Singh and Bart Bryant at 55. Guys are keeping in better shape and extending their careers. They’re winning at 55 and beyond. It’s great for them and great for the game.

GOING LOW

What players say consistently and fans perhaps don’t realize enough is how good the level of golf is on PGA TOUR Champions. Some players feel more pressure to go low, compared to the PGA TOUR, because most tournaments are only three rounds. One bad round essentially means you’re not going to win. When winning scores for three rounds are 15- and 16-under par, or lower, there isn’t a lot of room for error. Players know they have to keep making birdies.

And goodness, can some of them still go low. Kenny Perry shot a 60 in the second round at the 3M Championship that was a ridiculous five shots better than anyone in the field that day. It helped him win the tournament by three shots at – gulp – 21 under for three rounds. Then there was Singh at the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship, who came out of nowhere with a sizzling final-round 61 to win. It was the low round on Sunday by three strokes.

BREAKTHROUGH MOMENTS

The spirit of competition remains strong on PGA TOUR Champions. It’s why these guys are out here. When they get in the hunt, the juices get flowing. Suddenly they’re in their element, harkening to their days on the PGA TOUR. Will their swings hold up? Will their minds stay focused? Can they get that winning feeling back, something many haven’t experienced in years? Steve Stricker didn’t win in his rookie season on PGA TOUR Champions; he won three times this year. He hadn’t won on the PGA TOUR since Jan. 9, 2012, at the Sentry Tournament of Champions. But once he broke through, he piled up the victories.

It’s not just the former TOUR guys who achieve the big breakthroughs, either. Everyone on PGA TOUR Champions knew Scott Parel had prodigious talent when he Monday qualified in six consecutive tries in 2016. But he didn’t get his first win until this year’s Boeing Classic. He promptly won again before the year was out, during the Schwab Cup Playoffs at the Invesco QQQ Championship.

SOCIAL MEDIA

As much as it scares some players on PGA TOUR Champions, others have embraced social media. If you’re a golf fan and you’re not following Calcavecchia on Twitter, you’re simply missing out. There’s not much better than Calc assessing his own game, if not too brutally at times.

@ChampionsTour is the official Twitter account of PGA TOUR Champions, and it’s a great follow if for nothing more than slow-motion replays of some of the greatest swings in the history of golf. It also gave us Miguel Angel Jimenez doing “the floss,” which is something worth cherishing.

Check Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to see which of your PGA TOUR Champions favorites are active on social media. You won’t find all of them, but you definitely will find some worth checking out.