KA’UPULEHU-KONA, Hawaii – Eleven members of the World Golf Hall of Fame have committed to the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai and will compete in the first event of 2021 on PGA TOUR Champions, January 19-23. This group includes past champions Hale Irwin, Bernhard Langer and Tom Watson, as well as Fred Couples and Ernie Els, who were part of last year’s three-man playoff won by Miguel Ángel Jiménez.
“The Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai is an annual celebration of the game of golf, and to have 11 Hall of Fame players competing will make Hualalai’s 25th year even more special,” said Tournament Manager Kelly Fliear. “World Golf Hall of Fame members are the essence of the tournament’s legacy, and we’re excited to have another Hall of Fame field showcased on Golf Channel.”
This year’s field of Hall of Fame members is rounded out by Retief Goosen, Davis Love III, Sandy Lyle, Colin Montgomerie, Mark O'Meara and Vijay Singh. The group represents a combined 180 PGA TOUR victories, 28 major championships and 130 wins on PGA TOUR Champions.
Irwin (45 wins) and Langer (41) are the two winningest players in PGA TOUR Champions history, and Hualalai has played a significant role in both players’ careers. Irwin’s two victories were milestones – he won in 1997, the first year Hualalai hosted the event, and his win in 2007 was his final victory on PGA TOUR Champions. Irwin is the only player that has played the tournament every year since 1997, earning 25 consecutive starts at Hualalai.
Langer is the only three-time champion of the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai and he is the tournament’s all-time money leader ($1,643,700). At age 63, Langer leads the Charles Schwab Cup standings at the midpoint of the PGA TOUR Champions 2020-2021 season as he seeks his record sixth Charles Schwab Cup title.
Though spectators will not be permitted to attend this year’s tournament, all three rounds of the 2021 Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai will be televised live on Golf Channel, January 21-23. The complete field for the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai will be announced Friday, January 15. For more information, please visit PGATOUR.com.
