Identifying and targeting golfers who are on the brink of rookie status with PGA Tour Champions with its minimum age of 50 has created some hits and misses for officials with the Ascension Charity Classic.
Phil Mickelson turned 50 in time for the inaugural event but opted not to play. Padraig Harrington signed on for 2022 and won at Norwood Hills Country Club on his way to becoming the tour’s rookie of the year.
This year, Stewart Cink, an eight-time winner on the PGA Tour, has joined the field for the Charity Classic from Sept. 8 to 10, having turned 50 in May.
Already, Ascension Charity Classic founder Nick Ragone has his sights on the ultimate prize when Tiger Woods has his 50th birthday on Dec. 30, 2025.
Players embrace the Tour Champions to varying degrees, but Ragone likes to think he has received a tentative commitment from Woods.
“I spoke with Tiger in November and had an eight-minute conversation,” Ragone said during a media teleconference. “He knew a lot about Norwood and the Charity Classic.
He said 2018 at Bellerive (PGA Championship) was as electric as he’s ever seen as a professional. He asked what time of the year the Charity Classic was held. I said September, and his response was ‘Oh, great. It’s good for my allergies.’ Then he said to ‘get my cart ready. I’ll be out there.’”
Woods’ appearance and strong play at the 2018 PGA Championship reverberated and generated interest in St. Louis among the senior pro golf set.
Players reach 50 with different mindsets and a need to navigate the potential for playing two tours. The fields at Norwood have been loaded with names that fans know from previous decades.
While the clock slowly ticks for Woods, Cink will be among the new faces at Norwood Hills in 2023. He has played in two events thus far, losing both to Steve Stricker. Cink expressed the conundrum golfers face in deciding where to play at this point in their careers.
“I’ve given it a lot of thought and, unfortunately, haven’t come up with an answer,” he said. “The only thing I can solidify is to say I feel blessed to be able to choose which tour I want to play next year. I’ve had a lot of players say you don’t want to do both. … I don’t know if I want to do that. I enjoy the grind of the PGA Tour and the cuts and playing against the world’s best, and I enjoy seeing all the friends I’ve known for a long time with the PGA Tour Champions.”
Justin Leonard is in his second year eligible to play in the Ascension Classic, which was his second event on the 2022 tour.
He played after spending three weeks working a broadcast gig, during which time he picked up his clubs one time. He tried to prepare for the Charity Classic with one week of play.
This year, he is playing more events and is tied for 17th in the standings a month before he’ll try again in St. Louis. But he again recently took two weeks off for a family vacation.
“I’m really excited about the next half of the year,” he said. “I took two weeks off and didn’t touch my clubs. I’m getting into it this week. It’s nice to refresh, recharge — taking a break but doing a little analysis but a lot of relaxation.”
Leonard and Cink will be joined by Bernhard Langer, Ernie Els, David Toms and Billy Andrade among those who are committed to the event.
Harrington has opted to play in the Irish Open, as he always does, and will not be on hand to defend his title.
Follow us to see more useful information, as well as to give us more motivation to update more useful information for you.
Source: Los Angeles Times
