Beating The System
Dominion Energy
Charity Classic
Players to Watch
All eyes at the Dominion
Energy Charity Classic
will be on PGA Tour
Champions phenomenon
Bernhard Langer, the age-
defying wonder. Langer,
60, doesn’t actually win
them all, although it often
seems that way. Here are five
golfers expected to play at
the Country Club of Virginia in
Richmond who could
threaten Langer in this first
of three Charles Schwab
Cup playoff events:
FRED COUPLES, 57, has
enjoyed a Champions resurgence,
winning twice this year—his first
victories since 2014—and posting top
10s in eight of his first nine events.
Couples (above) failed to qualify to
play in Richmond last year, when the
tournament was second in the PGA Tour
Champions playoff chain.
Rival Colin Montgomerie sees Langer’s
decade-long run as “beating the system”
that historically sees over-50 newcomers
enjoy the most success.
“He’s 60 in August and (you) usually get
five years at this,” Montgomerie, 54, said at
the Senior Open. “He’s given us all hope.”
Langer has not played without controver-
sy, however. Such voices as instructor Hank
Haney and Golf Channel analyst Brandel
Chamblee have questioned on air and social
media Langer’s stroke with his long put-
ter. Anchoring the club has been banned
since 2016, but Langer—and McCarron to
a degree—holds his left hand so close to
his chest it can present the appearance of
anchoring.
PGA Tour Champions rules officials have
made clear Langer is within the rules. Still,
he has repeatedly been called to defend his
integrity in interviews.
“You can’t anchor and I’m not anchor-
ing,” Langer remarked after winning the
Senior Open. “If I was No. 180 on the
money list, I don’t think anybody would
be talking about it. Scott McCarron has a
lot of success as well. We’re No. 1 and 2 on
the Champions Tour. So you’re going to
have people being jealous or whatever you
want to call it.”
In his way, Schoenfeld is driven to stay at
the top, too. Last year, his tournament was
so popular with the Champions players—
from attendance and volunteer turnout to
player courtesy cars—they voted it their
Players Award for being their favorite event
on tour.
“It’s where the players feel the event just
went above and beyond expectations,”
Schoenfeld said. “It’s a huge honor, and
it’s really humbling. We did something
right.”
Bernhard Langer won three of the five s enior major
championships in 2017. Since 2014, Langer has
won eight senior majors. In addition, Langer won the
Masters in 1985 and 1993. He’s looking to win the
Charles Schwab Cup for the fourth straight year.
SCOTT MCCARRON, 52, birdied
the first playoff hole, No. 18, last year
to defeat Tom Byrum. A three-time
winner on the PGA Tour, McCarron
has won four Champions events in
the last 14 months, including his first
major, the Constellation Senior Players
Championship, in July.
BRANDT JOBE, 52, finished third in
Richmond last year as one of three
players to shoot all three rounds in
the 60s. He got red hot this summer
and won his first Champions title, the
Principal Charity Classic, and also
shot a 62 in the third round of the U.S.
Senior Open, where he finished third.
VIJAY SINGH, 54, a former world No.
1 player, has won 34 PGA Tour events
and has carded a pair of top 20s on
the tour this year. He’s won only a team
event on the Champions tour, but was
runner-up by a stroke to Langer at the
KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship
in May.
TOM LEHMAN, 58, has won once this
year but carded numerous top 10s.
He doesn’t go super low anymore, but
Lehman is consistent. He is third on
tour in total driving and first in greens
in regulation. Lehman qualified for last
year’s Dominion event but withdrew
because of an injury.
NOTE: STATS ARE ONLY CURRENT THROUGH
AUG. 3. AGES ARE ACCURATE AS OF COMING
SEPTEMBER.
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