This is just the second time in the tournament’s 37-year history that the champion was decided in fewer than 54 holes.
Sunday’s final round of the Chubb Classic on the PGA Tour Champions has been canceled due to inclement weather.
Stephen Ames, who held a three-shot lead over former Naples resident Rocco Mediate following Saturday’s round, has been declared the 2024 Chubb Classic champion.
This is just the second time in the tournament’s 37-year history that the champion was decided in fewer than 54 holes. In 1995, Bob Murphy won the Chubb Classic at Vineyards Country Club in Naples after 36 holes when rain forced the cancellation of the final round.
SUNDAY FINAL ROUND CANCELLED
Due to overnight rains and worsening conditions, out of an abundance of caution, tournament officials have cancelled today’s final round of the Chubb Classic presented by SERVPRO.
Stephen Ames has been declared the 2024 Chubb Classic Champion.
— Chubb Classic presented by SERVPRO (@ChubbClassic) February 18, 2024
The Chubb Classic tournament staff will be in touch with ticket holders who purchased tickets to today’s final round of play.
Last year, 56-year-old Steve Stricker turned in a season for the ages.
Last year, 56-year-old Steve Stricker turned in a season for the ages (and the aged) on the PGA Tour Champions in 2023, winning six tournaments, including three majors, notching five runner-up finishes and placing inside the top-10 in all but one of his 16 starts.
Stricker set Champions season records for both lowest scoring average (67.54) and money earned ($3.9 million). Last June, he also broke the PGA mark with his 55th consecutive round of golf at par or better on a sanctioned tour, topping a guy named Tiger Woods.
“You know, every tournament that I showed up at I had a feeling that I could get in there and have an opportunity to win,” Stricker said Thursday at the Chubb Classic in Naples. “Some of them I did; some I got close. But it was, it’s a great feeling.
“When you’re playing the game of golf, it’s a silly game where you can get on those runs and maintain them and then there are times you’re like what the heck happened and why can’t I get it in the hole,” Stricker said. “Got to ride it out and not think too much about them and keep it rolling. That’s what I did for the most part of the year.”
This weekend, the former part-time Naples and Quail West Golf & Country Club member returns to familiar territory. Stricker won the 2021 Chubb Classic at Tiburon Golf Club by one shot over Alex Cejka and Robert Karlsson and last year finished tied for second behind back-to-back Chubb champion Bernhard Langer.
“We took up residence here for a few years and it’s a nice spot, nice people,” Stricker said. “Beach is right around the corner.
“Tiburón has been a place we’ve played quite a few times over the years, so it’s always fun to come back and play and participate here.”
Stricker opened the 2024 Champions season with a third-place finish at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai, five shots behind tournament champion Steven Alker, the 2022 Champions Player of the Year.
Steve Stricker of the United States poses with the trophy after winning the Regions Tradition at Greystone Golf and Country Club on May 14, 2023, in Birmingham, Alabama. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
“He hit the shots, made the putts when he had to, and neither one of us – you know, I guess we gave him a little run for a little while, but he pulled away there at the end,” Stricker said of Alker. “Yeah, he’s in shape, which means a lot out here. He’s got a good game and he putts it well. So pull all that together out here, that’s going to be a tough guy to beat.”
So too is Stricker, who said he’s looking forward to trying to build upon his amazingly successful 2023 season.
“I’m excited to play,” he said. “I’m excited to continue to work on my game to try to keep that ball rolling like I had it going last year, to try to continue that feel.
“I still have a lot of drive and motivation to prepare and get ready.”
Sister tandem wins First Tee Champions Challenge
Sophia and Stella Travlos of the First Tee – Metropolitan New York chapter captured the 17th annual Golf to Paradise – First Tee Champions Challenge, played Monday through Wednesday as part of the Chubb Classic.
The 16-year-old Travlos sisters finished with a score of 105, five shots better than Marty Burns and John Diamond of Philadelphia. Braden Miller and Harrison White, representing First Tee of Naples/Collier in the competition, shot 115 to place fourth.
Five First Tee chapters participated in the event, playing three different formats on three separate courses. The two-person teams played a four-ball format at Tiburón Golf Club on Monday, a scramble at Wyndemere Golf Club on Tuesday, and a modified alternate shot at The TwinEagles Club on Wednesday.
The young golfers also participated in a special youth clinic with Champions player Notah Begay III and did a volunteer clean-up service at the S.S. Jolley Bridge near Marco Island.
Work is what’s enabled Alker to become one of golf’s greatest second acts.
With Bernhard Langer’s quest to become the first golfer to win three consecutive Chubb Classic championships derailed by an Achilles injury, Steven Alker’s quest for his own three-peat takes center stage this weekend in Naples.
The 52-year-old New Zealand native will go for his third consecutive PGA Tour Champions victory after capturing January’s season-opening Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai and the 2023 season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship last November. He would become the 10th player in Champions Tour history to win three straight events.
“Obviously the wins build confidence, so I’m just feeling good about my game,” Alker said Wednesday at Tiburón Golf Club. “I’ve worked on my game and my swing, and just everything is good, kind of where I want it. This is the strongest field we’ve had for a while, so just got some work to do and go low.”
Work is what’s enabled Alker to transform what was once a middling pro career into what’s rapidly becoming one of golf’s greatest second acts. Alker earned his PGA Tour card three times but never recorded a top-10 finish in a PGA event. He won four events on the Korn Ferry Tour but also endured a stretch where he missed the cut in 21 consecutive starts.
As he approached 50, Alker stayed in excellent physical condition and continued to work on his game in preparation for the Champions Tour. After becoming eligible in July 2021, he played his way into his first Champions event via a Monday Qualifier, which launched a run of six consecutive top-10 finishes.
Since then, he’s been one of the senior tour’s most successful players. In 2022, Alker was named the Champions Player of the Year after winning four times and finishing top-3 in 13 of his 23 starts. Overall, he’s ended up first (8) or second (10) in exactly one-third of his 54 Champions events with 40 top-10 finishes.
Along the way, Alker’s become a golfing example of the power of perseverance.
Steven Alker of New Zealand reacts after winning the PGA TOUR Champions Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai Golf Club on January 20, 2024, in Kailua Kona, Hawaii. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
“It just goes to show if you just kind of keep dreaming and just keep chasing it then yeah, good things can happen,” he said. “I’ve been around the game a long time and gained a lot of experience. If I can pass some of those experiences on to help people speed up the process, all the better.”
Alker, who carded top-10 finishes in his two previous Chubb Classic appearances, said while the long layoff between his recent wins has been challenging from a momentum standpoint, it also has some benefits.
“It’s a little bit tough with the start-and-stop schedule at the moment, but I think having that break rather than just mentally being kind of worn down … that’s probably a good thing,” he said.
Langer, the winningest player in PGA Tour Champions history, congratulated Alker on the 18th green following his victory last month in Hawaii. Alker said he’s picked up a few key lessons competing alongside the legendary Hall-of-Famer the past three seasons.
“He’s always just striving to get his game in shape every week to try and have a chance to win,” Alker said. ”He just does that very well.
“He’s got everything, and mentally he’s very strong, so that’s a good thing to learn from, too.”
Alker hopes to utilize those lessons gleaned from Langer at this year’s Chubb Classic to make a little history of his own.
Reigning champ Bernhard Langer will not have a chance to defend his title as he recently tore his Achilles.
Five past major champions, including John Daly, are among the latest collection of golfers to join the field for this year’s Chubb Classic, set for Feb. 16-18 at Tiburón Golf Club in Naples.
Daly, the 1991 PGA Championship and 1995 Open Championship winner will make his first appearance at the Chubb since 2020. The perennial fan favorite recorded a hole-in-one at the 2018 tournament en route to an eighth-place finish, his best showing at the Chubb.
Also announced Wednesday as tournament commits: Ernie Els, David Toms, Mike Weir, Steven Alker, and Stephen Ames.
Els, a two-time U.S Open (1994, 1997) and Open Championship (2002, 2012) winner and a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, has more than 75 professional victories worldwide during his illustrious career. He finished tied for 10th place at the 2023 Chubb Classic.
Toms, the 2001 PGA champion and 2018 U.S. Senior Open champion, finished tied for sixth place at the last year’s Chubb. Including the U.S. Senior Open, Toms has four PGA Tour Champions victories, including two in 2023.
Weir, the 2003 Masters champion, will be the first Canadian to captain the International Team at the 2024 Presidents Cup, which will take place at Royal Montreal Golf Club in Montreal, Quebec.
Alker, the 2022 KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship winner, 2022 Charles Schwab Cup winner, and 2023 Charles Schwab Cup runner-up, also has two consecutive Champions victories: last year’s Schwab Cup Championship and this year’s season-opening event, the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai.
Ernie Els plays from the fairway on the 18th hole during the final round of the RBC Heritage golf tournament at Harbour Town Golf Links. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Ames, the 2006 Players Championship winner, is a six-time Champions winner, including four victories in 2023.
They join a group that features World Golf Hall-of-Famers Davis Love III, Colin Montgomerie and 2024 inductee Padraig Harrington as well as former World No. 1 ranked players and major champions David Duval and Tom Lehman.
Reigning champ Bernhard Langer will not have a chance to defend his title as he recently tore his Achilles.
Past Chubb champions Steve Stricker (2021), Miguel Angel Jimenez (2019), Joe Durant (2018), Lee Janzen (2015) and Kirk Triplett (2014) have also committed to play in the event. One former winner who won’t be competing is two-time defending champion Bernard Langer. The winningest golfer in Champions history tore his Achilles tendon in a training exercise last week and will be unable to pursue his sixth Chubb Classic title.
The final members of the tournament field will be announced at 5 p.m. Friday. A total of 78 players will compete in the 54-hole championship for a share of the $1.8 million purse. All three rounds will be shown live on the Golf Channel.
Tickets are now on sale for the 2024 Chubb Classic, including exclusive hospitality and general admission. All 2024 tournament tickets will be completely digital and will be emailed after purchase. E-tickets can be viewed on either a mobile device or printed out to be scanned at the main gate.
Now in its 37th year, the Chubb Classic is the longest-running Champions Tour event in the same metropolitan area, getting its start in Southwest Florida at The Club Pelican Bay in 1988 and has been at Tiburón since 2021.
Tiburon Golf Club is in the midst of a busy four-month stretch.
Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Florida, is in the midst of a busy four-month stretch.
The Greg Norman-designed course hosted the LPGA’s CME Group Tour Championship last month. This week, it hosts the QBE Shootout, an unofficial event on the PGA Tour schedule. The tournament features 12 teams of two golfers playing 54 holes in a scramble, modified alternate shot and four-ball format. The CME and the QBE are played on Tiburon’s Golf course.
Come February, Tiburon will host the PGA Tour Champions with the Chubb Classic, which will be on the Black course.
Tiburon is the only golf facility to host LPGA, PGA Tour Champions and PGA Tour-sanctioned tournaments.
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“Our team is honored to once again have the privilege to host these three professional events in such a short period of time,” Tiburon general manager Kevin DeDonato said in a release. “As our area recovers from the impact of Hurricane Ian, we are very proud to showcase the resiliency this market has in pressing forward. Our entire team at Tiburon is grateful for the support we receive from all of our partners and we look forward for three successful events.”
Lydia Ko won the CME Group Tour Championship last month. She also locked up the Vare Trophy for lowest scoring average and Rolex Player of the Year.
The QBE Shootout begins Friday with the scramble portion. Saturday is alternate shot, and Sunday is four-ball. Two LPGA stars, Nelly Korda and Lexi Thompson, are in the field, along with 22 men’s professionals.
The Chubb Classic’s 36th anniversary is in 2023, and it will be the third straight year the event is played at Tiburon. Bernhard Langer is expected to return to defend his 2022 title against many of the game’s biggest names, including Jim Furyk, Ernie Els, Jerry Kelly and many others.
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Bernhard Langer wins his 43rd Champions victory, closes in on Hale Irwin’s mark.
NAPLES, Fla. — Bernhard Langer turned professional almost 50 years ago. He started out teaching others in Germany how to play the game.
Fifty years later, he’s one of the best to ever play it.
Langer tapped in for birdie on the 18th hole to win the Chubb Classic by three strokes on Sunday at Tiburón Golf Club at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort’s Black Course.
Langer bogeyed No. 17, but had a two-shot lead so he was able to enjoy the 18th.
“I hit a super tee shot and hit as good a 2-hybrid as I can to the middle of the green,” he said. “Took all the pressure off and was able to celebrate all the way down here, which doesn’t happen very often. Usually have to play until the very last ball drops.”
It’s the record fourth victory in Naples for Langer, 64, and 43rd win for him on the PGA Tour Champions, putting him two behind record-holder Hale Irwin, who also had won three times in Naples.
“I’m coming after you, Hale,” Langer said.
Bernhard Langer holds up the trophy after winning the 2022 Chubb Classic at the Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Florida. (Photo: Caitlyn Jordan/Naples Daily News)
“Years ago I thought, ‘Yeah, well, that’s almost impossible to reach that,'” he added later. “… I can’t wait two or three years. I got to do it fairly soon.”
If Langer plays like he did this week, it just might be. Langer shot his age with an 8-under 64 in the first round, never trailed in 54 holes, and hit 39 of 42 fairways over three days of varying winds in a show of precision.
“Germans win the gold again, jeez, unbelievable. Shocker,” said Tim Petrovic, who finished second at 3-under 203.
Retief Goosen was another shot back after birdies on three of his final five. Brian Gay, making his Champions tour debut, was fourth at 10 under.
“Bernhard’s playing unbelievable today,” Goosen said. “I think he had one bad shot.”
“It’s pretty normal, right?” said Gay of Langer being atop the leaderboard. “Except I’m not used to being out there with him. Pretty unbelievable. He just keeps going.”
Miguel Angel Jimenez, Robert Karlsson, Steven Alker, Jerry Kelly, and Scott Parel all tied for fifth at 9 under. Jimenez (2019) and Parel (2020) are former champions.
Karlsson said he first played with Langer in 1990 or so. Thirty-plus years later, there’s not much difference.
“He’s older so he doesn’t hit it very far, but he keeps the ball in play all of the time and putts fantastic,” he said. “It’s fantastic to see. It’s the same type of game. He doesn’t give away anything, so few mistakes. That’s why he wins.”
“It would be amazing if he was 50 and played as consistently as he does,” said two-time U.S. Open champion Lee Janzen, a former winner in Naples. “I haven’t looked at all the numbers, but it seems that he’s played better closer to 60 and older than he did before.
“He’s rock-solid inside 10 feet, which is a great thing to be good at. A guy like Langer, he’s been great going on 50 years. … And then he played with (Bryson) DeChambeau at the Masters two years ago and beat him. They should do a (ESPN) ’30 for 30’ on that one.”
Petrovic, playing in the group in front of Langer, tried to keep the pressure on. He made a birdie putt at No. 9, but Langer thought that it may have been for eagle, and that turned into the decisive shot.
Langer already had a good drive on the par 5 — he joked about being up there with his playing partners Goosen and Parel — and decided to hit a 3-wood from 231 yards and go for the green.
“He was creeping closer to me so I had to get up there and get out and conquer that one and answer by making birdie or maybe an eagle,” Langer said. “I was very happy with that golf shot.”
Langer missed the 15-foot eagle putt, but made the birdie and carried a three-shot lead to the back. Petrovic stuck iron shots on Nos. 13 and 14 to get to 13 under, but Langer birdied No. 13 and 15 to stay up by three.
And when it was over, Langer was up again.
He has 42 victories on the European Tour, three on the PGA Tour, and others on the Japan Golf Tour, Asian Tour, Australasian Tour and Tour de las Americas.
Langer had no idea what to expect when he decided to play professionally after winning his first tournament in Germany at 17.
“So I figured, well, I would love to try playing golf for a living, but I didn’t have any money and I didn’t know if I was any good compared to players from overseas,” he said. “There were no Germans on the Tour. I was the first full-time pro that played tournament golf, so I had no one to compare myself with.
“Anyway, we know the rest. It all turned out for the better. I didn’t have to go back for teaching, and as you say, almost 50 years later I’m still here.”
The year is 2022. And a 64-year-old is again the man to beat this week on the PGA Tour Champions.
That’s for golfers age 50 and over.
Saturday, Bernhard Langer put himself in position for his 43rd Champions victory, making an 8-footer for birdie on the final hole to take a two-stroke lead at the Chubb Classic presented by SERVPRO on Tiburón Golf Club at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort’s Black Course.
Langer, a three-time winner in Naples, matched his age with an 8-under 64 on Friday and then shot a 4-under 68 to finish at 12 under.
“It was a little more up and down,” Langer said. “(Friday) I had a very clean card, no bogeys. Today I had seven birdies, but also three bogeys.
“… But still happy where I am.”
Bernhard Langer from Germany reacts after putting on the 18th green during the second round of the Chubb Classic at Tiburon Golf Club on February 19, 2022, in Naples, Florida. (Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images)
Retief Goosen, Scott Parel, and Tim Petrovic are all two back going into Sunday’s final round. Steven Alker, who shot a 7-under 65 capped by a 30-foot eagle on the final hole, and Jerry Kelly are four behind Langer.
Goosen was 10 under but bogeyed Nos. 12 and 14 to fall back, then responded with birdies on Nos. 15 and 18.
In between, he made a par on the par-4 17th after getting a break.
“Drove it into long grass there in a fire ant nest and was lucky to get a drop away from that and managed to make par, so that was big turnaround for the round,” Goosen said.
Retief Goosen from South Africa looks on from the first tee box during the second round of the Chubb Classic at Tiburon Golf Club on February 19, 2022, in Naples, Florida. (Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images)
Parel, who won this tournament at The Classics at Lely Resort in 2020, got in some iron work after struggling with that part of his game in the first round. He still didn’t feel good about it after his range session before the second round, then hit his tee shot on No. 1 right — he thought he may have been out of bounds — but got up and down for a par.
“Then I was like ‘OK, well if I can make par from there maybe I can hit some good shots and make some birdies,” he said.
Parel did, birdieing Nos. 2, 3, 6, and 9, and then Nos. 11, 15, 16, and 18 on the back to move up the leaderboard with an 8-under 64.
Petrovic, a Calusa Pines Golf Club member, made an eagle on No. 6 after a good par save on No. 5 when he had to hit a shot out of a water hazard. He birdied No. 9, then had seven pars and birdies on Nos. 15 and 18 on the back.
Langer birdied the first hole and added three more birdies and a bogey on the front nine, but he slowed down with four pars and a bogey on the next five holes. He birdied Nos. 15 — an eagle putt lipped out — and 16 — hitting a 6-iron to a couple of inches — before stumbling with a bogey on No. 17, and recovering with the birdie on the 18th.
Langer did a little fist pump after getting the last one to fall.
“It’s nice to have a two-shot lead, not a one-shot lead,” he said. “It’s nice to make a putt and finish the day well and give the people something to cheer about, too.”
It wasn’t a knockout punch to the rest of the field, though.
“Trying to beat Bernhard, I mean that’s really cool,” Alker said.
“He’s unbelievable,” Parel, 56, said. “I saw him (Friday), I’m like, I’m glad you’re shooting your age and not my age, because then we would have no chance.”
“Anybody can shoot a low one (Sunday), but I think as long as we finish ahead of Bernard, you got a good chance of winning,” Goosen said with a smile.
Greg Hardwig is a sports reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. Follow him on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter: @NDN_Ghardwig, email him at ghardwig@naplesnews.com. Support local journalism with this special subscription offer at https://cm.naplesnews.com/specialoffer/
“It was six hours (of travel),” he said. “It’s been a lot of travel this week.”
Padraig Harrington nearly withdrew from the Chubb Classic.
Playing the Black Course at Tiburón Golf Club at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort sight unseen, he shot a 77 in the first round and followed that up with an even-par 72 on Saturday.
“It’s a tough enough golf course not to know,” Harrington said Saturday. “Some of the green complexes it would’ve been nice to see them, and a few of the doglegs, like 18. I’m still happy to be here.”
Harrington, who turned 50 last August, almost wasn’t.
His uncle died, and he attended the funeral for the 91-year-old in Cork, Ireland. That meant he couldn’t play in either day of the pro-am, and wasn’t going to get into town until Thursday night.
“Yes, it looked like I would withdraw, but they were very accommodating and said, ‘Well, look, you can come and not play the pro-ams,'” he said. “I said, ‘Well, that’s great, I’ll do that.’ It wouldn’t be something that would be usual. They were very accommodating and let me come, and I was thankful for that, and that’s why I’m here.
“It was six hours (of travel),” he said. “It’s been a lot of travel this week.”
Harrington is known for being very meticulous in preparation, but he was able to be flexible.
“I’ve done OK at times in the past, so it’s not ideal, but it’s a bit like routines before you go out,” he said. “You don’t get caught up in everything having to be perfect because things just don’t work out perfect, so that was the case this week.
“I’m delighted that I could come and play. I’m enjoying that element of it.”
Woosnam is third Hall of Famer out
World Golf Hall of Famer Ian Woosnam, a former Masters champion, withdrew after nine holes in Friday’s first round with neck and back issues. He became the third Hall of Famer to withdraw.
Davis Love III withdrew on Monday, and two-time tournament champion Fred Couples withdrew with back issues Wednesday.
Greg Hardwig is a sports reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press, part of the USA Today Network. Follow him on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter: @NDN_Ghardwig, email him at ghardwig@naplesnews.com.
Two years ago, Carter Bonas was a different person. Even though he was just 8, he had suicidal thoughts.
Today, the 10-year-old golfer with autism is thought of as a role model for those on that spectrum after starting his own golf clothing company.
This week at the Chubb Classic presented by SERVPRO at Tiburón Golf Club at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort, Bonas received a behind-the-scenes tour, along with his parents Eddie and Dr. Thelma Tennie.
They met two-time major champion and World Golf Hall of Famer Ernie Els, who has his own foundation supporting those with autism. Els’s son Ben, 19, is on the spectrum.
Carter Bonas, 10, has autism and launched his own apparel line, Spectrum Golf, as a source of inspiration to others. Bonas met Ernie Els on Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022, during the second day of the Chubb Classic Pro-Am at the Tiburón Golf Club at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort in Naples, Florida
And Friday, Bonas was an honorary observer, along with his golf instructor Corey Henry of the Country Club of Coral Springs, walking with Els and fellow tour pros Bernhard Langer and Retief Goosen.
“It’s going to be amazing,” Bonas said before the round. “I would just like to thank everyone.”
Spectrum Golf started by 10-year-old Carter Bonas
Bonas started his company, Spectrum Golf, when he was 10, and only got into the game a couple of years ago.
“I chose golf because it was a sport that I felt like I could take my time and the coach didn’t yell, I didn’t get touched, and I got to be with nature most of the time,” he said.
Bonas’ acceptance in the golf world has been so important, particularly considering where he was just two years ago.
“It means the world to us to be able to see him in a positive light, such a big change from two years ago when he actually had suicidal ideation,” Thelma Tennie said, “to go from always feeling down about himself and believing the bad things that people would say about him.
Carter Bonas, 10, has autism and launched his own apparel line, Spectrum Golf, as a source of inspiration to others.
“Now he knows that people say mean things and it’s OK, and how to just do your best and what really matters is you, your performance, how you respond to things and to always be kind no matter what. When someone’s being mean, you walk away or you just be kind back.”
Thoughts of life without parents prompts inspired Carter Bonas
Part of the inspiration for Bonas to start his own company came from wondering what his life was going to be if something happened to his parents. The Tennies simply reassured him he would be taken care of, but when the coronavirus pandemic hit, the conversations became a bit more serious, to the point they shared their wills and trust information with him.
Bonas wasn’t satisfied, though, simply with knowing that his parents’ assets would be passed on to him.
“He didn’t just say, ‘Oh, you’re going to leave me money’ or ‘OK, you’re going to leave me the house,'” Thelma Tennie said. “He went a step further and said ‘But what am I going to do for work? What am I going to do? Nobody’s going to hire me because I can’t even get a friend. No one’s going to hire me.’
“Now he has something where he knows he’s going to be employed, and how hard he works is how good his business will be. and he’s made so many great friends on the golf course.”
Carter Bonas, 10, and his golf instructor Corey Henry, of the Country Club of Coral Springs, walk off the tee box on the first hole during the first round of the Chubb Classic, Friday, Feb. 18, 2022, at Tiburón Golf Club at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort in Naples, Florida.
What’s to love about golf? Etiquette, core values
What Bonas and his parents also love about the game is its emphasis on etiquette and the core values taught by The First Tee, a nonprofit organization that passes along those values through the game of golf.
“Even when he’s with other kids and he’s golfing, everyone is always kind,” Thelma Tennie said. “They’re always respectful. ‘Good shot.’ ‘The next one will be best.’ ‘Remember the next shot, don’t focus on this shot.'”
“The etiquette, the core values of The First Tee that we got to hear (Thursday), that’s Carter.”
Bonas said he chose golf apparel for his company for more than just his interest in the game.
“We were paying lots of money that clothes that were supposed to be comfortable,” he said. “I have sensitive skin and those clothes weren’t comfortable. We decided to get my own so I could have my own clothing line so I could always be comfortable.”
The clothing also has messages, for example, inside the waistline on pants, that says either “Lead the Way” or “Be Determined.”
Carter Bonas, 10, the “Honorary Observer” with the Ernie Els (RSA) group talks with Els on the first hole during the first round of the Chubb Classic, Friday, Feb. 18, 2022, at Tiburón Golf Club at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort in Naples, Florida.
“You always want to stay positive on the golf course,” Bonas said of the meaning of the messages. “It’s physical, but I think it’s mainly mental.”
Carter Bonas’ drive impresses Ernie Els
The Els for Autism Foundation is in nearby Jupiter, but Els had heard of Bonas and his story on YouTube, and is more than impressed, not only for the accomplishment of a 10-year-old starting a business in and of itself but what it could mean for others with autism.
“What he’s done, it’s just unbelievable,” Els said. “He started a company at 10 years of age because he didn’t feel like he was fitting into our society. How incredible is that?”
“He started a company at 10 years of age because he didn’t feel like he was fitting into our society. How incredible is that?”
Thursday as part of Bonas’ behind-the-scenes tour, Els took him through the fitness trailer that travels to stops on the PGA Tour Champions for each event. He also toured the Golf Channel compound, the SHOTLINK truck, the equipment trailer, and did the Conditioned Air Putting Challenge.
Later, he attended a clinic along with First Tee Champions Challenge participants on the driving range.
Els is hoping this isn’t his only encounter with Bonas and his parents. In April, Els’ facility will have a groundbreaking for an adult services building and has invited them to attend.
“Exactly what Carter has done himself we’re going to try to facilitate for our kids who have autism,” Els said. “At the age of 21, the buck stops. You have to get back to normal society whether you’re comfortable or not.
“Carter has now shown what can be done in the autistic world. We’re going to create jobs, help kids get more comfortable with our way of life.”
Two years ago, Carter Bonas had thoughts of taking his life. Now, at 10, he’s inspiring others to do what he’s already doing.
Greg Hardwig is a sports reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. Follow him on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter: @NDN_Ghardwig, email him at ghardwig@naplesnews.com. Support local journalism with this special subscription offer at https://cm.naplesnews.com/specialoffer/
Bernhard Langer already is one of the most celebrated PGA Tour Champions players in history.
He won the Charles Schwab Cup for the sixth time, at the age of 64 no less, last year, and has 42 career victories, three behind Hale Irwin.
Last year, Langer shot his age for the first time, on his birthday too, and a few months later, beat it by a stroke.
Friday, he matched it again in the first round of the Chubb Classic presented by SERVPRO, with an 8-under 64 that featured five straight birdies on the back nine to lead by two over 2021 runner-up Robert Karlsson and Tim Petrovic, a Calusa Pines Golf Club member.
“Three times,” Langer said of shooting or beating his age. “I should remember that stuff, right? Too caught up in the moment.”
Langer’s moment started on No. 11 and continued through No. 15, but he was hoping it was coming based on how he had been putting.
Bernhard Langer (GER) reacts after finishing the first round of the Chubb Classic, Friday, Feb. 18, 2022, at Tiburón Golf Club at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort in Naples, Fla.Langer finished the round -8.
“Tee-to-green was extremely solid,” he said. “Then first few holes I couldn’t make a putt, but I was patient. Just waited for my turn and finally got on a nice roll where I made, I don’t know, four, five in a row. Some from nice distance. Nothing extremely long, but still 15-footers, it’s always good to see them drop.
“So I made my share today and kept the ball in play. Was never really in trouble, which was good. The only kind of save I had was on 17 when I hit driver, 2-hybrid a little short, chipped it a little long, but I made about a 12-footer for par.”
Langer made a 4-footer on the par-5 18th to finish off the 64.
Retief Goosen, Paul Stankowski, and Thongchai Jaidee are tied for fourth after 67s.
Another Calusa Pines Golf Club member, Rocco Mediate, is tied for seventh after a 68 along with Scott Dunlap, Doug Barron, Jerry Kelly, Steve Flesch, and Paul Broadhurst.
They’re all following a familiar face.
In addition to all of his accomplishments overall on the tour, Langer also is the only three-time champion in Naples, and has won seven times in the state of Florida, where he lives.
Langer just kept focused and stayed patient after those early putts didn’t fall.
“It’s frustrating, but I didn’t do it on purpose, so you just keep trying and trying,” he said. “Sometimes you get on a run like I did today when you’ve made nothing for an hour and then everything goes in.”
Karlsson, 52, didn’t come anywhere close to shooting his age. But he pulled off quite a shot to keep a good round going.
After birdieing Nos. 13, 14, and 15 to get to 6 under, his round almost went haywire on the par-4 16th.
“I hit it way right,” said Karlsson, who was in the trees. “When I was hitting that shot I was like, ‘This could be a 6 quite easily or a 7,’ because I had no way out. I tried to hit it low underneath but I had to miss the cart path and it bounced in the sandy bank, get through the palm trees and stop it before the water. So it wasn’t very pretty.”
Karlsson said he had a free drop, but basically nowhere to drop it to.
“I hit a great shot under the branches, over the water, and stopped it on the green and holed it from 25 foot,” he said. “I’ve played golf for 30 yards but I don’t think I’ve made five pars better than that one.”
Karlsson missed the last portion of 2021 with back issues.
Karlsson has played three rounds of 18 holes since the Charles Schwab Championship when he withdrew prior to the final round. He ended up with what he called Schmorl’s node, fluid coming out of a disc in his back. He termed it similar to a stress fracture without an actual fracture.
“So whatever was in the scorecard today I was going to be OK with,” said Karlsson, who said he was pain-free. “Only played three rounds of 18 holes since Phoenix, so it was a bit like that today. There was some really, really good stuff and there was some awful stuff. So have a bit of work to do.”
So does Langer, if he wants to shoot his age again.
“It’s just fun shooting your age,” he said. “It was really fun doing it the first time on my actual birthday. It’s still special because it’s not easy to do.
“Hopefully it gets easier as we get older, but we’ll find out. The future will show.”
Greg Hardwig is a sports reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. Follow him on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter: @NDN_Ghardwig, email him at ghardwig@naplesnews.com. Support local journalism with this special subscription offer at https://cm.naplesnews.com/specialoffer/
