Tag: Dick’s Sporting Goods Open

Three is a magic number: Ernie Els, Padraig Harrington each looking for three straight titles

Threes are potentially wild for the 17th edition of the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open.

Threes are potentially wild for the 17th edition of the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open when tournament play begins Friday at En-Joie Golf Course.

There is Padraig Harrington, winner of each of the last two PGA Tour Champions events in Endicott. And there is Ernie Els, winner of the most recent two Tour events anywhere.

Those possibilities will assuredly be front and center as anticipation builds through the week of preliminary activity in what will be uncomfortably steamy temperatures throughout Broome County.

One annual highlight of the event will be staged Friday night following opening-round play. That’ll be a concert featuring Luke Bryan, maker of 30 No. 1 hits and five-time entertainer of the year.

“Stunningly spectacular” was applied on this website last year, when Harrington beat up En-Joie’s second nine Sunday — five birdies, one eagle for a 7-under 28 — to complete a round of 9-under 63 and become the event’s first back-to-back champion.

Joe Durant, 18-hole leader by three and Sunday’s pace-setter for much of the back nine, went 64-69-66 as runner-up, a shot better than Els, whose closing bogey left him a 68 and 16-under total.

Padraig Harrington of Ireland holds the trophy after winning the DICK’S Sporting Goods Open at En-Joie Golf Club on June 25, 2023 in Endicott, New York. (Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images)

Els won the June 7-8-9 American Family Insurance Championship in a playoff with Steve Stricker, a week after topping the field at the Principal Charity Classic in Des Moines (62-68-65). He is a five-time PGA Tour Champions winner with a stellar record at En-Joie.

“We’ve got an interesting storyline. What’s going to happen: Is Ernie Els going to win three in a row? Or is Padraig going to threepeat?” said tournament director John Karedes.

As for which would be more compelling? “I don’t know. You’ve got Padraig, who’s just an awesome guy, inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame (June 10), and you’ve got Ernie who I believe has two (top-threes) here.

“We’ve had guys like Ernie and Miguel and Darren Clarke who’ve come just oh so close. Oh, and let’s not forget about the sixty-some-year-old, Bernhard. When I went on social media and saw he’d gone a six-week period and all he could do was chip and putt, I told my colleagues, ‘You guys watch out. If this guy can only work on his short game for six weeks, you think about what that short game is going to be like when he comes back and he starts playing.’ What’d he shoot, 17-under a couple weeks ago?

“This is a course you know he can play well, it’s relatively flat so that should take pressure off any residuals he’s got from the injury.

“There are some great potential stories.”

Odds & ends

— Stephen Ames, who’ll play his sixth Dick’s Sporting Goods Open this week, has won events this season by four- and three-stroke margins, respectively. That ranks him co-first and co-second in 2024. Ames has also built the largest 36-hole lead (three strokes).

— Low start by a winner this year? Els went 10-under 62 in the Principal Charity Classic and Harrington went 8-under 63 in the Hoag Classic.

— Most consecutive years with a win on Tour? Harrington and Steven Alker (2022-24).

This former PGA Tour (and current Champions) course is the source of a tug-of-war between county and village

When the county held a presser no village officials were invited. They then responded.

An outdated irrigation system at En-Joie Golf Club in Endicott has sparked a debate over the course’s future management and ownership.

At a press conference on the En-Joie grounds, Broome County Executive Jason Garnar was joined by Chairman of the Broome County Legislature Dan Reynolds and En-Joie employees Thursday afternoon. At the event, Garnar announced the county, which manages but does not own the golf course, has ordered a study to be conducted by Ramboll Engineering, which will determine the full price of the system’s replacement.

According to Garnar, the county has offered to assume ownership of the property from the Village of Endicott, citing the county’s increased budget, which he says will create the ability to fix problems as they arise.

Endicott Mayor Nick Burlingame, who says neither he or any Endicott representative was invited to the press conference, held a media availability event shortly after in response. He said the village will be ordering its own assessment from another engineering firm in order to identify the condition of the course and potentially appraise and review management operations.

Chairman of the Broome County Legislature Dan Reynolds and Broome County Executive Jason Garnar speak at a press conference at En-Joie Golf Club. (Photo: Riccardo Monico, Binghamton Press & Sun Bulletin)

What is wrong with the En-Joie Golf Club irrigation system?

According to Garnar, the course has been managed by the county for 17 years, through multiple executives and governments. The irrigation system requires a complete replacement, he said, as the system is over 70 years old.

Burlingame, who spoke at the Endicott Municipal Building following the county press conference, said the village was first made aware of an engineering firm’s recommended upgrades to the irrigation system by the county in February, but the report the recommendations were based on was never shared.

“The village immediately requested a copy of the engineering study, so that the Board of Trustees could review it and make an informed decision on how best to proceed,” said Burlingame. “To date, the village has not received a copy of the engineering report from the county. When we receive the report from the county we will analyze our options and it will allow us an opportunity to get public comment. We want the Endicott community to weigh in so we can make an informed decision based on their wishes.”

Endicott Mayor Nick Burlingame addresses the media regarding the future of En-Joie Golf Club. (Photo: Riccardo Monico, Binghamton Press & Sun Bulletin)

According to Sullivan Murphy, who works closely with the irrigation system in his capacity as golf course superintendent, the current irrigation system is extremely outdated and has already received seven repairs this year, totaling thousands of dollars

Currently, the golf club’s irrigation system uses an average of 10 million gallons of water from Endicott’s only water well per year. In June 2023, Endicott issued a water conservation advisory due to low water levels. The advisory ran from June 1-23, and encouraged residents not to fill up pools, wash cars or water lawns, though Burlingame said residents were not asked to stray from their ordinary lives and the village has never been in a critical situation with water to date.

The village is actively working on getting another water well online, Burlingame said, but the process will take time.

According to Garnar, the new irrigation system could pull water from a different source, such as the Endicott Waste Water Treatment Plant or the Susquehanna River.

“It is our desired intention as we construct this new irrigation system that we will use water from those sources, not from the last remaining water well in Endicott, freeing up tens of million of water,” said Garnar.

Future of Dick’s Open at En-Joie

Garnar and Burlingame both brought up the importance of the Dick’s Sporting Good’s Open for the village and the county, and expressed their commitment to maintaining En-Joie’s quality to ensure the tournament continues.

The 2024 Dick’s Open tournament events run from June 17-23.

According to Reynolds, the total cost to replace the irrigation system could be up to $6 million. Garnar said the offer was intended to help the village, citing multiple county projects over the past few years meant to help Endicott, including the demolition of the former Red Carpet Inn across the street from the course.

Garnar said that the village could not sell the course to a private entity, given its status as a park, but would be able to give the county ownership of the course. According to Reynolds, paying for the work through grants or bonds would negatively impact taxpayers in the area.

Reynolds and Burlingame both said the engineering studies will likely finish around the end of the year.

Burlingame said that the Board of Trustees has not ruled out any option, including transferring ownership to the county, but want to first explore every option.

“The county asking us to hand over the golf course with zero information is negligent — maybe even grossly negligent,” said Burlingame. “We can’t make an informed decision, an educated decision, we can’t represent the taxpayers, we can’t represent the community without having all the facts on hand.”

This former PGA Tour venue has a stacked Champions field. Here are 9 players to watch at the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open

The chase for top honors in the 16th playing of the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open begins Friday.

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — The chase for top honors in the 16th playing of the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open and the accompanying $315,000 cut of the purse begins Friday morning at En-Joie Golf Course in Endicott.

Back to defend his championship will be 51-year-old Padraig Harrington, whose Dick’s Open debut brought rounds of 66-67-67 and a three-stroke victory over Mike Weir and Thongchai Jaidee, with Jim Furyk and Vijay Singh another shot back.

One of the most-followed players across decades at En-Joie will not be in the field for the first time since his 2008 Dick’s Open debut.

Joey Sindelar, a long-time resident of nearby Horseheads and now residing in the Town of Lansing and twice a B.C. Open champion, has concluded his competitive playing career due to health reasons. He did, however, play in Dick’s Open Pro-Ams Wednesday and Thursday.

Here is a smattering of players to keep an eye on:

Padraig Harrington leads big names heading to this year’s Dick’s Sporting Goods Open

Harrington has gone down as one of the most popular champions since the Dick’s Open’s 2007 inaugural event.

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — Preliminaries for the 16th playing of the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open − part PGA Tour Champions tournament, part musical treat and part old-home week − get underway at En-Joie Golf Course in earnest Wednesday and the event continues through the conclusion of final-round play Sunday.

The defending champion could hardly be of higher profile, and ditto for the Friday night concert headliner relative to modern country acts.

The former, Padraig Harrington, has gone down as one of the most popular champions since the Dick’s Open’s 2007 inaugural event, for reasons extending beyond scoreboard superiority.

The latter, Kenny Chesney, represents a high blip on the tournament’s screen in terms of big-timers to perform Friday night off the 18th green.

“I’d like to think we’ve got a lot going for everybody, whether it’s people watchers, golf fans, kids − the whole bit,” said tournament director John Karedes.

All told, it would appear the latest in a long line of summertime sports and entertainment offerings in Endicott is up to snuff, though falling on a mighty crowded weekend. For how that might impact the masses, one needn’t look beyond Karedes, who’ll duck away from the premises to attend son Jake’s graduation Saturday morning.

2022 Dick's Sporting Goods Open
Padraig Harrington and his wife, Caroline and sons Patrick and Ciaran pose with the trophy after Harrington won the 2022 Dick’s Sporting Goods Open at En-Joie Golf Club in Endicott, New York. (Photo: Ryan Young/Getty Images)

“It’s actually the kids, because certain ages are still going to have finals. So, it is making it a little bit more challenging for some of those organizations where kids under 18 do help us,” Karedes said of the graduation-weekend conflict. “But I think we’re covered. It just took a bit more creativity and a few more phone calls to get it done. But I think we’re in good shape.”

For many visitors, the week’s highlight will come after sundown Friday when Chesney walks on stage. He and his band played to 1.3 million fans on their 2022 Tour, stops including 21 NFL venues.

“We’re bringing that show to Endicott and it’s big. I think it’s the biggest show that we’ve had when it comes to the name, the star power,” Karedes said. “But what we’re going to do is make it like a 14,000-people night. This isn’t going to be a 20,000-type night with fans.”

Concert attendees approached a Dick’s Open-high 25,000, Karedes said, for the 2017 Bon Jovi fiasco.

Back to defend his championship will be 51-year-old Harrington, whose Dick’s Open debut brought rounds of 66-67-67 and a three-stroke victory over Mike Weir and Thongchai Jaidee, with Jim Furyk and Vijay Singh another shot back.

Harrington’s impact last summer, and presumably this week, was and will be felt beyond numbers relative to par.

“Padraig is such a nice guy, and an amazing guy when you look at what he’s done around the world,” Karedes said. “He certainly likes the grasses here in the Northeast, when he was at Saucon Valley last year, here, he made the Senior PGA cut at Oak Hill. When it comes to his sheer personality, they don’t come any nicer.”

“ … He made time for everybody (post-tournament 2022). Here’s a guy who has been elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame, but here we are in Endicott, N.Y., he took time for everybody, autograph-wise, picture-wise, anything that anyone was looking for. He made sure that they did not leave empty-handed.”

Among other highly recognizable players who’ve committed to play at En-Joie: Darren Clarke, John Daly, Ernie Els, Miguel Angel Jiménez, Bernhard Langer, Vijay Singh.

One of the most-followed players across decades at En-Joie will not be in the field for the first time since his 2008 Dick’s Open debut.

Joey Sindelar, long-time Horseheads resident now residing in the Town of Lansing and twice a B.C. Open champion, has concluded his competitive playing career due to health reasons. He will, however, play in Dick’s Open Pro-Ams Wednesday and Thursday.

Joey Sindelar at the 2009 U.S. Senior Open.

As for what spectators may discover to be new and/or updated?

“Last year we were still coming off COVID, still coming off 2021, no tournament in 2020,” Karedes said. “I think in 2023, I can say ‘We’re back.’ And we’re back as far as crowds, concession stands, I think all but one of the bleachers have already been put in place.

“The concert is a little bit bigger than what we’ve done but we still aren’t going huge because we’d like to keep it to a manageable fun crowd. That was one of the things we learned during COVID that bigger isn’t always better. We’re looking for a comfortable crowd for concert night.”

[lawrence-related id=778361051,778360420,778353638,778353425]

Padraig Harrington wins PGA Tour Champions Dick’s Sporting Goods Open by three shots over Thongchai Jaidee, Mike Weir

Padraig Harrington took care of business to win for the second time on the Champions circuit.

ENDICOTT, N.Y. — Padraig Harrington took care of business in blemish-free fashion Sunday in the 2022 Dick’s Sporting Goods Open.

The PGA Tour Champions newcomer, 50, made five birdies in a round of 67 at En-Joie Golf Course to finish 16-under for a three-shot victory over Thongchai Jaidee (66) and 36-hole leader Mike Weir (71).

The sky above En-Joie scowled most of the afternoon, but upon completion of a garden-variety two-putt at the last, Irish eyes twinkled as the 50-year-old from Dublin rang up his second victory of the season to go with the U.S. Senior Open.

Sunday brought Harrington a sixth top-3 finish in his most recent eight PGA Tour Champions starts.

With playing competitor Weir stuck mostly in neutral, Harrington made three front-side birdies and another couple at 11 and 12.

Harrington’s three-stroke margin of victory is the largest on the PGA Tour Champions since Steven Alker won the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship by three in May. Harrington becomes the fourth multiple winner on tour this season, joining three-time champions Steven Alker, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Jerry Kelly.

Jaidee shot 66. It was his seventh top-10 of the season for the 52-year-old from Thailand and winner of the mid-June American Family Insurance Championship. In fact, Sunday brought the fifth top-8 in his most recent seven starts. He played the front side in 4 under and his lone deviation from par on the back came via a pitch-in for eagle 2 at the 16th.

“I played great today. I start very well, started make birdie on first hole, second hole we have three-putt. I think the key for me, I putting well and the golf course is very good shape,” he said. “I love the golf course, the greens are fantastic. I not miss anything, good up-and-down a couple holes, that’s why the key make me a lot confident.”

Jim Furyk shared fourth with Vijay Singh on the strength of a closing 68, marking a sound return from an extended stint away from competition triggered by COVID-19.

“You know, I’m still not _ I still don’t have a ton of energy,” he said. “I actually rode this week, first time I’ve ever done it, but I feel pretty good. Happy with the way I played. I think it’s my best finish of the season so far, so to kind of have that much time off and then come back and play that well is a lot of fun.

“There’s still some things I want to work on in my game, but excited to play well here at Dick’s and I love the course at Warwick Hills next week at Ally, so excited to kind of get there and hopefully carry some of this momentum into next week.”

Furyk’s most recent start before the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open came in the late-June U.S. Senior Open (T-25).

Bernhard Langer, 2014 Dick’s Sporting Goods Open champion and soon to turn 65, took a share of sixth following a bogey-free round of 68 that featured an eagle 3 at the 12th.

John Daly, playing a course on which he won in 1992 (B.C. Open, forerunner to the senior event) played his final 36 in 7-under and finished T-24, his third best finish this season.

Defending champion Cameron Beckman finished T68 (2-over 218).

[listicle id=778290803]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01es6rjnsp3c84zkm6 player_id=none image=https://golfweek.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Mike Weir is setting the pace heading into the final round of the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open

Mike Weir will seek his second PGA Tour Champions win Sunday at En-Joie Golf Course.

ENDICOTT, N.Y. — Through long shadows and squinting eyes, late-finishing competitors concluded Round 2 of the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open on Saturday following a late-afternoon weather delay just shy of two hours.

Mike Weir will seek his second PGA Tour Champions win beginning 1 p.m. Sunday at En-Joie Golf Course following rounds of 67 and 65. His lead is one over Padraig Harrington and three over Ernie Els and Vijay Singh.

Jim Furyk is among a trio four off the lead following a 1-under 71. Beyond those, it’d take some serious doing to chase down a victory in Endicott, given the strength above.

Play was suspended a bit before 3 p.m. with the final group playing the sixth and leader Els — 9-under at the time — a hole ahead. The delay lingered 1 hour, 57 minutes.

Weir, 52 and an eight-time winner on the regular tour, made bogey on the second hole but set in motion a brilliant stretch beginning with birdie at the par-5 fifth.

“Yeah, it was a bit of a slow start,” he said. “Hit a nice shot into 2 that went a little long and made a bogey. Missed a very short putt on 3 for birdie from four feet, so it wasn’t the start I wanted. Then I hit some really nice shots. I hit a big drive on the par 5, No. 5, and just had a 7-iron in and made birdie there. Then the next hole I hit a good drive and a 9-iron to eight or 10 feet, made that one. Then I made a long one on 7, so then I had some momentum, three in a row.

“Maybe 30-foot putt on No. 7. The par 5, I was on the green with a good look for eagle again on 8, so there was four in a row there. I had a good look on 9, just missed it, and then hit it close on 10, eight feet, hit it six, eight feet on 11.

“So outside of the putt on No. 6 I made from long range, there were a lot of close putts. And then coming home I made the one birdie, made a nice birdie on 16 from an awkward position. I pulled my tee shot a little bit, got behind a tree, hit a very nice recovery shot, but it was a bonus that that putt went in there.”

Weir, 2003 Masters champion, broke through on the PGA Tour Champions with win at the 2021 Insperity Invitational, reduced to 36 holes by heavy rain. He was T4 in the late-May Senior PGA and finished T14 last weekend outside Seattle.

Of his seven birdies in an eight-hole segment beginning at the fifth, “It’s fun. You’re just thinking birdie, you’re just thinking middle of the fairway, get me in the fairway because my iron game is good and the putter’s finally starting to heat up for the first time this year. I was kind of chomping at the bit for more holes.”

Harrington, 50, was 2-under through 10 and made four birdies and a bogey coming in.

He came to Endicott on the heels of five top-three finishes in his most recent seven starts, highlighted by a win in the U.S. Senior Open. He tops the PGA Tour Champions in driving distance and birdie average, and sits third in greens in regulation.

“The happiest thing today was I rolled everything at the hole,” he said. “I think that’s the most important thing out here. At times you can struggle a bit with your confidence in the putting and I had a day today where they didn’t all drop, but I rolled the ball beautifully today. I wish I did that every day.”

Els made six birdies on the front, another at the par-5 12th, but played 2-over coming home. Last summer, rounds of 68-65-72 left him solo second at En-Joie. He was leader by three through 36 holes on the strength of that bogey-free 65 in Saturday’s second round.

Joey Sindelar, 3-under through eight, shot 70 and will begin third-round play 2-under. He is competing in the Dick’s Open for a 14th time.

Kevin Sutherland was 5-under through eight in Round 2 and closed with 69. As a rookie, he shot 13-under 59 in Round 2 of the 2014 Dick’s Open, a PGA Tour Champions record (12 birdies, 1 eagle, 18th-hole bogey).

Opening-round tri-leader Darren Clarke made birdie at the last for a 72 and sits five off the lead.

Just in case? Playoff holes will be (in order) 18-18-9 and repeated as necessary.

Last year’s 12-under, 204 total was highest by a Dick’s Open winner (Cameron Beckman) through the first 14 editions. Five times the champion cracked 16-under 200. The tournament record remains Lonnie Nielsen’s 21-under 195 in 2009.

[listicle id=778290803]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01es6rjnsp3c84zkm6 player_id=none image=https://golfweek.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Padraig Harrington is tearing up the PGA Tour Champions this year, and he thinks he’ll only get better

Harrington, who has been white-hot on the senior circuit this season, continued his stellar play by shooting a 66.

Padraig Harrington thinks the last time he played En-Joie Golf Course near Binghamton, New York, was in the previous millennium. That hardly slowed down the three-time major champ, however, during the first round of play at this week’s PGA Tour Champions event.

Harrington, who has been white-hot on the senior circuit this season, continued his stellar play by shooting a 66 during the opening round of action, putting him a single stroke behind leaders Jim Furyk, Darren Clarke and Vijay Singh.

So far this season, the Irish star has a victory in the U.S. Senior Open along with four second-place finishes in 10 starts.

And here’s the scary part — he thinks he’s yet to hit his ceiling.

“I don’t feel you’ve seen the best of me yet,” he said on Friday, noting the last time he’d played the course was in 1999. “I like being out here. It’s a different sort of test. You’re sort of dealing with your own expectations every day. You’re trying to figure out, well, look, I should be up here, I should be contending, I should be at the top of the leaderboard and how you manage that. It’s a different feeling than hoping.

“The more I get better at that and more familiar with it hopefully, I know I’m working on the right things and you’re kind of incentivized to work on the right things when you know it could come down to just one shot on Sunday.”

Among the many facets of his game that have clicked during his rookie year, Harrington currently leads the tour in driving, averaging over 306 yards. He’s also first in birdie average and third in greens in regulation.

Can he stay mentally tough? That’s what the 2008 PGA Tour Player of the Year is working on.

2022 U.S. Senior Open
Padraig Harrington poses with the trophy after winning the 2022 U.S. Senior Open at Saucon Valley C.C. (Old Course) in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. (Photo: Chris Keane/USGA)

“Just my mental game, just really trying to get my mental game solid, routine solid. Physically I have quite an advantage out here, so it really is how good I think, how good I am on the greens,” he said. “And as I said, you know starting the tournament it’s on the line straightaway, so you’re incentivized to get your head in the game quickly.”

On Friday, he played with Clarke — who posted four birdies on each nine — and Bernhard Langer, who finished with a 71, in one of the day’s featured pairings. Harrington said it’s easier to maintain his focus in such an impressive group.

“A rising tide lifts all ships, there’s no doubt about it. You want to see birdies, you want to see your playing partners holing putts. You know, I think I holed a long one on 10 after Darren holed one. That sort of stuff, when you see somebody holing in front of you, it’s positive,” Harrington said. “There’s nothing like a positive affirmation of seeing it happen. Yeah, it’s important to have momentum in your group at least all the way until the last nine holes; every man for himself at that stage.”

[vertical-gallery id=778286089]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01es6rjnsp3c84zkm6 player_id=none image=https://golfweek.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

After sleeping in a van overnight, a longshoreman shot 64 and qualified for this week’s PGA Tour Champions event

Bogue made the long trek from California to Syracuse, then drove the last 90 minutes to Binghamton.

A hot-handed Californian made it back-to-back bogey-free qualifying successes from one coast to the other in Tuesday’s Dick’s Sporting Goods Open qualifier at The Links at Hiawatha Landing.

Tim Bogue, from Windsor in Sonoma County, made eight birdies at the Apalachin golf course in a round of 64 and closed three clear of next-best in a field of competitors seeking to gain one of the final four berths in the $2.1 million tournament proper.

Bogue — who has worked as a longshoreman since 1999, loading cargo on and off ships in Oakland — told pgatour.com that he slept in a van on Monday night after making the long trek from California to Syracuse, then driving the last 90 minutes to Binghamton.

“Thank goodness the guy at (the rental counter) gave me a van,” Bogue told the website. “As a longshoreman, we sleep in our cars a lot, so I’ve got a lot of practice.”

When Bogue isn’t unloading freight, he’s a golf coach in California who also frequents the skins games near his home. Bogue has reached the Final Stage of PGA Tour Champions Q-School three different times, but has yet to crack into the circuit full-time. His best finish at Q-School was T56 in 2019.

Also securing starts in Friday’s opening round at En-Joie Golf Course were Ricardo Gonzalez (67) and, emerging from a seven-way playoff, Andrew Johnson and Michael Muehr (69).

Bogue was 1-under through six holes before making birdie on six of his next seven. He tacked on birdie at the par-5 18th and will make his second PGA Tour Champions start in as many weeks.

In last week’s Boeing Classic qualifier, he finished birdie-eagle for one of four 6-under 66s. He proceeded to shoot 76-75-75 (T68) at The Club at Snoqualmie Ridge outside Seattle, his first senior tour start since the 2018 U.S. Senior Open (75-76 missed cut).

Gonzalez, from Argentina, was level-par on the seventh tee and 4-under walking off the 12th green. He bogeyed the 14th but made eagle-3 at the last.

His three senior tour appearances this season include a T20 in the late-May Senior PGA Championship. He shared seventh in the 2021 Senior British Open.

Johnson (Maitland, Florida) played the front side even and made three birdies from 12 on in. Muehr (Bethesda, Maryland) scraped into the playoff despite playing his final six holes in 1-over.

Twice the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open champion emerged from the open qualifier: Doug Barron in 2019 and Willie Wood in 2012.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01es6rjnsp3c84zkm6 player_id=none image=https://golfweek.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Ernie Els, Darren Clarke, Padraig Harrington spice up Dick’s Sporting Goods Open field

Stars of the 50-and-over set are aligned in fine fashion to compete for $2.1 million in prize money.

BINGHAMTON, New York — Off one dark year followed by a decidedly modified version last summer, the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open is in celebratory mode for its return to presumed normalcy this week at En-Joie Golf Course.

Stars of the 50-and-over set are aligned in fine fashion to compete for $2.1 million in prize money on a municipal course that will host PGA Tour-sanctioned golf for the 51st time.

Competition is to commence Friday morning, with the conclusion of play − if all goes according to script − to come roughly 5:30 Sunday in Endicott.

Aside from utilization of digital tickets, which has become increasingly popular in the sports and entertainment industries, there’ll be no remnants of last year’s ticketing model. For 2021, when in deference to lingering COVID precautions capacity was capped at 5,000 per day − including for Friday’s Old Dominion concert − there were no exceptions to the $500 all-inclusive package for the tournament proper.

The field has been assembled — entries closed at 5 p.m. Friday and participants in the $2.1 million PGA Tour Champions event are to include:

• Steven Alker, who tops the PGA Tour Champions’ 2022 earnings list with $2,321,361.
• Alex Cejka, who has three top-four finishes this season.
• Darren Clarke, winner of last month’s Senior British Open.
• Ernie Els, runner-up by a stroke last summer in his Dick’s Open debut.
• Jim Furyk, a 17-time winner on the regular tour who was a three-time winner and three-time runner-up in 2020-21.
• Padraig Harrington, two-time British Open winner and this year’s U.S. Senior Open champion.
• Miguel Angel Jimenez, 10-time top-10 finisher this year who won last weekend’s Boeing Classic.
• Bernhard Langer, 43-time PGA Tour Champions winner who topped the 2014 Dick’s Open.

“I had a great time last year and you had a great champion, Cameron Beckman,” Els said via video on Twitter. “ … I’m really looking forward to coming back and enjoying the golf course and the people. Everything about the Dick’s tournament is just world-class.”

The 78-player field will be rounded out in today’s four-spot qualifier at The Links at Hiawatha Landing in Apalachin.

The Dick’s Sporting Goods Open has been played every year in Endicott from 2007 on, but for 2020, when the event was canceled amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Just one previous Dick’s Open wrap-up round has been played later in a calendar year than will be this week’s Aug. 21 closer. That came in 2015 when on Aug. 30, Jeff Maggert completed a two-stroke win over Paul Goydos for his fourth victory in a 10-start span − as an astute columnist wrote, “ … fairly well Langerian, or back in the day, Irwinian.”

A pre-competition treat comes in the form of the UHS Golf Expo featuring World Golf Hall of Fame member and PGA Tour Champions legend Bernhard Langer. That’ll be held Wednesday, with Langer’s presentation to come some time in the 6:15 p.m. range on the 18th green.

[listicle id=778063367]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01es6rjnsp3c84zkm6 player_id=none image=https://golfweek.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Wes Short Jr. leads Dick’s Sporting Goods Open, Ernie Els is in the hunt

Wes Short Jr. holds the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open’s first-round lead on the strength of a 6-under-par 66 Friday at En-Joie Golf Course.

Wes Short Jr. holds the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open’s first-round lead on the strength of a 6-under-par 66 Friday at En-Joie Golf Course.

A 57-year-old Texan whose most recent of four top-10s this season came in early November, Short made seven birdies against a bogey-6 at the inviting third. The 2016 runner-up is making his seventh Dick’s Open start.

“It was really good,” he said. “Hit more fairways today than I did all of last week probably on the first five holes, Last week was tough, makes this seem a little easier. I drove it really well. I only missed one fairway and maybe three greens and I putted a lot better.”

Bernhard Langer, 2014 Dick’s Open champion and 41-time PGA Tour Champions winner, closed a round of 5-under 67 with birdie at the 18th. He was 6-under at the turn — holing out for eagle from 91 yards at the par-5 eighth — but made three bogeys along the way to a 1-over back side.

“It was a strange day. I had to borrow a putter from (playing companion) Scott McCarron because mine broke (Thursday) and I was very fortunate to even find one that I could putt with,” Langer said. “Started playing really good, was 6-under on the front nine. Hit it close four times and then holed a wedge shot for eagle on No. 8 to get 6-under after eight holes.

Dick’s Sporting Goods Open’s: Live blog from the Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin

“I was hoping to shoot my age (63) today, but ran into some trouble on the back nine.

“If I had putted well today, I’d probably be 8- or 9-under right now, but it is what it is. The putter that was supposed to be shipped and arrive today, it didn’t make it because the plane was delayed, so maybe it’s getting here by tomorrow morning and we’ll do a little better tomorrow.”

Cameron Beckman chipped in at the par-5 12th for birdie and shares second with Langer.

A 51-year-old San Antonio resident, Beckman was a stroke over par through three holes but birdied five of the last six on the front, and proceeded to birdies at the 10th and 12th.

He has two top-10s in 14 PGA Tour Champions starts this season, and is a three-time regular-tour champion.

David Toms, 54, is among a group at 4-under 68. He was T42 in his 2019 Dick’s Open debut and is seeking his second PGA Tour Champions victory. He’s a 13-time PGA Tour winner who in 14 Champions Tour starts this season has seven top-10s.

Defending champion Doug Barron opened with a bogey-free 70.

Billy Andrade likewise opened with 68.

He is a three-time PGA Tour Champions winner with two top-10s in 21 starts this season— most recently in mid-May Mitsubishi Electric Classic. He’s finished 10th or better three times in the Dick’s Open, including a T9 (67-60-69) in 2019.

Andrade’s lowest Dick’s Open round is 66 (Round 3, 2018).

Skip Kendall joins that group at 68, two birdies per side. He is playing his second event of the 2020-21 season.

“I managed my game really well today,” said Kendall, 56. “I hit a bunch of fairways. I wasn’t in too much trouble except for maybe on 18, but managed to make par there. I think that’s — this golf course, it’s a premium to hit the fairways and when you do, it makes it a lot easier. Fairways are narrow, so if you can hit a bunch of fairways, you’re going to be in good shape, I think, and I did a lot of that today.”

Kendall’s top finish in three previous Dick’s Opens was a T31 in 2018.

A couple who’ll attract plenty of weekend attention: Miguel Angel Jiménez and Ernie Els, each at 68.

Joey Sindelar, longtime Horseheads resident now residing in the Town of Lansing, made 16 pars in a round of 72.

Follow Kevin Stevens on Twitter @PSBKevin. You can also reach him at kstevens@gannett.com.