Tag: Greystone Golf & Country Club

Doug Barron wins first PGA Tour Champions major at 2024 Regions Tradition

Steven Alker had the best round Sunday but no one was going to catch Barron.

Just before the start of the final round of the 2024 Regions Tradition, the first of five majors in 2024 on the PGA Tour Champions schedule, Steve Stricker withdrew from next week’s PGA Championship, the second major of the PGA Tour campaign. Stricker was in that field by virtue of his win in the 2023 KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship.

He’s also the two-time defending champ of the Regions Tradition at Greystone Golf & Country Club in Birmingham, Alabama, but a final-round 69 left him short of an eighth Champions tour major.

Sunday started with Doug Barron and Ernie Els, both chasing their first PGA Tour Champions major title, tied for the lead.

While Els could only spin his wheels, shooting a 1-under 71 to finish 14-under, Barron, who said he woke up at four in the morning but sounded like he didn’t mean to, took control of the event. He followed his third-round 66 – the best round of the day by three shots – with a bogey-free, final-round 68 to finish 17 under and win his first senior major by two shots.

“Today was just a dream come true, beating all these great players,” Barron told Golf Channel on the 18th green minutes after his victory. He was in the final group alongside Els and Padraig Harrington.

Barron, 54, earned $390,000 for the win. The total purse for the tournament was $2.6 million. He now has three victories on the senior circuit.

He praised his putting coach for his success on the greens all week.

“I got one of the best putting lessons from my coach back home last week, and I really got my putter going. I felt like I could make an 8-footer again,” he said. “It was huge because I didn’t hit any fairways. I hardly missed a fairway coming into today.”

Steven Alker was solo second after firing a 9-under 63 on Sunday, the best score of the week by two shots.

Stewart Cink finished tied for third with Stricker and Els. Charlie Wi and K.J. Choi tied for sixth. Bernhard Langer, in his second event back after recovering from Achilles surgery, tied for eighth with Kenny Perry. Padraig Harrington, Brian Gay and Stuart Appleby tied for 10th at 9 under. Harrington was in the final group but posted a final-round 74.

Steve Stricker defends his title at the Regions Tradition for his fifth major win on the PGA Tour Champions

Stricker won by six for his 13th PGA Tour Champions victory.

Steve Sticker loves the Regions Tradition.

The 56-year-old won it in 2019, lost in a playoff in 2021, won it again in 2022 and now adds his third Regions title to his resume after posting a 7-under 65 in the final round to win by six over Ernie Els and Robert Karlsson.

Stricker dominated Greystone G&CC in Birmingham, Alabama, all week, shooting scores of 68-68-64 in the first three rounds. He has now cumulated five major titles since joining the PGA Tour Champions. This is Stricker’s second win this season, with the first coming in January at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai.

Jerry Kelly finished solo fourth at 16 under while Marco Dawson, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Paul Broadhurst and Padraig Harrington tied for fifth at 15 under.

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Tim O’Neal, an alternate in the first PGA Tour Champions major of 2023, is tied for lead

O’Neal was one of five golfers who earned a 2023 PGA Tour Champions card at Q-School last December.

Tim O’Neal was one of five golfers who earned a 2023 PGA Tour Champions card at Q-School last December.

Five months later, he’s bidding to claim his first senior major.

At the senior circuit’s first major of the year, the Regions Tradition at Greystone Golf & Country Club in Birmingham, Alabama, O’Neal shot a 5-under 67 and is tied for the lead with Billy Andrade and Paul Broadhurst.

O’Neal, who had his best Champions finish, a tie for 10th a week ago, posted eagles on No. 18 – he played the back nine first – and then a second eagle two holes later on No. 2. Both holes are par 5s.

“I was able to hit 4-iron into the 18-green to about five feet for eagle. Then the other eagle was on the first par 5 on the front 9, hole 2. I was able to hit 8-iron in there and made about a 12-footer for eagle,” he said. He added that putting was the key for him on Thursday.

“I was finally able to start making some putts and hopefully I can continue doing that.”

He had three birdies and two bogeys along the way before closing with five straight pars.

There are four golfers at 4 under, a shot back of the lead, including defending champion Steve Stricker. He’s joined by Ernie Els, Ken Duke and Padraig Harrington.

Bernhard Langer is among six golfers two shots back at 3 under.

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Steve Stricker takes Sunday stroll to PGA Tour Champions major title at Regions Tradition

Steve Stricker cruised to a six-shot win at the Regions Tradition.

Steve Stricker, playing a third week in a row on the PGA Tour Champions after being knocked down for six months due to mysterious illness, is back in the winner’s circle.

Stricker led the Regions Tradition by three shots after 54 holes at Greystone Golf & Country Club and never let up Sunday.

After a birdie on No. 17, he stood on the 18th tee box at 20 under, five shots clear of the field. He would tack on another birdie on the par-5 closing hole to get to 21 under and win by a whopping six shots.

It’s the fifth major championship on the senior circuit for Stricker, who has a tie for second and a tie for 10th to go with this latest win in his last three weeks of competition.

Stricker was runner-up in this event a year ago to Alex Cejka, but Cejka was disqualified following his third round Saturday. According to the tour, he was found to be using a “yardage book that had not been approved for the competition by the PGA Tour Champions Rules Committee.”

Also DQ’d this week: John Daly got the boot after the second round Friday after he failed to sign his scorecard.

Padraig Harrington birded his last two holes to earn a solo second finish at 15 under.

Steve Alker, who had two wins and a runner-up finish in his last three starts before this week, bogeyed the 18th to fall into a five-way tie for third at 14 under. Alker now has 14 top-10s and 10 top-5s in just 17 starts since joining the Champions tour last summer.

Ernie Els, Rodney Pampling and Stuart Appleby also tied Alker at 14 under.

The Champions tour is off next week and returns to action May 26-29 with the KitchenAide Senior PGA Championship at Harbor Shores Resort in Benton Harbor, Michigan.

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Alex Cejka disqualified from Regions Tradition, won’t defend at PGA Tour Champions major

Alex Cejka is the second player in two days to get bounced from the PGA Tour Champions major.

A year ago, Alex Cejka won his first major on the PGA Tour Champions in his third start on the circuit at the Regions Tradition. It was the first of two major wins in three weeks in 2021.

Cejka won’t defend his title at the Regions, however, after he was disqualified after the third round for breaches of Model Local Rule G-11, Restricting Use of Green-Reading Materials.

According to the tour, he was found to be using a “yardage book that had not been approved for the competition by the PGA Tour Champions Rules Committee.”

Cejka had just finished shooting a round of 66 at Greystone Golf & Country Club in Birmingham, Alabama. He was 7 under, tied for 14th before getting bounced.

In 2019, he was disqualified from the PGA Tour’s Honda Classic for using “greens-reading materials that did not fit the new scale allowed.”

Cejka was the second golfer in two days to get the heave-ho from the Regions. On Friday, John Daly was DQ’d after he failed to sign his scorecard.

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Steve Stricker is one round away from claiming his fifth PGA Tour Champions major victory

This comeback story would be one for the record books.

What we’re seeing in Birmingham, Alabama, is straight out of a redemption movie.

Just weeks after leading the U.S. Ryder Cup team to a victory at Whistling Straits, Steve Stricker fell ill, a sickness that is still a mystery to this day.

Now, after three rounds at Greystone Golf & Country Club, Stricker leads the Regions Tradition by three shots and is just 18 holes away from winning his fifth major championship on the senior circuit.

After back-to-back birdies on Nos. 3 and 4, the 55-year-old added another circle to the card on No. 8 to turn with a 3-under 33. A misstep on 10 pushed him back to 2 under for the day, but he would rebound with birdies on 13, 14, 15, and 18.

Stricker sits atop the leaderboard at 17 under.

Steve Stricker lines up a putt on the eighth green during the third round of the Regions Tradition at Greystone Golf and Country Club on May 14, 2022 in Birmingham, Alabama. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)

Steve Alker, who’s compiled two wins and a runner-up finish in his last three starts, is the closest competitor to Stricker sitting at 14 under for the tournament after a Saturday afternoon 7-under 65.

Alker opened with birdies on Nos. 1 and 2, then added another on No. 8 for a front-side 33. Four more birdies on the back to complete the bogey-free effort.

Miguel Angel Jiménez is at 12 under for the tournament, five shots back of the lead. Stuart Appleby and Padraig Harrington are 11 under while Ernie Els and Glen Day sit at 10 under.
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Steve Stricker leads, John Daly DQ’d at 2022 Regions Tradition

Steve Stricker holds the lead but John Daly won’t be around for the weekend at the PGA Tour Champions major.

Scott McCarron shot a 65 to post his best score in two years.

Steve Stricker continues to make a remarkable return from a mysterious illness.

And John Daly was disqualified after failing to sign his scorecard.

It all made for an interesting second round at the first PGA Tour Champions major of the 2022 season, the Regions Tradition.

Daly shot a 68 on Thursday which marked just his second sub-70 in 19 rounds so far this year. Friday he played the back nine first alongside Steve Flesch and Rocco Mediate and he was 4 under through 11 holes. But he double bogeyed the par-3 seventh and then finished his round with another double on the par-4 ninth for a 72. His 4 under score after two days had him in a tie for 16th before the DQ. It’s the first time he’s been DQ’d from a PGA Tour Champions event.

Stricker, the first-round leader at the Regions Tradition, battled an illness that is still a mystery about six months ago that put him in the hospital for 11 days. The winning Ryder Cup captain is playing in his third tournament in three weeks since his return and has a tie for second and a tie for 10th so far. A win this week would be his fifth major title on the PGA Tour Champions. His second-round 68 has him in the lead again, two shots ahead of McCarron and Padraig Harrington.

For McCarron, this week also marks the return to contention as he had surgery on his left ankle last year. After opening with a 70 on Thursday, he fired a 65 on Friday to tie Stricker for low round of the week so far at Greystone Golf & Country Club in Birmingham, Alabama.

Playing the back nine first, McCarron had four straight birdies on Nos. 12-15 and then had another on 17 before a bogey on his ninth hole. The 65 is his best score this season by four shots.

This is his ninth event in 2022 and his best finish is a tie for 34th at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai in January.

Ernie Els is solo fourth at 8 under after back-to-back 68s. Miguel Angel Jimenez is tied for fifth with Stuart Appleby and Steven Alker at 7 under.

Seeing Alker in the mix is no surprise. Since joining the senior circuit in August of 2021, Alker has 13 top-10s and nine top-5s in just 16 starts. He has also pushed his career earnings on the senior circuit above the $2 million mark.

The New Zealander has two wins and a tie for second in his last three starts. He didn’t play last week so that he could attend his son’s high school graduation but he’s back, doing what he does, climbing leaderboards.

Last week’s winner, Flesch, is in a large group of golfers at 6 under, tied for eighth.

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Watch: Charles Barkley has a new swing; Ernie Els calls Nick Saban ‘football royalty’

The talk of the pro-am was Barkley, who displayed a new-and-improved swing that eliminated much of the herky-jerky motion he’s known for.

When he’s walking the streets in his native South Africa, Ernie Els is a pretty big deal. The Big Easy has 74 professional golf victories including 19 on the PGA Tour and 28 on the European Tour.

But when he’s in Alabama, Els understands the pecking order. And while fans were excited to see Els and other members of the PGA Tour Champions as part of the Regions Tradition pro-am in Birmingham on Wednesday, Alabama football coach Nick Saban still commands the room’s attention.

Els and Saban went off at 9 a.m. CT on Wednesday at Greystone Golf & Country Club, ahead of other stars like Charles Barkley, Bo Jackson, Eddie George, Georgia football coach Kirby Smart and former Auburn coach and current U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville.

“Yeah, that is royalty right there. I’m from South Africa, so I’ve been coming to the U.S. many years and I kind of understand the culture here, especially in football culture,” Els said of Saban. “That is as high up the tree as you can go, Nick Saban. So it was a real treat to play with him and have a chat with him. Just to be around him was really special.”

And while Els hasn’t spent much time in state, he did take an Iron Bowl football game in while his nephew was attending Auburn. He admitted that playing Saban in Alabama was an unforgettable experience.

“It’s like some kind of a rock star, Elvis Presley walking around. People just want to be near him, they want to be close to him, they just want to touch and feel him,” Els said. “He’s the man around here, and rightfully so. Arguably—probably not even arguably—he’s the best coach in my lifetime. To have been paired with him and to rub shoulders with him was great. It was a good time.”

And while the masses huddled around Saban, the talk of the pro-am was Barkley, who displayed a new-and-improved swing that eliminated much of the herky-jerky motion the former NBA star has been known for on the golf course.

Barkley piped his first drive, looking the part of a seasoned vet in the process.

“Stan Utley got me fixed, man,” Barkley said.

Late last year, Barkley spoke with Golfweek‘s Adam Schupak and indicated that too many cooks had made for an explosion in his kitchen.

“I used to be a good player until I took too many lessons from too many different people. Now I’ve got 10 people talking to me at a time when I’m trying to swing the golf club,” Barkley said in November. “I’m really trying to get out of it. I’m working with Stan Utley now and I’m playing better than I have in 20 years. But I’ve tried everything, including hypnosis. I’ll never believe in it again. I woke up with the same sh–y swing.”

Barkley was helped by some soft greens and fairways as the area saw significant rains on Tuesday.

Els, for one, was impressed with the grounds on Wednesday, as the senior circuit’s best players worked in anticipation of this week’s event, the first major on the PGA Tour Champions’ 2021 calendar.

“I think the course held up unbelievably. I mean, yesterday we had six inches of rain. I really didn’t even think we would play this morning, but they’ve done well, the superintendents have done well. The greens are running beautifully,” Els said. “So I think we’re in for a good week. It’s still going to be very soft. We’re probably going to have the ball in hand probably the first maybe two rounds and then see how it goes. Really happy to see the course being playable.”

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Max Homa makes first-ever albatross, brags about it on Twitter

On Monday, Max Homa did what a lot of us do on our day off: he played golf. However, he then did something few of us have ever done.

Max Homa teamed up with Talor Gooch for the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, the lone team event on the PGA Tour.

The pair finished tied for 17th and took home about $37,000 each for their time in the Bayou.

Homa is playing again this week in the Valspar Championship but on Monday, he did what a lot of us do on our day off and he played golf.

Taking a detour northeast from New Orleans before he heads to back south to Tampa, Homa paid a visit to Greystone Golf & Country Club in Birmingham, Alabama, where he then did something that few golfers have ever done.

Yup, he made an albatross. Some might call it a double eagle, but either way, Homa can add that feat to his list of accomplishments.

What are the odds of making an albatross? About 1 million to one, although if you’re a PGA Tour winner like Homa, your odds are considerably better. By comparison, the National Hole-In-One Registry says a Tour pro has about a 3,000-to-1 chance to make an ace.

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