Immediately recognizable names, winners of the biggest championships in golf, and some of the game’s most notable names are coming to Calgary for the inaugural Shaw Charity Classic at Canyon Meadow Golf Course. While many sports fans aren’t as familiar with the rising 20-something stars of the PGA Tour, even casual fans will recognize golf hall of famers like Fred Couples, Nick Price and Mark O’Meara, individuals who helped define the sport in 1980s and for much of the ensuing decade.
For those making the trip down to Canyon Meadows to see the tournament, which kicks off Friday and runs through Sunday (there are Pro-Ams that are open to the public on Wednesday and Thursday), here are some players to watch for:
Fred Couples – For many, Couples is the most instantly recognizable star of the tournament. A past Masters winner whose silky smooth swing continues to be the envy of all golfers, Couples has been a dominant player on the Champions Tour since turning fifty in 2009. Couples will also garner some attention as the captain of the American squad for the Presidents Cup, which is held in Ohio at the start of October.
Mark O’Meara – Known for his remarkable 1998 season when he won both the Masters and the British Open, two of 16 wins he had while on the PGA Tour. That success hasn’t quite translate onto the Champions Tour, though he did win a major championship in 2010, nearly three years after he made the move to the PGA Tour’s senior circuit.
Tom Lehman – A past winner of the British Open who played well on the PGA Tour right up until his transition to the senior side of the game, Lehman has become one of the Champions Tour’s best players, with seven wins. He hasn’t won in 2013, but remains a player who could potentially win any week he plays.
Fred Funk – One of the game’s most accurate players – and also one of its shortest hitters, Funk was once forced to wear a skirt after Annika Sorenstam outdrove him in an exhibition match. He’s the oldest player to ever win the Players Championship when he took the tournament in 2005, and has translated his late career success on the PGA Tour into wins on the Champions Tour, including three major championships.
Nick Price – The captain of the international team for the Presidents Cup, Price has spent much of 2013 injured. Price won three major championships while on PGA Tour and was among its biggest stars in the 1990s, with more than 50 professional wins in all, including twice a winner at he RBC Canadian Open.
Rod Spittle – One of only two Canadians playing regularly on the Champions Tour (the other is British Columbia’s Jim Rutledge), Spittle is living the dream of every golfer who has imagined turning pro at 50 and trying to play on tour. Spittle, who won the Canadian Amateur in consecutive years starting in 1977, initially skipped professional golf, instead opting to sell insurance. He had a five-year plan for turning pro and trying to qualify for the Champions Tour when he turned 50, and won in 2010, just as his money was running out. He remains a consistent player on tour.
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