The "kids" had their turn, and now it's time for the 50-plus crowd to tee it up on the islands of Hawaii.
The Champions Tour kicks off the 2011 season this week at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai, where 61-year-old Tom Watson looks to defend his title.
Don't let Watson's age fool you, though. The Champions Tour isn't ruled by players nearly eligible for Social Security benefits; Watson is surely the exception. The Champions Tour received a much-needed breath of fresh air last year when a new crop of "rookies" crossed over the age-50 border. Along with an established group of players under the age of 55, the "youth" on the Champions Tour is leading the way.
While newcomers Fred Couples and Mark Calcavecchia provided the spark last season, the man currently holding the Charles Schwab Cup is Bernhard Langer, who at the age of 53 hasn't shown any signs of slowing down over the past couple seasons. Langer won five times on the Champions Tour last season, and surely has no plans to hand over the Cup to these sprightly young newcomers.
Langer will be looking to get off to a quick start in defense of his 2010 title this week, but he'll have his hands full as many of the biggest names on tour are in the field. Fred Couples, Jay Haas and Nick Price are in attendance this week, as well as 2009 champ Fred Funk.
It should be an exciting week at Hualalai, but in the end, look for Couples to walk away with the win this week. Couples lost in a playoff to Watson last season, but this time around, he'll get the better of Watson and the rest of the field and send a message to Langer as well that the race for the Cup is on.
Carla Gugino Ana Hickmann Mischa Barton Jamie Lynn Sigler Stacy Keibler
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