One more chance to get a win on the Champions Tour, one more opportunity to capture the money title and one last chance to win the Charles Schwab Cup. After 28 events, it culminates at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship in Sonoma, Cal. Standing at the top of the standings are Jay Haas, No. 1, and Loren Roberts, No. 2.
Haas and Roberts have four wins each. They are the only two who have a chance at the money title, with Haas approximately $115,000 ahead and also just over 120 points ahead in the Cup race. The winner of the Charles Schwab Cup Championship gets a $1 million annuity.
Haas won three straight in April and May ' the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf, FedEx Kinkos, and the Senior PGA. He added a fourth, the Administaff Small Business Championship, two weeks ago for his fourth win of the season.
Roberts matches him with four victories this year ' including the first three of the season (MasterCard Championship, Turtle Bay Championship, ACE Group Classic). He then won a major, the Senior British Open Championship, in a playoff with Eduardo Romero.
Roberts has lived up to his reputation as a great putter, this year enjoying a big lead on the Champions Tour in the category. He has learned well from several practitioners of the art.
Well, obviously I have to go back - Ben Crenshaw would be just a little bit before my time, but two totally different styles what I did and what he does, said Roberts. I think Dave Stockton was another great putter that putts somewhat similar to the way I putt. I kind of look at Phil Mickelson’s stroke, also, because he has a very kind of little bit longer, slower stroke like me. I like to watch his stroke because of the pace of it.
But I would probably say out of all those guys, Ben was the one I liked to watch and different style, a little more swing, a little more inside the line close and topspin on it, great feel putter. But of all the guys, I’ve never seen anybody more disappointed when he lips out a 25-footer.
Haas says he has several goals in mind, but they all go hand in hand with winning.
Well, I guess my goal of leading the money list or winning the Charles Schwab Cup championship and points list, kind of goes hand in hand with winning tournaments out here and contending each week and things like that, said Haas.
I guess I specifically haven’t said, well I want to win the U. S. Senior Open or the PGA Seniors or anything like that. I guess I didn’t - I have not written them down or verbalized them out loud to anyone. But I guess that - I know how difficult it is to win any golf tournament, to peak at the right times, to be able to all of a sudden call your best game forward and just say, OK, now I’m going to start really playing. I have never been able to do that.
But Haas does plan to play hard this week, and it may pay off in a million-dollar annuity.
Related Links: