Senior Players Championship

Kaulig Companies Championship
Tournament information
LocationAkron, Ohio
Established1983
Course(s)Firestone Country Club
(South Course)
Par70
Length7,248 yards (6,628 m)
Tour(s)PGA Tour Champions
FormatStroke play
Prize fundUS$3,500,000
Month playedJuly
Tournament record score
Aggregate261 Jack Nicklaus (1990)
261 Kenny Perry (2013)
Score−27 Jack Nicklaus (1990)
Current champion
South Africa Ernie Els
Location map
Firestone CC is located in the United States
Firestone CC
Firestone CC
Location in the United States
Firestone CC is located in Ohio
Firestone CC
Firestone CC
Location in Ohio

The Senior Players Championship, stylised by the PGA Tour as The SENIOR PLAYERS Championship, is one of the five major championships on golf's PGA Tour Champions. The inaugural event was played 41 years ago in 1983 and the age minimum is 50,[1][2][3] the standard for men's senior professional golf tournaments.

The winner gains entry into the following season's Players Championship on the PGA Tour (although Retief Goosen, the 2019 winner, was not allowed to play in the official subsequent Players Championship). For sponsorship reasons in 2023, the tournament was titled as the Kaulig Companies Championship.[4]

Unlike the U.S. Senior Open, the Senior PGA Championship, and the Senior Open Championship, it is not recognized as a major by the European Senior Tour, and is not part of that tour's schedule.

Since 2019, the Senior Players championship has been held at the South course of the Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio; it replaced the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational that had been held there before moving to Memphis, Tennessee.[5]

Course layout

[edit]
Hole 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Out 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 In Total
Yards 399 526 420 450 200 460 219 470 461 3,605 410 418 180 450 460 221 640 400 464 3,643 7,248
Par 4 5 4 4 3 4 3 4 4 35 4 4 3 4 4 3 5 4 4 35 70

Early years

[edit]

The first four editions were at Canterbury Golf Club near Cleveland; the inaugural in 1983 had fifty players, no cut, and a purse of $250,000;[2] Miller Barber won the title and $40,000, sinking a ten-foot (3 m) birdie putt on the final hole to finish one stroke ahead of runner-up Gene Littler. Arnold Palmer was seven strokes back, in a tie for fifth.[3]

Palmer won the next year by three strokes,[6] and successfully defended the title in 1985, winning by eleven strokes.[7] Heavy rains on Thursday afternoon reduced the tournament to 54 holes in 1986,[8] and Chi-Chi Rodríguez gained the first of his 22 wins on the senior tour, two strokes ahead of Bruce Crampton.[9]

Winners

[edit]
Year Winner Score To par Margin of
victory
Runner(s)-up Winner's
share ($)
Venue Location
Kaulig Companies Championship
2024 South Africa Ernie Els 270 −10 1 stroke South Korea Yang Yong-eun 525,000 Firestone
(South Course)
Akron, Ohio
2023 United States Steve Stricker (2) 269 −11 3 strokes United States David Toms 525,000 Firestone
(South Course)
Akron, Ohio
Bridgestone Senior Players Championship
2022 United States Jerry Kelly (2) 269 −11 2 strokes United States Steve Stricker 450,000 Firestone
(South Course)
Akron, Ohio
2021 United States Steve Stricker 273 −7 6 strokes United States Jerry Kelly 420,000 Firestone
(South Course)
Akron, Ohio
2020 United States Jerry Kelly 277 −3 2 strokes United States Scott Parel 420,000 Firestone
(South Course)
Akron, Ohio
2019 South Africa Retief Goosen 274 −6 2 strokes United States Jay Haas
United States Tim Petrovic
420,000 Firestone
(South Course)
Akron, Ohio
Constellation Senior Players Championship
2018 Fiji Vijay Singh 268 −20 Playoff United States Jeff Maggert 420,000 Exmoor Highland Park, Illinois
2017 United States Scott McCarron 270 −18 1 stroke United States Brandt Jobe
Germany Bernhard Langer
420,000 Caves Valley Owings Mills, Maryland
2016 Germany Bernhard Langer (3) 281 +1 1 stroke United States Joe Durant
Spain Miguel Ángel Jiménez
420,000 Philadelphia
(Wissahickon Course)
Flourtown, Pennsylvania
2015 Germany Bernhard Langer (2) 265 −19 5 strokes United States Kirk Triplett 405,000 Belmont Belmont, Massachusetts
2014 Germany Bernhard Langer 265 −15 Playoff United States Jeff Sluman 405,000 Fox Chapel Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
2013 United States Kenny Perry 261 −19 5 strokes United States Fred Funk 405,000 Fox Chapel Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
2012 United States Joe Daley 266 −14 2 strokes United States Tom Lehman 405,000 Fox Chapel Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship
2011 United States Fred Couples 273 −11 Playoff United States John Cook 405,000 Westchester Harrison, New York
2010 United States Mark O'Meara 273 −7 Playoff United States Michael Allen 405,000 TPC Potomac Potomac, Maryland
2009 United States Jay Haas 267 −13 1 stroke United States Tom Watson 405,000 Baltimore
(East Course)
Timonium, Maryland
2008 United States D. A. Weibring 271 −9 1 stroke United States Fred Funk 390,000 Baltimore
(East Course)
Timonium, Maryland
2007 United States Loren Roberts 267 −13 6 strokes United States Tom Watson 390,000 Baltimore
(East Course)
Timonium, Maryland
Ford Senior Players Championship
2006 United States Bobby Wadkins 274 −14 1 stroke United States Jim Thorpe 375,000 TPC of Michigan Dearborn, Michigan
2005 United States Peter Jacobsen 273 −15 1 stroke United States Hale Irwin 375,000 TPC of Michigan Dearborn, Michigan
2004 England Mark James 275 −13 1 stroke Spain José María Cañizares 375,000 TPC of Michigan Dearborn, Michigan
2003 United States Craig Stadler 271 −17 3 strokes United States Tom Kite
United States Jim Thorpe
United States Tom Watson
375,000 TPC of Michigan Dearborn, Michigan
2002 Australia Stewart Ginn 274 −14 1 stroke United States Hubert Green
United States Mike McCullough
United States Jim Thorpe
375,000 TPC of Michigan Dearborn, Michigan
2001 United States Allen Doyle 273 −15 Playoff United States Doug Tewell 375,000 TPC of Michigan Dearborn, Michigan
2000 United States Raymond Floyd (2) 273 −15 1 stroke United States Larry Nelson
United States Dana Quigley
345,000 TPC of Michigan Dearborn, Michigan
1999 United States Hale Irwin 267 −21 7 strokes Australia Graham Marsh 300,000 TPC of Michigan Dearborn, Michigan
1998 United States Gil Morgan 267 −21 3 strokes United States Hale Irwin 300,000 TPC of Michigan Dearborn, Michigan
1997 United States Larry Gilbert 274 −14 3 strokes Japan Isao Aoki
United States Bob Dickson
United States Jack Kiefer
United States Dave Stockton
270,000 TPC of Michigan Dearborn, Michigan
1996 United States Raymond Floyd 275 −13 2 strokes United States Hale Irwin 225,000 TPC of Michigan Dearborn, Michigan
1995 United States J. C. Snead 272 −16 Playoff United States Jack Nicklaus 225,000 TPC of Michigan Dearborn, Michigan
1994 United States Dave Stockton (2) 271 −17 6 strokes United States Jim Albus 210,000 TPC of Michigan Dearborn, Michigan
1993 United States Jim Colbert 278 −10 1 stroke United States Raymond Floyd 180,000 TPC of Michigan Dearborn, Michigan
The Senior Players Championship
1992 United States Dave Stockton 277 −11 1 stroke United States J. C. Snead
United States Lee Trevino
150,000 TPC of Michigan Dearborn, Michigan
1991 United States Jim Albus 279 −9 3 strokes New Zealand Bob Charles
United States Charles Coody
United States Dave Hill
150,000 TPC of Michigan Dearborn, Michigan
Mazda Senior Tournament Players Championship
1990 United States Jack Nicklaus 261 −27 6 strokes United States Lee Trevino 150,000 Dearborn Dearborn, Michigan
1989 United States Orville Moody 271 −17 2 strokes United States Charles Coody 105,000 TPC at Sawgrass Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida
1988 United States Billy Casper 278 −10 2 strokes United States Al Geiberger 60,000 TPC at Sawgrass Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida
1987 South Africa Gary Player 280 −8 1 stroke Australia Bruce Crampton
United States Chi-Chi Rodríguez
60,000 Sawgrass Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida
Senior Tournament Players Championship
1986 United States Chi-Chi Rodríguez 206[a] −10 2 strokes Australia Bruce Crampton 45,000 Canterbury Beachwood, Ohio
1985 United States Arnold Palmer (2) 274 −14 11 strokes United States Miller Barber
United States Lee Elder
United States Gene Littler
United States Charles Owens
36,000 Canterbury Beachwood, Ohio
1984 United States Arnold Palmer 276 −12 3 strokes Australia Peter Thomson 36,000 Canterbury Beachwood, Ohio
1983 United States Miller Barber 278 −10 1 stroke United States Gene Littler 40,000 Canterbury Beachwood, Ohio

Multiple winners

[edit]

Through 2023, six players had multiple wins in the Senior Players Championship:

Winners of both The Players and the Senior Players

[edit]

Three have won both The Players Championship and the Senior Players Championship:

Player The Players Championship Senior Players Championship
Jack Nicklaus 1974, 1976, 1978 1990
Raymond Floyd 1981 1996, 2000
Fred Couples 1984, 1996 2011

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Shortened to 54 holes due to rain.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Snead takes aim". Youngstown Vindicator. (Ohio). AP photo. June 10, 1983. p. 18.
  2. ^ a b "Miller Barber, Littler lead". Youngstown Vindicator. (Ohio). Associated Press. June 11, 1983. p. 14.
  3. ^ a b "Barber wins seniors title". Youngstown Vindicator. (Ohio). Associated Press. June 13, 1983. p. 17.
  4. ^ Ridenour, Maria (June 15, 2022). "Kaulig Companies to become title sponsor for Senior Players Championship, which will stay at Firestone Country Club". Golfweek.
  5. ^ Wright, Branson (April 12, 2018). "WGC-Bridgestone Invitational will leave Firestone in 2019 (photos)". cleveland.com.
  6. ^ "Rested Palmer decides it helps to be inspired". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. June 25, 1984. p. 2B.
  7. ^ "Refreshed Palmer sets senior mark". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. June 24, 1985. p. 2B.
  8. ^ "Rain stops seniors". Toledo Blade. (Ohio). Associated Press. June 20, 1986. p. 19.
  9. ^ "Rodriguez wins Senior TPC crown". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. June 24, 1985. p. 3B.
[edit]

41°00′29″N 81°30′29″W / 41.008°N 81.508°W / 41.008; -81.508