It’s major season once again for those who have reached the back nine of their careers but still have plenty of golf left in the tank. The Bridgestone Senior PLAYERS Championship offers yet another shot at major glory for legends of the game as they head to the storied Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio.
Mike Weir has been hot – red hot. Weir captured his first PGA Champions Tour victory at the Insperity Invitational earlier this season and has earned three 2nd place finishes and nine Top 10 finishes during the 2020-2021 PGA Champions Tour season.
The Canadian golfing icon from Brights Grove, Ontario, is seeking to notch his second career major victory at the Senior PLAYERS Championship, 18 years after his triumphant 2003 Masters win. Weir looks to build off of his T-5 finish at the Kitchen Aid Senior PGA Championship where plenty of signs that the left-hander’s game was trending in the right direction as he continues to show signs of promise this season.
Here’s a breakdown of all you need to know as we get set for the first round.
The Course
Few courses are as frequently played at the professional level than Firestone Country Club’s South Course. Also known as “The Monster,” this 7,400-yard par 70 is a beast, and was formerly home to the WGC Bridgestone Invitational for several years, prior to that it hosted tour stops as far back as 1954. In brief, this course is no stranger to the golfers who are teeing it up at the Senior PLAYERS Championship.
The Favourites
Bernhard Langer of Germany has been the most dominant player on the Champions Tour for nearly 15 years and his game still shows no signs of deterioration. He is also particularly fond of this event, winning it three consecutive years from 2014-2016. In any list of favourites,
Langer has to be among the top. Of course, who could discount Jerry Kelly, the tournament’s defending champion and current money list leader. Alex Čejka another German golfer currently holds two of the five majors this year (winning The Tradition and Senior PGA Championship). If he captures this week’s event, let the conversation begin about a possible grand slam.
And then there’s another Canadian who has flown under the radar over the past several years until his recent victory at the Principal Charity Classic. Stephen Ames is currently ranked twentieth on the Champions Tour money list and is showing improved form as of late. Could Ames notch his biggest win since his six-shot victory at the PLAYERS Championship in 2006 this week? Only time will tell.