Senior Players Championship

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.

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 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

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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

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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

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

Multiple winners

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

Winners of both The Players and the Senior Players

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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

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  1. ^ Shortened to 54 holes due to rain.

References

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