Champions Tour -- who would you follow?

[John Cowden]

Ten days away from the Toshiba Champions event.  How would you spend a day or two?  Which old guy's swing do you envy (twice the points if you're 61+ , like me); and who's your favorite player to follow?  Lastly, whose form is approaching top shape right now?  (Please, try to keep me far from Mr. Elkington's group).

Cheers. 

[Sam Morrow]

Enjoy the event, I took my girlfriend (a non golfer) to the Insperity last year and she had a blast. The players really interact with the fans, only players who weren't friendly were not surprisingly Curtis Strange and Scott Hoch.

[Keith Doleshel]

You have to follow Couples if he's in the field.  He still hits it great.  Langer and Lehman too just because they figure to be in the hunt the way they've been playing the past few years on the Champions Tour.

[Mike_Clayton]

There are worse blokes to watch than Peter Senior. Who else has won main tour events in 5 separate decades? His swing looks a little odd but it is really solid. Good guy too.

[Tim_Cronin]

Freddie's fun to watch and attracts a quality gallery (wink, wink). Craig Stadier's a good one too, still liable to bury a wedge in the turf, and won last year at North Shore for the first time in ages. Hale Irwin can still drill the irons when he's on.

[Ryan McLaughlin]

Ill be at Newport on Friday by myself and Sunday morning with my 8 year old.  He looks forward to the tournament every year.  I actually stay away from the marquee groups.  The beauty of the seniors is that you can get up close and personal.  They interact with fans well.  Newports layout makes it easy to watch a lot of differerent holes and hit the beer tent on a regular basis!  The marquee groups get very crowded at Newport.  LAst year I was wondering by the 10th green and stopped to watch Crenshaw, Stads and someone else putting out.  Crenshaw came over to the ropes and started chatting with someone next to me.  I'm staring down at this rusty beat up heel shafted putter and wondering....how many clutch putts has that thing seen (i realize there are multiple little bens that he has used)?  He was just as much the gentleman you would expect.

[Bill_McBride]

Enjoy the event, I took my girlfriend (a non golfer) to the Insperity last year and she had a blast. The players really interact with the fans, only players who weren't friendly were not surprisingly Curtis Strange and Scott Hoch.

Why was that surprising?  Those were two of the surliest guys on the regular tour, close behind JC Snead.

[JMEvensky]

There are worse blokes to watch than Peter Senior. Who else has won main tour events in 5 separate decades? His swing looks a little odd but it is really solid. Good guy too.

PS would be boring as hell--he always hits it straight.

[JLahrman]

Enjoy the event, I took my girlfriend (a non golfer) to the Insperity last year and she had a blast. The players really interact with the fans, only players who weren't friendly were not surprisingly Curtis Strange and Scott Hoch.

Why was that surprising?  Those were two of the surliest guys on the regular tour, close behind JC Snead.

My brother played with Curtis Strange in the pro-am at the Houston event last year. I was expecting him to say that Strange was not much fun to be around. But he enjoyed the round. He said that Strange acknowledged that the fan interaction/pro-ams were not his favorite aspect of being on Tour, particularly when he was a young player and just wanted to work on his own game all the time. But he said that it's something he's tried to work on over the years, particularly now that he's on the Champions Tour and the fan interaction is even more important. My brother said that his group was sitting around in the clubhouse after the round, and Curtis Strange came in and joined them for a drink (though he certainly didn't have to).

My brother hits the ball a long way, and was driving it pretty well during this particular round. After another good long tee shot, Strange looked at my brother and said "You really hit the shit out of the ball". LOL.

[Peter Pallotta]

Lots of old heros of mine probably playing, but I think I'd most like to follow Corey Pavin around for 18 holes. I'd like to figure out and see for myself how a guy who barely hits it 250 yards off the tee, with a funky/ever changing swing for draws and fades, and who was never all that precise as an iron player, can consistently get around a 6600 yard course under par. Sure, he chips and putts really well, but it still is stunning/inspiring to me.

Peter

[Tim Gavrich]

+1 for Pavin. One of the game's last true artsts. Plus he's from SoCal, and will probably feel/look very comfortable/at home.

[Carl Nichols]

Enjoy the event, I took my girlfriend (a non golfer) to the Insperity last year and she had a blast. The players really interact with the fans, only players who weren't friendly were not surprisingly Curtis Strange and Scott Hoch.

Why was that surprising?  Those were two of the surliest guys on the regular tour, close behind JC Snead.

He said "not" surprisingly. 

[Mike Hendren]

If Trevino was still playing I'd say go to the range to watch him hit balls, then go home.

Given the field, I'd say go to the range to watch Watson hit balls, then go home.

Greatness is a thing of beauty. 

Bogey

[Bob_Huntley]

Here at Pebble the gold medal for being the snottiness player out there was Scott Hoch.

Bob

[Bill_McBride]

Enjoy the event, I took my girlfriend (a non golfer) to the Insperity last year and she had a blast. The players really interact with the fans, only players who weren't friendly were not surprisingly Curtis Strange and Scott Hoch.

Why was that surprising?  Those were two of the surliest guys on the regular tour, close behind JC Snead.

He said "not" surprisingly. 

Ahhhhh.....will work on my reading comprehension!

[Jerry Kluger]

Fuzzy is incredible.  He has his own line of vodka and interacts with the fans and probably the vodka as well.  I understand that at the SAS pro am he partnered with the owner of SAS and after nine holes they called the clubhouse for more mixers.  BTW: I did follow him for a few holes during the event itself and he was very friendly and amazing to watch as his caddy would tell him the yardage and he would grab a club and hit without any thoughts or practice swings.

[Bill_McBride]

I really enjoy watching Fred Funk kick ass out there.