Miguel A. Jimenez “The most interesting man in the world” ended up taking the trophy in his Champions Tour debut. He ended with a (-14) for the tournament, followed by Bernhard Langer (-12), Jay Haas (-10), Fred Couples (-9), and Steve Pate (-7).
For those that don’t know, there were also Charles Schwab Cup points up for grabs. The Charles Schwab Cup is to the Champions Tour what the Fedex Cup is to the PGA tour. After the final results of the Greater Gwinnett Classic, the Charles Schwab Cup point standings look like this:
1. Miguel A. Jimenez 270
2. Bernhard Langer 158.40
3. Fred Couples 129.60
4. Jay Haas 77.40
T4. Chien Soon Lu 77.40
T4. Duffy Waldorf 77.40
T4. Kenny Perry 77.40
T4. Steve Pate 77.40
9. Dave Frost 48.60
T9. Marco Dawson 48.60
Miguel A. Jimenez dominated the Greater Gwinnett Classic, only having to play catch-up one time (the 2nd Rd). He bogeyed hole 3 (Par 4, 389 yards) and double bogeyed hole 4 (Par 5, 557 yards), taking 12 strokes through 2 holes. He quickly contained himself and made birdie on the following hole (after the double bogey) for a total of 3 birdies on the front, and 2 on the back. In the 1st Rd he never saw a bogey and the final round saw the same result. He claims his first career victory on the Champions Tour, becoming the 18th player in the history of the circuit to win in his debut. Along with Jeff Maggert’s win at the previous event, the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic Presented by C-Spire, it marks the first time since 1980 that back-to-back Champions Tour tournaments have been won by players making their debuts. In 1980, the first two official events ever played on the Champions Tour were won by Don January (Atlantic City International) and Roberto DeVicenzo (U.S. Senior Open).
Bernhard Langer finished 2nd in the tournament at (-12). He played very well in the GGC but struggled to manage the 8th (hole) in Rounds 2 and 3, bogeying both times. Playing better than most, Langer managed to birdie both the 17 and 18 in the last round. A hole that became difficult to master by the masses. In the top 5, everyone escaped unscathed except for Jay Haas who bogeyed the 17 in the 1st Rd.
After a spot in the top 3 for first 2 Rounds Fred Couples had a slow start on the final day bogeying 2 of his first 5 holes. It wasn’t until he reached 13 that he broke from par and finally birdied another hole (his first since teeing off for the day). He finished in 4th place for the tournament with (-9).
Notable stats:
– Chien Soon Lu led the tournament with fewest Putts Per Round (25.7)
– Bernhard Langer led the tournament in Greens In Regulation (48/54 for 88.9%) and tied for 1st in Sand Saves (1 for 1)
– In the top 15, Larry Mize tied for 4th in Fairway Hits ( 37/42 for 88.1%)
– In the top 15, Kenny Perry led in Drive Distance Average (292.3 yards on average. Ranked 3rd overall in that category).
-TPR
Photography: Hakim Wright