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CHAMPIONS - Insperity Championship Preview
From The Sports Network
| DATES: Friday, May 3rd through Sunday, May 5th |
| SITE: The Woodlands Country Club (Tournament Course), The Woodlands, Texas |
| COURSE ARCHITECT: Robert von Hagge and Bruce Devlin (1978), |
| Carlton Gipson (1996, renovation) |
| Hole-By-Hole: | 1 - Par 5 520 Yds | 10 - Par 4 421 Yds | |
| 2 - Par 4 371 Yds | 11 - Par 4 417 Yds | |
| 3 - Par 3 158 Yds | 12 - Par 4 377 Yds | |
| 4 - Par 4 413 Yds | 13 - Par 5 533 Yds | |
| 5 - Par 4 456 Yds | 14 - Par 3 190 Yds | |
| 6 - Par 5 573 Yds | 15 - Par 5 521 Yds | |
| 7 - Par 4 414 Yds | 16 - Par 3 175 Yds | |
| 8 - Par 3 237 Yds | 17 - Par 4 382 Yds | |
| 9 - Par 4 418 Yds | 18 - Par 4 442 Yds | |
| ------------- | ------------- | |
| 36 3,560 Yds | 36 3,458 Yds | |
| Annual: | 10th |
| Television: | Golf Channel - Friday -- 7:30-9:30 p.m. (et) - taped, |
| | - Saturday -- 6:30-9:30 p.m. (et) - taped, |
| | - Sunday -- 7-9:30 p.m. (et) - taped |
| Defending Champion: | Fred Funk |
| Runner-Up: | Tom Lehman |
| Tournament Record: | 191 (Bernhard Langer, 2007) |
| 36-Hole Record: | 127 (Bernhard Langer, 2007) |
| Course Record: | 63 (Fred Couples, 2010; Michael Allen, 2011) |
| 18-Hole Record: | 62 (Bernhard Langer, 2007 - Augusta Pines) |
| Total Purse: | $1,800,000 |
| Shares: | 1st Place - $270,000; 2nd Place - $158,400; 3rd Place - $129,600 |
| 2012 Finish |
| Player | Score | Player | Score |
| Fred Funk | 202 | Bobby Clampett | 208 |
| Tom Lehman | 203 | Dan Forsman | 208 |
| Mike Goodes | 206 | Bernhard Langer | 208 |
| Michael Allen | 208 | Four players at | 210 |
| Brad Bryant | 208 | | |
| Past Insperity Championship Winners |
| Year | Winner (Score) -- Runners-Up |
| 2012 | Fred Funk (202) -- Tom Lehman |
| 2011 | #Brad Faxon (134) -- Tommy Armour III |
| 2010 | Fred Couples (199) -- Mark Wiebe |
| 2009 | John Cook (205) -- Jay Haas, Bob Tway |
| 2008 | Bernhard Langer (204) -- Lonnie Nielsen |
| 2007 | Bernhard Langer (191) -- Mark O'Meara |
| 2006 | #Jay Haas (128) -- Bruce Lietzke, Tom Purtzer |
| 2005 | Mark McNulty (200) -- Gil Morgan |
| 2004 | *Larry Nelson (202) -- Hale Irwin |
| NOTE:Formerly called Administaff Small Business Classic (2004-10) |
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| Top Contenders in the Field |
| Player | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | |
| Fred Funk | --- | --- | --- | T-18 | 3rd | T-19 | T-13 | --- | Won | |
| Tom Lehman | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | T-4 | T-9 | T-4 | 2nd | |
| Brad Bryant | --- | 4th | T-23 | --- | T-20 | --- | T-3 | T-10 | T-4 | |
| Bernhard Langer | --- | --- | --- | Won | Won | T-4 | T-13 | T-16 | T-4 | |
| Michael Allen | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | T-24 | T-4 | |
| Dan Forsman | --- | --- | --- | --- | T-20 | T-4 | T-3 | T-27 | T-4 | |
| Corey Pavin | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | T-5 | T-10 | T-9 | |
| Peter Senior | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | T-24 | T-8 | T-13 | |
| Jeff Sluman | --- | --- | --- | T-12 | 12th | T-30 | T-30 | T-24 | T-13 | |
| Mark Calcavecchia | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | T-30 | 7th | T-19 | |
| Loren Roberts | --- | --- | T-16 | --- | T-6 | T-26 | T-9 | T-16 | T-19 | |
| Kenny Perry | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | T-35 | T-19 | |
| David Frost | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | T-10 | T-9 | T-16 | T-27 | |
| Jay Haas | --- | T-5 | Won | T-4 | T-6 | T-2 | T-24 | T-4 | T-31 | |
| Russ Cochran | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | T-7 | T-13 | T-34 | T-31 | |
| Hal Sutton | --- | --- | --- | --- | T-23 | T-30 | T-21 | T-45 | T-31 | |
| Mark Wiebe | --- | --- | --- | T-24 | --- | T-10 | 2nd | T-27 | T-41 | |
| Hale Irwin | 2nd | 3rd | --- | T-24 | T-35 | T-74 | T-21 | T-34 | T-41 | |
| Mark McNulty | T-23 | Won | T-32 | T-18 | --- | T-50 | --- | T-34 | T-41 | |
| Brad Faxon | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | Won | T-51 | |
| John Cook | --- | --- | --- | T-36 | T-39 | Won | T-5 | T-10 | T-51 | |
| Larry Nelson | Won | T-56 | T-7 | --- | T-39 | T-42 | T-42 | --- | T-62 | |
| Rocco Mediate | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | |
| Sports Network Selections |
| Pick to Win - Bernhard Langer |
| Darkhorse - Tom Pernice, Jr. |
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| Last Week's Pick to Win (Bernhard Langer and Tom Lehman) - Finished T-14 |
| Last Week's Darkhorse (Fred Funk and Mike Goodes) - Finished tied for 2nd |
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| NOTES: |
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The Champions Tour travels to Texas this week for the Insperity Championship
at The Woodlands. Golf legends Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Lee
Trevino, Raymond Floyd and Johnny Miller will join Don January, Gene Littler,
David Graham, Tony Jacklin, Charles Coody and Dave Stockton in an 18-hole, 3-
man scramble on Saturday after the final tee time of the regular tournament.
This group of players includes eight World Golf Hall of Fame members and has
combined for more than 300 PGA Tour victories, over 50 major championships and
150 Champions Tour titles.
A stellar field is on hand, not to mention some local favorites, as well as
players who have had success in the Lone Star state. The top seven players on
the money list are in the field, including money leader and two-time Insperity
champion Bernhard Langer, who is the only 2-time winner on tour this season.
The purse increased $100,000 from last year to $1.8 million, with the winner
receiving $270,000.
Langer leads the money list by more than $290,000 over David Frost. Langer has
finished in the top three in five of six individual events played this year on
the Champions Tour. He also finished tied for 25th at the Masters. Frost has
five top-10 finishes in six events, including a win at the Toshiba Classic.
Palmer made his last official tour playing appearance in Houston in 2006 at
this event. Palmer won two times on the PGA Tour (1957, 66) and one unofficial
Champions Tour event in 1984 (Doug Sanders Celebrity Pro-Am) in Houston.
Last year, Fred Funk birdied four of the last five holes in the final round,
including the 18th, to beat Tom Lehman by one shot. Funk was the only player
to fire three rounds in the 60s and ended at 14-under-par 202. It was his
seventh Champions Tour title.
Brad Faxon was declared the winner in 2011 when heavy rain forced the
cancellation of the final round. The tournament was shortened to 36 holes and
Faxon, the second-round leader, earned his first Champions Tour victory in
only his sixth start on the over-50 circuit. Faxon's 7-under 65 in the second
round was enough to give him the title at 10-under 134. Faxon became the first
Champions Tour player to earn his maiden victory in a rain-shortened event
since Leonard Thompson in 1998.
In 2010, Fred Couples fired a 29 on the back nine in the final round that
turned a 2-stroke deficit into a 7-shot victory. Couples finished with a 9-
under 63 on the final day and got through 54 holes at 17-under 199. It was
Couples' fourth victory of 2010, but his first in seven months. He joined Jay
Haas and Bob Charles as the only players to win in Houston on the PGA Tour and
Champions Tour.
Langer shot rounds of 62-65-64 in 2007 to cruise to an 8-shot victory over
Mark O'Meara for his first Champions Tour victory. He closed the tournament
with 34 consecutive bogey-free holes. Langer finished with an overall score
of 25-under 191 to smash the tournament scoring record by nine shots and match
the Champions Tour record for a 54-hole score. He also broke the course record
with a 62 in the first round and established a new 36-hole mark at 127.
Langer's win came in only his fourth start on the Champions Tour.
The Champions Tour heads to Missouri in three weeks for the first Champions
Tour major of the year, the Senior PGA Championship at Bellerive Country Club
in St. Louis, where Roger Chapman will defend his title.
04/30 16:37:16 ET
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As of April 30, 2013, at 04:37 PM ET
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