{"id":7072,"date":"2012-06-07T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2012-06-07T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nicklausdesign.com\/2012\/06\/07\/2012-traditions\/"},"modified":"2022-10-10T18:02:54","modified_gmt":"2022-10-10T22:02:54","slug":"2012-traditions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nicklausdesign.com\/2012\/06\/07\/2012-traditions\/","title":{"rendered":"Regions Tradition Underway at Jack Nicklaus-designed Shoal Creek"},"content":{"rendered":"
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. \u2013 A week after the best players in golf descended upon Jack Nicklaus\u2019 world-class layout at Muirfield Village Golf Club, the spotlight turns to the best in senior golf, who are being welcomed at another Golden Bear gem. Today, the Champions Tour\u2019s second major championship of the season, the Regions Tradition, tees off at Shoal Creek in Birmingham, Ala.<\/p>\n
Shoal Creek<\/a>, who opened to much acclaim in 1976, has a strong major championship tradition. The Top-100, Jack Nicklaus design previously hosted the 1984 and 1990 PGA Championship, the 1986 U.S. Amateur Championship, the 2008 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship and the 2011 Regions Tradition. The 7,197-yard, par-72, layout will again provide a stern test to the world\u2019s best.<\/p>\n \u201cShoal Creek is so special and so beautiful and the topography is so great. There are these areas where you just walk around and lose yourself. We want to take advantage of all that and really deliver a five-star experience to the fans,\u201d said PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem, who played in the NCR Pro-Am at the tournament. When asked about the condition of the Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course, Finchem replied, \u201cPerfect. It’s perfect… The thing about this golf course, it’s challenging for the really good player\u00a0– I wouldn’t put myself in that category\u00a0– but it’s very playable for the average player, too. That’s the hallmark of what greatness is in a golf course.\u201d<\/p>\n The course, which opened for play in 1976, is currently ranked 72nd on Golf Digest\u2019s<\/em> list of America\u2019s 100 Greatest Golf Courses.<\/p>\n This year marks the 24th playing of the Tradition. The field will be comprised of 76 players, who have combined for 740 total wins on both the PGA TOUR and Champions Tour, including 24 PGA TOUR majors and 18 Champions Tour majors. The format will be a 72-hole stroke-play event. As one of the Champions Tour majors, the double Charles Schwab Cup points awarded to the top-10 finishers in the Regions Tradition will be a critical factor in determining the Charles Schwab Cup champion at the end of the season. The Charles Schwab Cup will be played on Desert Mountain\u2019s Cochise Course<\/a>\u2014one of six Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Courses at Desert Mountain\u2014from Nov. 1-4.<\/p>\n Tom Lehman returns to the Regions Tradition to defend his title, one of three victories he posted last year. Lehman went on to win the season-long Charles Schwab Cup and was named 2011 Champions Tour Player of the Year.<\/p>\n Fan favorite Fred Couples is also committed, as is Charles Schwab Cup points leader Michael Allen, who will be seeking to extend his lead in the season-long points race. John Cook, currently second in the Schwab Cup standings, and Peter Senior, who was defeated by Lehman in a playoff at last year\u2019s Regions Tradition, will also return to Shoal Creek.<\/p>\n