The Tradition
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Birmingham, Alabama |
| Established | 1989, 35 years ago |
| Course(s) | Greystone G&CC, Founders Course |
| Tour(s) | Champions Tour |
| Format | Stroke play - 72 holes |
| Prize fund | $2.3 million |
| Month played | May |
| Current champion | |
 Jeff Maggert | |
G & CC
G & CC
The Tradition is one of the five major championships recognized by the U.S.-based Champions Tour, the world's leading tour for professional golfers aged fifty and older. The inaugural event was staged in 1989.
Unlike the U.S. Senior Open, Senior PGA Championship and The Senior Open Championship, it is not recognized as a major by the European Seniors Tour, and is not part of that tour's official schedule. Unlike the mainstream major championships, some of the senior majors have title sponsors, and at present The Tradition is officially known as the "Regions Tradition". It is the only senior major where the winner does not earn an exemption into a PGA Tour or European Tour event.
Locations
Arizona
From its inception in 1989 through 2001, the tournament was held in Arizona at the Cochise Golf Course of the Golf Club at Desert Mountain in Scottsdale. In 2002, it was held at the The Prospector Course of Superstition Mountain Golf & Country Club near Gold Canyon.[1] While in Arizona, the event was played in early April.
Oregon
In 2003, the event relocated to northwest Oregon for four years at the South Course of The Reserve Vineyards and Golf Club in Aloha, just west of Portland. Following the 2006 edition, it moved to the high desert of central Oregon for four years, to the Crosswater Club in Sunriver, south of Bend. The lengthy course sits on 600 acres (2.4 km2) of woodlands and preserved wetlands along the Deschutes River, at an average elevation of 4,170 feet (1,270 m) above sea level. The par-72 layout played at 7,316 yards (6,690 m) in 2009. During the eight years in Oregon, the event was held in mid- to late August.
Alabama
Following the 2010 event, Birmingham, Alabama-based Regions Financial Corporation announced in August that it was taking over sponsorship of the tournament. For five years, the event was played at the Shoal Creek Golf and Country Club in the Shoal Creek development, southeast of Birmingham. [2] The Tradition superseded the Regions Charity Classic, a regular Champions Tour event which began in 1992 as the Bruno's Memorial Classic.[3] Shoal Creek previously hosted two PGA Championships, in 1984 and 1990.
Since moving to Alabama in 2011, the event has been played in May and June. In 2016, it moved from Shoal Creek to the nearby Greystone Golf and Country Club, and it will be held on the recently renovated Founders Course.
Winners
| Year | Champion | Country | Course | Location | Winner's share ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regions Tradition | |||||
| 2016 | Greystone G&CC | Hoover, Alabama | 345,000 | ||
| 2015 | Jeff Maggert |  United States |
Shoal Creek G&CC | Shoal Creek, Alabama | 345,000 |
| 2014 | Kenny Perry | United States |
330,000 | ||
| 2013 | David Frost |  South Africa |
335,000 | ||
| 2012 | Tom Lehman (2) | United States |
335,000 | ||
| 2011 | Tom Lehman | United States |
330,000 | ||
| JELD-WEN Tradition | |||||
| 2010 | Fred Funk (2) | United States |
Crosswater Club | Sunriver, Oregon | 392,000 |
| 2009 | Mike Reid | United States |
392,000 | ||
| 2008 | Fred Funk | United States |
392,000 | ||
| 2007 | Mark McNulty |  Zimbabwe Ireland |
390,000 | ||
| 2006 | Eduardo Romero |  Argentina |
The Reserve Vineyards & G.C. | Aloha, Oregon | 375,000 |
| 2005 | Loren Roberts | United States |
375,000 | ||
| 2004 | Craig Stadler | United States |
345,000 | ||
| 2003 | Tom Watson | United States |
330,000 | ||
| The Countrywide Tradition | |||||
| 2002 | Jim Thorpe | United States |
Superstition Mountain G&CC (Prospector course) |
Superstition Mountain, Arizona | 300,000 |
| 2001 | Doug Tewell | United States |
Golf Club at Desert Mountain (Cochise course) |
Scottsdale, Arizona | 255,000 |
| 2000 | Tom Kite | United States |
240,000 | ||
| The Tradition presented by Countrywide | |||||
| 1999 | Graham Marsh |  Australia |
Golf Club at Desert Mountain (Cochise course) |
Scottsdale, Arizona | 225,000 |
| 1998 | Gil Morgan (2) | United States |
210,000 | ||
| 1997 | Gil Morgan | United States |
180,000 | ||
| The Tradition | |||||
| 1996 | Jack Nicklaus (4) | United States |
Golf Club at Desert Mountain (Cochise course) |
Scottsdale, Arizona | 150,000 |
| 1995 | Jack Nicklaus (3) | United States |
150,000 | ||
| 1994 | Raymond Floyd | United States |
127,500 | ||
| 1993 | Tom Shaw | United States |
127,500 | ||
| 1992 | Lee Trevino | United States |
120,000 | ||
| The Tradition at Desert Mountain | |||||
| 1991 | Jack Nicklaus (2) | United States |
Golf Club at Desert Mountain (Cochise course) |
Scottsdale, Arizona | 120,000 |
| 1990 | Jack Nicklaus | United States |
120,000 | ||
| 1989 | Don Bies | United States |
90,000 | ||
Multiple winners
Four men have multiple wins in The Tradition (through 2015):
- 4 wins: Jack Nicklaus
- 2 wins: Gil Morgan, Fred Funk, Tom Lehman
References
- ^ The Countrywide Tradition moves to a new home
- ^ al.com - How the Regions Tradition came to Shoal Creek - 2011-05-04
- ^ Shoal Creek will host Regions Tradition in 2011
External links
- Official website
- Coverage on the Champions Tour's official site
- Greystone Golf and Country Club – official site – current venue
- Shoal Creek Golf and Country Club – official site – (former venue, 2011–2015)
- Crosswater Golf Club – official site – (former venue, 2007–2010)
- The Reserve Vineyards – official site – (former venue, 2003–2006)
