The 2013 TPC Sugarloaf Golf Championship

4B • Sunday, April 14, 2013 • www.gwinnettdailypost.com

greater gwinnett championship IF YOU GO • What: Champions Tour’s Greater Gwinnett Championship • When: Monday-Sunday • Where: TPC at Sugarloaf • More information: www.greatergwinnettchampionship.com and www.tpcsugarloaf.com EVENT SCHEDULE

Monday • Practice rounds (closed to the public) Tuesday • Practice rounds (closed to the public) Wednesday • Championship Pro-Am, morning tee times begin at 7:15 a.m.; afternoon tee times begin at 12:15 p.m.

Thursday • Championship Pro-Am, morning tee times begin at 7:15 a.m.; afternoon tee times begin at 12:15 p.m.

Friday • First round, tee times begin at 11:05 a.m.

• Golf Channel coverage, 12:30-2:30 p.m.

Saturday • Second round, tee times begin at 11:05 a.m.

• Golf Channel coverage, 3-6 p.m.

• Kids Day activities, 1-4 p.m.

Sunday, April 21 • Final round, tee times begin at 11:05 a.m.

• Golf Channel coverage, 3-6 p.m.

ON-COURSE INFORMATION • Public seating bleachers will be available on holes No. 1, 16, and 18 and concessions, vendors and expo tents are behind the 18th green.

• The following is a closer look at the concessions offerings: 18th hole Dave & Buster’s (Thursday-Sunday) Jim N’ Nicks (Friday-Sunday) 16th hole Chick-fil-A (Friday-Saturday) Proof of the Pudding (Sunday) 10th hole Herschel’s Famous 34 (Friday-Sunday) 1st hole fairway Happy Belly Curbside Kitchen (Friday-Sunday) NOTE: Additional concession stands will be at No. 5 green, No. 8 green and No. 13 green DIRECTIONS/PARKING All parking is located at the Gwinnett Center at 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway in Duluth. Complimentary shuttles will take spectators to and from the TPC at Sugarloaf.

Shuttle times to/from TPC at Sugarloaf: • Wednesday: 6 a.m.-8:30 p.m.

• Thursday: 6 a.m.-8:30 p.m.

• Friday: 9:30 a.m.-1 hour after last putt • Saturday: 9:30 a.m.-1 hour after last putt • Sunday: 9:30 a.m.-1 hour after last putt

Concentrated effort

Watson including Gwinnett in busy spring schedule

By Ben Beitzel

Staff Writer ben.beitzel@ gwinnettdailypost,com

Before Tom Watson hung up the phone during a Q&A with media about his commitment to play in the Greater Gwinnett Championship, the eight-time major champion winner wanted to ask his own question.

“Are the azaleas and dogwoods going to be in bloom?” Watson asked.

At 63 years old, Watson hasn’t lost either his love of golf or his competitive drive. It was just four years ago that at the age of 59 he took Duluth resident Stewart Cink into a playoff in the British Open, nearly becoming the oldest major champion winner.

Now Watson plays many weeks on the Champions Tour, mixing in the occasional PGA event. With the Masters the week before and another Champions Tour stop following the inaugural week in Gwinnett, Watson is keeping a busy schedule through the early part of the golf season.

He doesn’t play often, but when he does, he prefers to string events together.

“I pretty much know my body,” Watson said. “The real question is how will my body respond to that.

The main thing is to keep my energy up. You never know what will happen … you can go from the penthouse to the outhouse

REUTERS/Phil Noble

Former Masters champion Tom Watson hits his tee shot on the fourth hole during a practice round Tuesday in Augusta. Watson is playing the Greater Gwinnett Championship this week at TPC Sugarloaf in Duluth.

and back again.”

His plan is to play in the Masters, Gwinnett, Savannah and Woodland, Texas, take a week off and then play in the Senior PGA Championship.

“That’s a lot of concentrated golf for an old guy like me,” Watson said, “but I have played a limited schedule the last 20-25 years of my career.”

It’s the concentration he’s hoping will create better results.

Before the Masters, the last event Watson played in was in mid-April. He finished fifth at 10-under

par in the Champions Tour event. The fifth-place finish was the best in two seasons for Watson, who had just two top-10s in six Champions events last year. He made a pair of cuts in three PGA events in 2012.

“I like to play in a row like that because when you don’t play, your game gets a little ratty around the edges,” Watson said. “I’m trying to win. That’s what I am doing out here.”

And with the Gwinnett date immediately after the Masters and right before another Georgia event the following week, it fits nice-

ly into Watson’s schedule, limiting travel wear on his body and keeping him in similar climate and playing conditions.

“We are fortunate the people in Gwinnett stepped up to the plate and sponsored a tournament for us,” Watson said.

And though no one was brave enough to promise azaleas and dogwoods, they are signatures of the Masters and the weather only gets better headed toward summer.

“I truly am looking forward to coming down to play,” Watson said.

www.gwinnettdailypost.com • Sunday, April 14, 2013 • 5B

greater gwinnett championship

Mason hopes for happy return

By David Friedlander

decades as both a teaching and playing professional, including a four-year stint as the club pro at Jimmy Mozley’s Golf Center in Lawrenceville in the late When the Greater Gwinnett 1990s.

Championship tees off Friday And he more than made his morning, it will be a homecom- as a player, with three wins at ing of sorts. the Georgia PGA Championship But while the Champions Tour and having qualified for three of event marks the golf’s four major championships return of a profes— the 1977 Masters, the 1978 sional tournament U.S. Open and the 1997 PGA to TPC SugarChampionship. loaf, it will be a No matter what else he does literal homecomin his career, Mason is content ing for one of the that he has made the most of his participants. ability.

James Ma“At 45, I got pretty good from James son has always teaching at Jimmy Mozley’s, and Mason relished a chance I parlayed that into a pretty good to come home to metro Atlanta run,” said Mason, now the teachto play competitive golf, and the ing professional at the Orchard 62-year-old Duluth native will Golf Club in Clarksville. “I think get to share in the pro golf’s 1997 was one of my best years. return to Gwinnett County.

I qualified for the PGA, and that “I’m excited as a kid at was the year Davis Love (III) Christmas,” the 1968 Duluth won it. I won the Polo Classic High School graduate said. “I’m (on the PGA Georgia Tour) and still living my dream. … I just the Georgia PGA Championship enjoy playing golf.” (for the first time). I think the Playing golf is something he biggest highlight I’ve had was has done quite well for several winning on the Champions Tour Staff Writer david.friedlander@ gwinnettdailypost.com

(at the 2002 NFL Golf Classic in Clifton, N.J.) and almost winning two years ago at Hickory, N.C. (at the 2011 Greater Hickory Classic).”

Along the way, he’s gotten a chance to meet and play alongside some of the game’s greatest players, something he still appreciates and does not take for granted.

“I got to play with Arnold Palmer once or twice,” Mason recalled. “I’m still in awe of all of them. It’s like teeing off on the first hole at The Masters the first time. It’s just unbelievable.”

With his appearance at the Greater Gwinnett Championship, Mason will once again be playing alongside some of golf’s biggest names, including former majors winners like Tom Watson, Larry Nelson, Ben Crenshaw, Larry Mize, Sandy Lyle or Hale Irwin, among others.

Because he’s played sparingly on the Champions Tour in recent years — this will be his first event of 2013, and he played in just seven tournaments last year, with the best result being a tie for 13th at the

Insperity Championship at The Woodlands, Texas, last May — he will be playing next weekend at TPC Sugarloaf on a sponsor’s exemption.

“I attribute that to bad play,” Mason joked. “But I fell very fortunate to get a sponsor’s exemption, which I’m very grateful for.”

As grateful as Mason is, and as much as he enjoys playing, he still retains his competitive streak.

He’s made six previous appearances in the Atlanta’s old PGA Tour stop, the last three of which came at TPC Sugarloaf at what became known as the AT&T Classic.

And though he never made the cut in any of his previous appearances, his scores got progressively better each time out.

So, with this scores headed in the right direction, his goal is to still be playing by the time the weekend is over.

“At the age of 62, I may have another (good weekend) left in me,” Mason said. “I just hope I can go out and play and just see what happens.”

THE FIELD A look at the full field for the first Greater Gwinnett Championship Champions Tour Event, which is this week in Duluth: Michael Allen Tommy Armour III Andy Bean Jay Don Blake Mark Brooks Olin Browne

Bart Bryant Brad Bryant Mark Calcavecchia Roger Chapman Bobby Clampett Russ Cochran John Cook Ben Crenshaw Joe Daley Allen Doyle Steve Elkington Brad Faxon Bruce Fleisher Dan Forsman

David Frost Fred Funk Bob Gilder Bill Glasson Mike Goodes Jay Haas Gary Hallberg Scott Hoch John Huston Hale Irwin Peter Jacobsen Tom Jenkins Gene Jones Tom Kite

Bernhard Langer Tom Lehman Wayne Levi Chie-Hsiang Lin Steve Lowery Chien Soon Lu Sandy Lyle Andrew Magee James Mason Mark McNulty Rocco Mediate Larry Mize Gil Morgan Mark Mouland

Larry Nelson Andy North Mark O’Meara Steve Pate Corey Pavin Tom Pernice Jr. Kenny Perry Tom Purtzer Loren Roberts Jim Rutledge Gene Sauers Peter Senior Scott Simpson Joey Sindelar

Jeff Sluman Rod Spittle Craig Stadler Curtis Strange Hal Sutton Jim Thorpe Esteban Toledo Kirk Triplett Bob Tway Duffy Waldorf Tom Watson D.A. Weibring Mark Wiebe Willie Wood

IF YOU GO TICKETS Children 16-and-under will receive free grounds admission with a ticketed adult.

All children over the age of two will need a pass for any hospitality area.

All tickets purchased April 1 or after will be available at Will Call, which is at the Arena at Gwinnett Center Box Office, with the following pickup times: • Wednesday-Thursday: 6 a.m.-5 p.m.

• Friday-Sunday: 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m.

The following tickets are available for the event: • Grounds admission: Access to tournament grounds and all public areas Cost: $25 for one-day pass, $60 for weekly badge (Wednesday-Sunday) • Clubhouse admission: Access to tournament grounds and clubhouse, where food and beverages can be purchased in air-conditioned environment Cost: $50 for one-day pass, $100 for weekly badge (Wednesday-Sunday) • Champions Club admission (Sold out): Admission to open-air club on 18th fairway with lunch buffet, snacks and open bar Cost: $250 for one-day pass (Friday-Sunday only) CHARITY The inaugural Greater Gwinnett Championship will benefit several local charities. The list of beneficiaries, focusing this year on healthcare and education, include: • Gwinnett Children’s Shelter • Gwinnett Technical College • Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta • Georgia Gwinnett College • Gwinnett County Public Schools Foundation