The Tradition is one of the five
major championshipsMen's professional senior golf is for players aged 50 and above. Golf differs from all other sports in having lucrative competitions for this age group. The leading senior tour is the U.S. based Champions Tour, which was established in 1980 . It has established a roster of five major championships...
recognized by the U.S.-based
Champions TourThe Champions Tour, a golf tour run by the PGA Tour, hosts a series of events annually in the United States and the United Kingdom for golfers 50 years of age and older. Many of the PGA Tour's most successful golfers have gone on to play on the Champions Tour.The Senior PGA Championship, founded in...
, the world's leading tour for professional
golfGolf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
ers aged fifty and older. The inaugural event was staged in 1989.
Unlike the U.S. Senior Open and the
Senior PGA ChampionshipThe Senior PGA Championship is one of the five major championships in men's senior golf. It is administered by the Professional Golfers' Association of America and is recognized as a major championship by both the Champions Tour and the European Seniors Tour. It was formerly an unofficial money...
and the Senior British Open, it is not recognized as a major by the
European Seniors TourThe European Seniors Tour is a professional tour for male golfers aged 50 and over run by the PGA European Tour.The Tour was founded in 1992. In 2008 it had a total prize fund of €7,729,284, so it is much further behind the U.S.-based Champions Tour in relative prize money than the main European...
, and is not part of that tour's official schedule. Unlike the
mainstream major championshipsThe men's major golf championships, commonly known as the Major Championships, and often referred to simply as the majors, are the four most prestigious annual tournaments in professional golf...
, 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 TourThe PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
or
European TourThe PGA European Tour is an organization which operates the three leading men's professional golf tours in Europe: the elite European Tour, the European Seniors Tour and the developmental Challenge Tour. Its headquarters are at Wentworth Club in Virginia Water, Surrey, England...
event.
From its inception in 1989 through 2001, the tournament was held at the Cochise Golf Course of the Golf Club at Desert Mountain in
ScottsdaleScottsdale is a city in the eastern part of Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, adjacent to Phoenix. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2010 the population of the city was 217,385...
,
ArizonaArizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
. In 2002 the tournament was held at the The Prospector Course of Superstition Mountain Golf & Country Club
Superstition MountainSuperstition Mountain is located immediately east of the Phoenix metropolitan area in Arizona. It anchors the west end of the Superstition Wilderness. Although its precise origin is debated by geologists, many believe that the mountain was formed from volcanic activity as far back as 25 million ...
, Arizona. From 2003 through 2006, it was held at the South Course of The Reserve Vineyards and Golf Club in
AlohaAloha is a census-designated place and an unincorporated community in Washington County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 49,425.-History:...
,
OregonOregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, just west of
PortlandPortland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
.
In 2007 the tournament moved to the high desert of
central OregonCentral Oregon is a geographic region in the U.S. state of Oregon and is traditionally considered to be made up of Deschutes, Jefferson, and Crook counties. Other definitions include larger areas, often encompassing areas to the north towards the Columbia River, eastward towards Burns, or south...
, to the Crosswater Golf Club in
SunriverSunriver, Oregon is a private planned resort community in Deschutes County, Oregon, United States. It is part of the Bend, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area...
. The lengthy course sits on 600 acres (242 hectares) of woodlands and preserved wetlands along the Deschutes River, at an elevation of 4170 feet (1271 m) above sea level. The par 72 layout played at 7316 yards (6,689.8 m) in 2009.
NBC-TV carried the weekend coverage of the tournament in 2007, 2009 and 2010.
The Golf ChannelGolf Channel, known as The Golf Channel before the July 2008 dropping of The, is an American cable television network with coverage focused on the game of golf. Founded in Birmingham, Alabama, the American headquarters and studio are currently located in Orlando, Florida...
covered the early rounds (and all four rounds in 2008 while NBC carried the
Olympic GamesThe Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
from
BeijingBeijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
).
In August 2010,
BirminghamBirmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
,
AlabamaAlabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
-based Regions Financial Corporation announced that it was taking over sponsorship of the tournament, and as a result it was moving the tournament to the Shoal Creek Golf and Country Club in the Shoal Creek development south of Birmingham. The Tradition superseded the
Regions Charity ClassicThe Regions Charity Classic, formerly known as the Bruno's Memorial Classic, was an American golf tournament on the Champions Tour. It was held at Ross Bridge Golf Resort and Spa, one of ten courses on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, located in Hoover, Alabama . The tournament was founded in...
, a regular Champions Tour event which had been played since 1992 when it began as the Bruno's Memorial Classic. Shoal Creek has previously hosted two PGA Championships, in
1984The 1984 PGA Championship was the 66th PGA Championship held from August 16-19 at Shoal Creek Golf and Country Club in Birmingham, Alabama. Lee Trevino won his second PGA Championship and sixth major title by four strokes over Gary Player and Lanny Wadkins....
and
1990The 1990 PGA Championship was the 72nd PGA Championship held from August 9-12 at Shoal Creek Golf and Country Club in Birmingham, Alabama. Wayne Grady won his first major championship by three strokes over Fred Couples.-Final leaderboard:-External links:*...
. The tournament was held May 5-8, 2011, with associated events starting on May 2.
Winners
| Year | Champion | Country |
| Regions Tradition |
| 2011 |
Tom LehmanThomas Edward Lehman is an American professional golfer.Lehman was born in Austin, Minnesota, but Alexandria, Minnesota is credited as his official Minnesota hometown. He attended the University of Minnesota, graduating with a degree in Business/Accounting and turned professional in 1982. It took...
|
|
| JELD-WEN Tradition |
| 2010 |
Fred FunkFrederick Funk is an American professional golfer.Funk was born in Takoma Park, Maryland. He graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park in 1980 with a degree in law enforcement. He turned professional in 1981, but worked as a golf coach at his alma mater from 1982 to 1988; he did not...
|
|
| 2009 |
Mike Reid Michael Daniel Reid is an American professional golfer.Reid was born in Bainbridge, Maryland. He graduated from Brigham Young University in 1976 and turned professional the same year. During his collegiate golf career, Reid was selected for All-American honors from 1973-1976...
|
|
| 2008 |
Fred FunkFrederick Funk is an American professional golfer.Funk was born in Takoma Park, Maryland. He graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park in 1980 with a degree in law enforcement. He turned professional in 1981, but worked as a golf coach at his alma mater from 1982 to 1988; he did not...
|
|
| 2007 |
Mark McNulty Mark William McNulty is an Irish/Zimbabwean professional golfer currently playing on the Champions Tour. He was one of the leading players on the European Tour from the mid 1980s to the mid 1990s, and cracked the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings for 83 weeks from 1987 to 1992.McNulty...
|
|
| 2006 |
Eduardo Romero Eduardo Alejandro Romero is an Argentine professional golfer.Romero was born in Córdoba. He turned professional in 1982 at a relatively advanced age...
|
|
| 2005 |
Loren Roberts Loren Lloyd Roberts is an American professional golfer.-Early life:Roberts was born in San Luis Obispo, California. He competed for San Luis Obispo Senior High School and Cal Poly-SLO...
|
|
| 2004 |
Craig Stadler Craig Robert Stadler is an American professional golfer who has won numerous tournaments at both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour level....
|
|
| 2003 |
Tom WatsonThomas Sturges Watson is an American professional golfer who has played on the PGA Tour and now mostly on the Champions Tour....
|
|
| The Countrywide Tradition |
| 2002 |
Jim Thorpe Jimmy Lee Thorpe is an American professional golfer, currently playing on the Champions Tour.Thorpe was born in Roxboro, North Carolina, the ninth of the twelve children of a fairway superintendent. He attended Morgan State University before turning pro in 1972. He won three times on the PGA Tour...
|
|
| 2001 |
Doug Tewell |
|
| 2000 |
Tom KiteThomas Oliver Kite, Jr. is an American professional golfer and golf course architect. He spent 175 weeks in the top-10 of the Official World Golf Rankings between 1989 and 1994....
|
|
| The Tradition presented by Countrywide |
| 1999 |
Graham Marsh Graham Vivian Marsh MBE was one of the leading Australian professional golfers of his generation.-Career outline:Marsh was born in Kalgoorlie, Australia...
|
|
| 1998 |
Gil Morgan Gilmer Bryan Morgan II, OD is an American professional golfer.Morgan was born in Wewoka, Oklahoma. He graduated from East Central State College in Ada, Oklahoma in 1968. In 1972, Morgan earned a Doctor of Optometry degree from the Southern College of Optometry in Memphis, Tennessee before turning...
|
|
| 1997 |
Gil Morgan Gilmer Bryan Morgan II, OD is an American professional golfer.Morgan was born in Wewoka, Oklahoma. He graduated from East Central State College in Ada, Oklahoma in 1968. In 1972, Morgan earned a Doctor of Optometry degree from the Southern College of Optometry in Memphis, Tennessee before turning...
|
|
| The Tradition |
| 1996 |
Jack NicklausJack William Nicklaus , nicknamed "The Golden Bear", is an American professional golfer. He won 18 career major championships on the PGA Tour over a span of 25 years and is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional golfers of all time. In addition to his 18 Majors, he was runner-up a...
|
|
| 1995 |
Jack NicklausJack William Nicklaus , nicknamed "The Golden Bear", is an American professional golfer. He won 18 career major championships on the PGA Tour over a span of 25 years and is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional golfers of all time. In addition to his 18 Majors, he was runner-up a...
|
|
| 1994 |
Raymond Floyd Raymond Loran "Ray" Floyd is an American professional golfer who has won numerous tournaments on both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour....
|
|
| 1993 |
Tom Shaw Thomas G. Shaw is an American professional golfer who has played on both the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour.Shaw was born in Wichita, Kansas. He attended the University of Oregon in Eugene from 1959–1962, and was an All-American member of the golf team. He helped Oregon win the Pacific...
|
|
| 1992 |
Lee Trevino Lee Buck Trevino is an American professional golfer. He is an icon for Mexican Americans, and is often referred to as "The Merry Mex" and "Supermex". He won six major championships over the course of his career.-Early life:...
|
|
| The Tradition at Desert Mountain |
| 1991 |
Jack NicklausJack William Nicklaus , nicknamed "The Golden Bear", is an American professional golfer. He won 18 career major championships on the PGA Tour over a span of 25 years and is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional golfers of all time. In addition to his 18 Majors, he was runner-up a...
|
|
| 1990 |
Jack NicklausJack William Nicklaus , nicknamed "The Golden Bear", is an American professional golfer. He won 18 career major championships on the PGA Tour over a span of 25 years and is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional golfers of all time. In addition to his 18 Majors, he was runner-up a...
|
|
| 1989 |
Don Bies Don Bies is an American professional golfer who has won tournaments on the PGA Tour and the Senior PGA Tour ....
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|
Multiple winners
Only three men have multiple wins in The Tradition (through 2010):
- 4 wins: Jack Nicklaus
Jack William Nicklaus , nicknamed "The Golden Bear", is an American professional golfer. He won 18 career major championships on the PGA Tour over a span of 25 years and is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional golfers of all time. In addition to his 18 Majors, he was runner-up a...
- 2 wins: Gil Morgan
Gilmer Bryan Morgan II, OD is an American professional golfer.Morgan was born in Wewoka, Oklahoma. He graduated from East Central State College in Ada, Oklahoma in 1968. In 1972, Morgan earned a Doctor of Optometry degree from the Southern College of Optometry in Memphis, Tennessee before turning...
, Fred FunkFrederick Funk is an American professional golfer.Funk was born in Takoma Park, Maryland. He graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park in 1980 with a degree in law enforcement. He turned professional in 1981, but worked as a golf coach at his alma mater from 1982 to 1988; he did not...
External links