Champions Tour Major Comes To Avenel

Great news for area golf fans: the PGA tour announced this week that the Champions Tour's fifth and final major of the year is moving to the newly renovated TPC Potomac at Avenel, formerly called the TPC at Avenel. The 2010 Senior Players Championship will be played there the week of October 7-10 then move back to Baltimore Country Club for 2011.

Avenel, as most people call the course, hosted the Kemper Open from 1987-2004 and 2006 but was criticized over the years by some players for not being a top tier course. Being located less than a mile from historic Congressional Country Club did not help matters. But after a $32 million facelift funded by the PGA Tour which owns the course, TPC Potomac looks to be ready for prime time. The re-design has received rave reviews from PGA and Champions Tour players alike, some of whom played there the week of the AT&T National last July.

The Champions Tour event will partially fill the void created by the AT&T National moving north for a couple of years. The tournament is taking a two-year hiatus from Congressional while the course is being renovated in preparation for the 2011 U.S. Open. Tournament host Tiger Woods is taking his tournament to Aronimink Golf Club outside Philadelphia for 2010 and '11.

Next October, area golf fans will get to see the best of the Champions Tour. It's way too early for commitments but players like Tom Watson, Loren Roberts, local favorite Fred Funk and defending Senior Players champ Jay Haas will most likely participate. And if we're lucky some of the following players who are about to turn 50 will also be there: Fred Couples, Kenny Perry, Paul Azinger and Mark Calcavecchia.

But the most intriguing participant, if he chooses to play, would probably be Greg Norman. Ironically it was Norman who wanted to blow up the old par 3 9th hole at Avenel. Essentially and eventually he got what he wanted. The current 9th hole underwent a complete transformation and does not look anything like the old version. It will be interesting to see Norman's reaction to the changes to the 9th hole and the rest of the course. I for one think they did a fabulous job with the renovation.

Of course, the Champions Tour is not the only professional event in the area next year. In June, some of the future stars of the PGA Tour will compete in the Nationwide Tour's Melwood Prince George's County Open which moved from the Country Club at Woodmore to the University of Maryland Golf Course in College Park. Yes, 2010 is shaping up to be a banner year for all of us golf nuts.

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