CALGARY—Three of golf’s top stars, and most colourful characters, are the first three players to book their tickets to Calgary this summer to compete in the third annual Shaw Charity Classic August 5-9, 2015.

Mark O’Meara, who will be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in July, will make this third appearance at the Shaw Charity Classic. Calgary golf fans will also welcome Welshman Ian Woosnam and American Peter Jacobsen to the fairways at Canyon Meadows Golf and Country Club for the first time this year.

“The Shaw Charity Classic remains committed to improving our field and event experience each year. Mark is one of the hottest players on Tour this year, and having Ian and Peter in Calgary for the first time helps us achieve that goal,” said Sean Van Kesteren, tournament director, Shaw Charity Classic. “These three names are synonymous with the greatest golf names in the world, and I can’t think of a better way to officially kick off the golf season here in Calgary then by adding these international stars to our field.”

One of the most popular figures in international golf, O’Meara is off to a strong start in 2015. The two-time major winner has three top-five finishes on the Champions Tour this year and was the top player over 50 at the Masters where he placed T22. A winner of 16 victories on the PGA TOUR, O’Meara has won twice on The Champions Tour including one major in 2010 – the Constellation SENIOR PLAYERS Championship

“There is still a tremendous buzz on Tour about the success of the Shaw Charity Classic. Calgary is a wonderful place, an incredible city. I love the Rockies and I’m excited to return this year,” said O’Meara. “The crowds are so enthusiastic that come out and support this event in Canada. I know all the players are excited to have the opportunity to come there and play, and I hope the fans will come out and support us again.”

O’Meara will be joined by two first-timers to Calgary.

Former European Ryder Cup Captain, Ian Woosnam, will make his first trip to the Stampede City. Woosie, who won his first Champions Tour title earlier this month at the Insperity Invitational, brings an impressive resume with him to Calgary. The Wee Welshman, who was recognized as one of Europe’s ‘Big 5’ with Ballesteros, Faldo, Langer and Lyle who dominated world golf in the 1980’s and 1990’s, has racked up 48 victories worldwide including the 1991 Masters. A two-time winner on the PGA TOUR, Woosnam was a member of nine European Ryder Cup Teams, Vice-Captain of the 2002 winning squad, and also Captained the Europeans to victory in 2006.

“I have had a goal to play more in America and get into the top-30 so it was nice to get the win in Houston,” said Woosnam. “I knew my game was coming around. I have played some great golf and I was fortunate to hole that long putt on the first playoff hole, and now be exempt for the next year. I’m excited to build on this success and have a shot at getting my first win in Canada.”

Another Calgary first-timer will be Peter Jacobsen. One of the most humerous characters on the Champions Tour, Jacobsen was a member of two American Ryder Cup teams who captured seven victories on the PGA TOUR. His last PGA TOUR win came in 2003 at the Greater Hartford Open when he was 49. Since turning 50, Jacobsen won the U.S. Senior Open during his rookie season. He backed that up with a win at the Constellation SENIOR PLAYERS Championship the following year. One of the most colourful characters on Tour, Jacobsen regularly entertains fans with his impressions of other players. A self-taught guitarist, he is also known to keep galleries laughing with his comical stories.

The Shaw Charity Classic is giving one lucky fan – and three friends – the chance to feel like a professional golfer for just one day. Canadian golfers who record a hole-in-one during the 2015 contest period must register through the tournament web site at www.shawcharityclassic.com for a chance to win the grand prize. The hole-in-one must be attested by the golf facility’s general manager, chief operating officer, club president, head professional or director of golf. Participants between the ages of 13 and 18 must also have parental consent. The Shaw Charity Classic will aim to profile each hole-in-one on its social media platforms.

Some of the greatest names in the game will play for a purse of $2.35 million, an increase of $100,000, when they return to Calgary’s Canyon Meadows Golf and Country Club for a third straight year. Tickets and corporate packages for the Shaw Charity Classic are available online at www.shawcharityclassic.com. Youth 17 and under are admitted free with a ticketed adult.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Jeff Maggert didn’t let the missed putts haunt him when he faced the most pressurized one of the day.

Maggert won the Regions Tradition on Sunday for his first Champions Tour major title, beating Kevin Sutherland with a 3-foot par putt on the first hole of a playoff. He missed from a similar distance on No. 17 and failed to hole other modest putts over the final nine holes in a day-long, back-and-forth Shoal Creek scramble.

“No one likes to miss 3-footers,” Maggert said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re a 20-handicapper or a golf pro. When you miss a few of them, you start to second-guess yourself. On 18, I said, `Hey, you missed it, no big deal, on 17. Let’s just go to your routine and your game plan and try to put a good stroke on it.’

“I was nervous, shaking a little bit.”

It didn’t show in his stroke on the straight-on putt.

Sutherland two-putted for bogey to set up Maggert for the winning shot on the 18th hole.

Maggert closed with an even-par 72 to match Sutherland at 14-under 274. Sutherland had a 71.

Maggert’s only previous Champions Tour win came in Mississippi last year in his first start on the 50-and-over tour. He won three times on the PGA Tour, the last in the 2006 St. Jude Classic.

Sutherland had his second runner-up finish of the year and remains stuck at one career win in 544 tournaments spread across the PGA, Champions and Web.com tours.

Maggert won $345,000 and moved into the points lead after the first of five majors.

Sutherland’s tee shot on the playoff hole dropped into the left bunker a few feet from the lip and about 130 yards from the green. His next shot landed near fans lining the fairway and he was left needing a long putt to make par.

Sutherland said a nearly day-long struggle with his driver “reared its ugly head at the last moment and got underneath the lip of the bunker and didn’t have much of a play really. Couldn’t get it to the green.”

He said jitters weren’t a problem, though.

“I was as relaxed as you could possibly be,” Sutherland said. “I was much more relaxed on the 19th hole than I was on the first hole.”

Jeff Hart and Gene Sauers both shot 69 to tie for third at 11 under, three shots back. Michael Allen (68), Bernhard Langer (70), two-time winner Tom Lehman (69) and defending champion Kenny Perry (70) were 9 under.

Both players parred the 18th hole the first time to force the playoff. Maggert needed to make a three-footer to stay alive, similar to the one he missed on the previous hole.

“Second time’s the charm,” Maggert said, adding that the shot on 17 “was a putt that I was expecting to walk up and tap it in.”

It was a change-up after Maggert had birdied the final two holes each of the previous two days.

Maggert’s the first 36-hole leader to hold on for the win at the tournament since Tom Watson in 2003.

Maggert and Sutherland traded birdies on No. 15 to remain deadlocked after jockeying for position the past two days and then set up similar tap-ins on 16.

Sutherland had reclaimed the edge with an eagle on the par-5 third hole, while Maggert bogeyed for a three-stroke turnaround. He regrouped with a birdie on No. 6 while Sutherland had three bogeys on the first nine holes for a 1-over 32.

Maggert had three-putted from five feet on No. 12, saying he had trouble gauging the speed of the greens after overnight rains.

Hart, meanwhile, managed his first top-three finish on the Champions Tour, having finished no better than 29th in his three previous events this season.

He extended his string without a bogey to 54 holes and finished with a birdie. Hart’s two bogeys was the fewest in a Tradition.

“At that point, I didn’t care where I finished,” Hart said. “But I didn’t want to blow the non-bogey string on the final hole.”

Sauers ended with back-to-back birdies. He has finished in the top three over the last two majors he’s played, losing a playoff to Colin Montgomerie in last year’s U.S. Senior Open.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The 18-round battle between Jeff Maggert and Kevin Sutherland ended with dueling putts in a sudden downpour.

Round 18 went to Maggert.

He birdied the final two holes for a 4-under 68 and sole possession of the lead Saturday after the third round of the Champions Tour’s Regions Tradition. Finishing in heavy rain, Maggert reached 14 under after entering the day tied for the top spot with Sutherland at Shoal Creek. Sutherland was left a stroke back when his birdie attempt on No. 18 was short by a couple of inches to set up a tap-in for a 69 under the driving rain.

Both had huddled under umbrellas with their caddies on the suddenly wet green.

“That green, I think, slowed up a little bit,” Maggert said. “Kevin had a really good putt and it just rolled up a little bit short of the hole. If the water hadn’t been on the green, he probably would have made that one. Mine just ran out of gas right on the front in and dropped in.”

Sutherland was alone at the top until a bogey on No. 16 brought him even with Maggert, who had a bogey-free round. Both birdied No. 17.

It’s the lowest 54-hole total in the tournament since Brad Bryant entered the final round at 15-under.

Fred Funk was third at 18 under after a 67. He won the tournament in 2008 and 2010 and nearly closed the gap further on No. 18, grimacing after a near-miss for birdie. Only Jack Nicklaus has won the Tradition more than twice, winning four times.

Maggert is seeking his second win on the Champions Tour. No second-round leader has won the Tradition since Tom Watson in 2003.

He hit a 90-yard wedge shot to a foot on 17. For the second straight day, he set up a birdie from the fairway bunker on 18, this time making about a 12-footer.

“I made some nice par-saving putts,” Maggert said. “I didn’t make a lot of birdies until the end. I was just trying to hang around, be patient. Kevin had a 1-2 shot lead on me most of the day and I just didn’t want him to run away from me too far. “

Seeking his first win on the 50-and-over tour, Sutherland was even-par through seven holes before starting rolling with back-to-back long birdie putts – about 20 feet on No. 8 and 45 feet on the next hole. He had a run of three birdies in four holes starting on No. 8 and wasn’t sweating the ever-so-close last putt.

“I’m not going to lose any sleep over it,” Sutherland said. “It would have been nice to hit it a little bit harder.”

His best Champions Tour finish was a second-place tie at Mississippi in March.

Jeff Hart and Gene Sauers both had 68s to finish five strokes back. Bernhard Langer (70), Tom Pernice Jr. (68) and defending champion Kenny Perry (70) are 7 under.

Funk had three birdies in a four-hole stretch on the first nine holes and birdied three of five holes during another hot streak.

He had been slumping with finishes of 38th, 30th and 59th in his last three Champions Tour tournaments after missing two-plus months starting in February with tendinitis in his left elbow. Funk said he spent about $20,000 on what he described as a magnetic pulse machine that helped speed his return.

“It’s already paid for itself just by getting out here,” he said.

“It is exciting and fun to be back in contention,” Funk said. “I hated watching these guys on TV because I wanted to be out here, and I watched every one of them.”

John Huston, who was sidelined for nearly 18 months with a nerve disorder in his neck, shot a bogey-free 65. He was tied for 10th at 5 under.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Kevin Sutherland and Jeff Maggert both looked as if they were finishing off just another round.

The businesslike Sutherland and Maggert each eagled the par-5 11th hole Friday and shared the second-round lead in the Regions Tradition at 10 under.

Sutherland shot a 6-under 66 at Shoal Creek to catch up to Maggert, the opening-round leader in the first of the Champions Tour’s five majors. Maggert birdied the final two holes for his second straight 67.

Neither player showed much emotion after hitting their final shots and both said their mindset doesn’t change with the lead or without it. It’s probably wise because no 36-hole leader has won the Tradition since Tom Watson in 2003.

“It’s the same as it was the first two days: Get the ball on the fairway and see what happens from there,” Sutherland said. “That’s what you need to do here, and I’ve done it the last two days. And also just kind of have fun and enjoy the moment.”

Maggert’s approach: “The leaderboard doesn’t really come into play until maybe the back nine on Sundays, so just keep playing hard and making birdies.”

Michael Allen was three strokes back after a 67, and defending champion Kenny Perry had a 69 to join Bernhard Langer and Fred Funk at 5 under. Langer shot 66, and Funk 69.

Sutherland is seeking his first Champions Tour victory. He tied for second in Mississippi in March.

Maggert won the Mississippi event last year for his lone title on the 50-and-over tour.

Maggert rallied from bogeys on Nos. 4 and 5, then had a strong finish. His tee shot into the bunker on the final hole ended up serving him well.

“To be honest with you, it was the best angle to shoot at that flag,” Maggert said. “I had a good lie in the bunker so actually a bad drive turned out to be a good one there. I was able to be a little bit more aggressive and shoot toward the flag.”

He set up the eagle with a hybrid approach from 220 yards that settled 8 feet past the hole. Sutherland’s 233-yard hybrid shot was even closer.

“I wasn’t really trying to hit it at the pin,” Sutherland said. “I was just trying to hit it toward the middle of the green. I overcut it a little bit and when it was rolling it banged the pin. It literally was less than two inches from the hole. It landed over the bunker and the next thing I know, the ball came to an abrupt stop.”

Allen birdied the final two holes. On the last, his 50-foot putt hovered so long on the hole that he took several steps toward it before it plopped in.

“I thought it was hanging on the back of the hole, but (caddie Pete Bender) said he blew really hard,” Allen said. “He said he blew the ball in the hole. It’s kind of nice, because so many times you hit good putts that don’t go in. It’s nice to hit a long putt like that. You’re just trying to get close. I was happy to two-putt. To have it go in is a nice bonus, a great way to finish the day.

Langer rebounded from an opening 73 with a 31 on the first nine holes. He had a run of three straight birdies end on No. 11. The two-time Masters champion is coming off a closing 75 and a 21st-place finish at the Insperity Invitational in Texas.

Two-time winner Tom Lehman matched Langer and Sutherland’s tournament-low round of 66, 10 shots better than his opener. He was 2 under.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Jeff Maggert experienced the potential ups and downs of Shoal Creek during a round that was still good enough to put him on top.

Maggert birdied three of the final four holes Thursday for a 5-under 67 and a one-stroke lead over Kevin Sutherland at the Regions Tradition.

He held onto the lead at the first of the Champions Tour’s five majors despite a bogey on No. 18. He said a hot start is nice, but patience will be important the rest of the week on a course where Kenny Perry won at 7 under last year.

“The difficulty of the course, you don’t have to come out and tear it up for four days,” Maggert said. “You know there’s going to be some rough times on the course. Just the history of the tournament here, I think 10 to 15 under’s probably a typical range you would like to be in on Sunday.

“A few more 5 unders would help a lot in that regard.”

Maggert is seeking his second win on the 50-and-over tour after a victory in Mississippi last year. Sutherland is chasing his first senior title.

Maggert had five birdies on the first nine holes before the roller-coaster finish. He had three bogeys and three birdies on the back nine, but did make a 20-footer for birdie from the fringe on No. 16.

Tom Watson, Colin Montgomerie and Wes Short Jr. were two strokes back at 69.

Sutherland had six birdies and two bogeys before parring the final five holes. It’s his first time playing Shoal Creek since the U.S. Amateur in 1986 and, he said, “I didn’t remember much except for the fact that I did like it.”

“Any time you make six birdies, I don’t care where you’re playing, that’s a good day,” said Sutherland, who made a 20-foot birdie putt on No. 9.

Sutherland’s biggest claim to fame was shooting the Champions Tour’s first 59 last August in Endicott, New York.

“Kevin’s been playing pretty good this year so it’s not surprising that he had a good round,” Maggert said. “But it’s a ball-striker’s course. You can’t just aim for the middle of the green and shoot a good score.

“You’ve got to pay attention to where the pins are on the greens.”

The 65-year-old Watson had to chip out of the bunker below the green on the final hole, saving par with a 12-footer.

“It makes dinner taste a lot better, it always does,” he said. “I made a stupid decision on 18 to go for the flag there. It’s not a flag that you go at. You go left of the flag, get your two putts out of there and get out of there with a par.

“I did a pretty stupid shot right there. I was trying to go right at it. Ego got involved again.”

Then again, he made a 50-foot putt for birdie on No. 4, “so that’s like stealing.” It’s Watson’s best opening round at the tournament since 2009, when he also had a 67 at Sunriver Resort in Oregon. He finished in a three-way tie for fifth.

Montgomerie had a closing birdie. Short finished with a bogey with a chance to catch up to Sutherland and perhaps Maggert. Short had two straight birdies going into 18.

Perry and David Frost, who both have won this tournament since it moved to Shoal Creek in 2011, were among nine players at 2 under.

Tom Lehman, who won in 2011 and 2012, opened with a 76. Points leader Joe Durant was three shots better at 73.

Canada’s Rod Spittle opened with a 74 and had a share of 43rd.

THE WOODLANDS, Texas – Ian Woosnam made a 30-foot birdie putt in a playoff Sunday to win the Insperity Invitational for his first Champions Tour title.

Woosnam, the 57-year-old Welshman playing on a sponsor exemption, beat Kenny Perry and Tom Lehman on the first extra hole at The Woodlands Country Club. The 1991 Masters champion was making his 36th start on the 50-and-over tour.

Woosnam closed with a 4-under 68 to match Perry and Lehman at 11-under 205. Perry finished with a 66, and Lehman shot 69.

In the playoff, Lehman sliced his approach on the par-4 18th into the water, and Perry left a long birdie try 8 feet short before Woosnam rolled in the winner.

Woosnam earned $307,500. Last week in Missouri, he teamed with Sandy Lyle to tie for second in the Legends of Golf. Woosnam won 29 times on the European Tour, captained Europe’s winning 2006 Ryder Cup team and has five victories on the European Senior Tour.

Second-round leader Michael Allen shot a 72 to finish a stroke back along with Joe Durant (71).

Canadian Stephen Ames finished 7-under 209 for a share of 9th place.

THE WOODLANDS, Texas – Michael Allen birdied the final two holes for a 4-under 68 and a one-stroke lead Saturday after the second round of the Champions Tour’s Insperity Invitational.

The 56-year-old Allen had a 10-under 134 total at The Woodlands Country Club. He has seven victories on the 50-and-over tour, winning twice last season.

“If you haven’t won for a while, it just seems like you’re never going to do it again,” Allen said. “To win again tomorrow would be really important to me. I love playing here. I think they’ve had a lot of great champions. I would love to be a part of it.”

Joe Durant was second after a 68. He had a double bogey in the par-4 17th and rebounded with a birdie on the par-4 18th. Last week, he teamed with Billy Andrade to win the Legends of Golf in Missouri for his first Champions Tour title.

Durant wanted to quickly put the double bogey behind him.

“I just blanked out for a minute on 17,” Durant said. “As a result, I hit it in the water and made double. Came back with a nice birdie on 18. I hit a bad shot on 17, but so what? You’re going to hit bad shots from time to time.”

Scott Dunlap, Woody Austin and Tom Lehman were 8 under. Dunlap had a 65, the best round of the day. Austin and Lehman shot 66.

“I didn’t hit the ball super great,” Lehman said. “In fact, I hit the ball much better yesterday. I seemed to always manage to get it in the right places and shot a good score.”

Defending champion Bernhard Langer was 7 under after a 66. Marco Dawson, tied for the first-round lead with Allen after a 66, had a 72 to drop into a tie for 10th at 6 under.

Canada’s Stephen Ames slipped slightly Saturday after a 71. He’s now tied for 18th at 4-under.

THE WOODLANDS, Texas – Marco Dawson and Michael Allen each shot 6-under 66 on Friday to share the first-round lead in the Champions Tour’s Insperity Invitational.

The 51-year-old Dawson had seven birdies and a bogey at The Woodlands Country Club. He won the Conquistadores Classic in March in Tucson, Arizona, for his first victory on the 50-and-over tour.

“I don’t know that I feel any different as far as playing,” Dawson said. “I don’t take any more chances than I used to before I won. That was then. This is just a new week. You still have to play, make the putts.”

The 56-year-old Allen also had seven birdies and a bogey. He won twice last season.

“When you’re kind of making some putts or you feel at least good with the putter, you kind of feel like you can give yourself a chance,” Allen said. “You don’t have to be knocking down every pin to do it.”

Colin Montgomerie, Joe Durant and Woodlands resident Jeff Maggert shot 67, and Steve Pate and Billy Andrade followed at 68. Durant and Andrade teamed to win the Legends of Golf last week in Missouri.

“You just want to have a chance to win going into the last nine,” Durant said. “Got close a couple of times. We didn’t quite close the deal. Playing last week and winning with Billy certainly helps a lot.”

Canada’s Stephen Ames opened with a 69 and is tied for 8th after 18 holes.

Defending champion Bernhard Langer opened with a 71.

Fred Couples, second last year, withdrew from the tournament.

RIDGEDALE, Mo. – Joe Durant had a hole-in-one and teamed with Billy Andrade to win the Champions Tour’s Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf on Sunday at Big Cedar Lodge.

Andrade and Durant closed with a 9-under 45 at the par-3 Top of the Rock course, playing nine holes of modified alternate shot and nine of better ball. Durant aced the third hole on the second nine, using a 7-iron on the 167-yard hole.

“You don’t know when those are coming,” Durant said. “I just hit a good solid shot. I was just trying to hit it right of the flag … and it just happened to go in the hole. You’ve still got to keep going. You’ve got to regroup after something like that. We stepped up the last five holes and did what we needed to do. I couldn’t have a better partner. I was so excited to win with my buddy. It feels really good.”

Durant and Andrade finished at 19-under 159 in the 54-hole event, opening Thursday with a better-ball 63 on Buffalo Ridge’s regulation Springs course and shooting a 51 on Saturday in high wind on the par-3 course. They each earned $230,000 for their first victories on the 50-and-older tour.

“It was an unbelievable week,” Andrade said. “We ham and egged it very, very nicely and Joe hit some beautiful shots today. The hole-in-one was fantastic. I can’t be more excited to be in a situation to win out here because this is what we want to do. This is our goal, to try to get in the winner’s circle, and to do it like this and do it with Joe has been such a treat for me.”

Sandy Lyle and Ian Woosnam tied for second, three strokes back after a 51. The former Masters champions took a two-stroke lead into the final round.

Moments after Durant’s ace, Mike Reid had a hole-in-one on the eighth hole. He used a 4-iron on the 194-yard hole. Reid and Dan Forsman tied for 10th at 13 under.

Larry Nelson and Larry Fleisher won the Legends Division for players 65 and older, beating Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player by two strokes.

Nelson and Fleisher birdied the final hole for a 1-under 26 for nine holes of better ball on the par-3 course. They finished at 12 under in the 45-hole event.

“We played really well,” Nelson said. “Yesterday was just a miserable day to play golf. I mean, it was windy, gusting. Sometimes I couldn’t stand up hardly. It was amazing how hard the wind blew and for us to hold it together there. And today was just kind of a fun walk around nine holes and not trying to hurt ourselves.”

Nicklaus and Player had two birdies in a bogey-free 25.

“It was a very exciting week, a very different format,” Player said. “I think golf needs more of this.”

RIDGEDALE, Mo. – Boyhood rivals Ian Woosnam and Sandy Lyle took a two-stroke lead Saturday in the Champions Tour’s Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf at Big Cedar Lodge.

Woosnam and Lyle shot a 6-under 64 in better-play play on Buffalo Ridge’s regulation Springs course to reach 13 under. On Thursday, they had the best score at the par-3 Top of the Rock course, a 7-under 47 for nine holes of modified alternate shot and nine holes of better ball. Play will close Sunday on the par-3 course with nine holes of modified alternate shot and nine of better ball.

Woosnam and Lyle grew up about 20 miles apart, with Lyle in Scotland and Woosnam in Wales. They birdied five of the last six holes in windy conditions.

“I think I played very little part in it today, sad to say,” Lyle said. “But Woosie’s play was a huge rock. He always looked like he got the ball under control. And the few times that he was just slightly out, I managed to come in with a few pars, and then I birdied 17 at a good time when we were needing a bit of a boost. So, a strong finish made all the difference to the round.”

Former Ohio State teammates John Cook and Joey Sindelar were tied for second with Corey Pavin and Duffy Waldforf. Cook and Sindelar, the first-round leaders after a 60 on the regulation course, had a 53 on the par-3 layout. Pavin and Waldorf shot a 53 on the par-3 course.

“It gets looking ugly in a hurry and you can see by the scores,” Sindelar said. “I mean, it’s just tough to do. The wind, this much wind, it starts affecting the putts.”

In the Legends Division for players 65 and older, Larry Nelson and Larry Fleisher had a four-stroke lead at 11 under. They had a 66 at Buffalo Springs after opening with a 47 on the par-3 course.

“I thought it was a very difficult day,” Fleisher said. “The wind really played havoc. The golf course the way they had it for us was very, very short and it was almost – almost played against us because we’re going with the short irons and, with all this wind, it’s hard to control the spin.

“But Larry and I kind of dodged each other and got through it.”

Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player were tied for second with Butch Baird and Al Geiberger. Nicklaus and Player had a 66 on the regulation course, and Baird and Geiberger shot a 49 on the par-3 course.

The Legends Division will close Sunday with nine holes of better ball on the par-3 course.