NAPLES, Fla. – Colin Montgomerie had five birdies in an eight-hole stretch on the back nine Friday, shooting a 6-under 66 for a one-shot lead after one round of the Champions Tour’s ACE Group Classic.

Montgomerie is followed by Tommy Armour III, who shot a 67 at TwinEagles Golf Club. Defending champion Kirk Triplett and Lee Janzen are at 68.

Montgomerie began his day with a 40-foot birdie putt. On the back nine, he birdied Nos. 10, 12, 13, 16 and 17.

Armour had four putts of more than 12 feet, including a 40-footer on No. 6 for one of his six birdies. He had a bogey on No. 14. Armour tied for sixth last week at the Allianz Championship in Boca Raton, Florida.

Paul Goydos, last week’s winner, was three shots back. Bernhard Langer, who had five victories last season, is five behind.

Canadians Stephen Ames and Rod Spittle both opened with 71s for a share of 17th spot Friday.  Jim Rutledge (77) was 5 over.

BOCA RATON, Fla. – Paul Goydos closed with a birdie for a 3-under 69 and a one-stroke victory over Gene Sauers on Sunday in the Champions Tour’s Allianz Championship.

Goydos chipped to a foot from behind the par-5 18th green and tapped in for his second victory in 12 career starts of the 50-and-over tour. He won twice in 507 starts on the PGA Tour.

“Statistics are a wonderful predictor of the past,” Goydos said. “Part of it is experience and maturity. If I played like I did today 10 years ago, I don’t think there’s any way I would have won this tournament. I didn’t have my best game, but I got it around.”

On a wild day at Broken Sound where nine players had a share of the lead at some point, Goydos finished at 12-under 204 to claim the $255,000 first prize. He chipped in for an unlikely birdie at the difficult ninth and stayed atop the leaderboard the rest of the day.

“It was a shootout without great scores,” Goydos said. “The course played tough today.”

Sauers birdied his final two holes for a 67. It was his fourth runner-up finish on the Champions Tour, including a playoff loss to Colin Montgomerie last year in the U.S Senior Open.

“I’ve lost the last five playoffs I’ve played in. I was hoping to break that streak,” Sauers said. “But I’m ecstatic with the way I played.”

Fred Funk chipped in for eagle on the final hole to tie for third at 10 under with John Huston, playing for the first time in 18 months because of a neck injury, and 2014 winner Michael Allen. Funk and Huston shot 66, and Allen had a 67.

Jose Coceres, who started the day nine shots back in 45th place, played his first 16 holes in 10 under to tie Goydos for the lead. But Coceres bogeyed his 17th hole and finished sixth after a 63. The biggest comeback in Champions Tour history was when Jay Sigel rallied from 10 back to win the 1994 GTE West Classic.

Canada’s Rod Spittle led by two shots at 11 under until he made a 10 on the par-5 sixth.

BOCA RATON, Fla. – Bart Bryant holed out with a 6-iron from 195 yards on the par-5 18th hole Saturday for the first double eagle on the Champions Tour since 2010, giving him a share of the second-round lead in the Allianz Championship at Broken Sound.

Bryant had bogeyed four of his previous seven holes to fall off the pace before his second shot at the 509-yard 18th hole landed on the front of the green and rolled into the hole for his first career albatross.

Playing in the final group, Bryant finished with a 3-under 69 to join Paul Goydos, Tom Pernice Jr. and Canada’s Rod Spittle atop the leader board at 9-under 135. Spittle had a 66, and Goydos and Pernice shot 69.

“I was going to hit a 5-iron, but I thought if I got the 6-iron high enough it would just clear the bunker,” Bryant said. “I never saw it go in. That sure made up for a lot of bad shots.”

Keith Fergus was the last player to make a double eagle on the 50-and-over tour, accomplishing the rare feat in the 2010 SAS Championship. After Bryant’s heroics, Goydos and Pernice made birdies at the 18th hole to make it a quartet at 9 under.

“It was cool to see, but it was kind of eerie afterward,” Goydos said. “It kind of took the air out of the tournament. It was like a bomb got off and we got the crater.”

Spittle, who had to make a 5-foot par putt on the 72nd hole of Q-school last fall to keep his card, birdied five of his first seven holes to charge into contention. His lone blemish was a bogey at the par-5 11th. “I’ll save the heroics for tomorrow,” Spittle said.

Reigning player of the year Bernhard Langer had a 70 to reach 7 under. He was tied for fifth with Olin Browne (67), Guy Boros (68) and Mark Brooks (69).

Twelve players were within three shots of the lead. Interestingly, even though Bryant made a double eagle on the last hole to move into a first-place tie, he will tee off in the next-to-last group in the final round.

Stephen Ames is tied for 24th, six-shots off the lead at 3-under.

BOCA RATON, Fla. – Tom Pernice Jr. closed with a double bogey for a 6-under 66 and a share of the first-round lead Friday in the Allianz Championship with Paul Goydos and Bart Bryant.

Pernice, second behind Rocco Mediate two years ago at Broken Sound, hooked his drive into the water on the par-4 ninth. After a drop, he hit a 3-wood short of the green and missed a 9-foot putt. The 429-yard ninth was the most difficult hole Friday, playing to an average of 4.642 in windy conditions.

“It’s one of those things where you have to step up and hit a shot, and I wasn’t able to pull it off,” said Pernice, a two-time winner last year on the Champions Tour. “Not much you can do about it.”

Bryant, playing alongside Pernice, had four birdies and an eagle as he tries to win for the second time on the Champions Tour. Goydos, a winner last year in his first season on the 50-and-over tour, had seven birdies and a bogey and saved par a half-dozen times.

“I probably turned a 69 or a 70 into a 66,” Goydos said. “That’s what I have to do to be successful out here.

Bernhard Langer was a stroke back along with Fred Funk and Tom Byrum, who got into the field as an alternate. Langer, the reigning player of the year, won the 2010 event and has three other top-three finishes at Broken Sound in the last six years. He lives 15 minutes from the course.

Peter Jacobson chipped in for eagle at the 18th hole for a 68. He was tied with Brad Bryant (Bart’s brother), Grant Waite, Mark Brooks, Loren Roberts and Roger Chapman. Waite is returning to competition after spending the last six years as an instructor to several PGA Tour players.

Canada’s Rod Spittle had a 69.

Defending champion Michael Allen had a 70, 10 shots higher than his opening round last year.

Stephen Ames and Jim Rutledge both carded 74s.

Nolan Henke had a 77 in his Champions Tour debut. The three-time PGA Tour winner turned 50 in November.

KAUPULEHU-KONA, Hawaii – Miguel Angel Jimenez rallied to win the Champions Tour’s season-opening Mitsubishi Electric Championship, birdieing six of the final nine holes Sunday for a one-stroke victory over Mark O’Meara.

The Spaniard closed with a 6-under 66 for his second victory in three career starts on the 50-and-over tour. He broke a tie with O’Meara with a 20-foot birdie putt on the par-3 17th.

“It was uphill against the grain and into the wind,” said Jimenez, a 21-time winner on the European Tour. “I knew I had to hit it hard.”

Jimenez won the Greater Gwinnett Championship last year, a week after finishing fourth in the Masters. In his other Champions Tour start, he tied for eighth in the Senior British Open in July. In May, he won the Spanish Open at 50 years, 133 days to break his own record as the oldest European Tour champion.

Jimenez finished at 17-under 199 at Hualalai Golf Club. He played the 12 par 5s in 12 under with an eagle and 10 birdies.

After making two birdies and a double bogey on the front nine, he birdied Nos. 10, 11, 13-15 and 17 and closed with a two-putt par.

O’Meara shot a 64. The two-time Champions Tour winner finished second for the 15th time.

“People remember the winner, not second place,” O’Meara said. “I’m disappointed, but Miguel played well when he had to.”

Fred Couples was third at 14 under, following his second-round 64 with a 66. Rocco Mediate, tied with Jimenez for the second-round lead, had a 70 to finish fourth at 13 under.

The 40-player field featured major champions from the last five years, other tournament winners in the last two seasons and sponsor invitees.

KAUPULEHU-KONA, Hawaii – Miguel Angel Jimenez shot an 8-under 64 in windy conditions Saturday for a share of the lead with Rocco Mediate in the Champions Tour’s season-opening Mitsubishi Electric Championship.

Jimenez had nine birdies and a closing bogey to match Mediate at 11-under 133 at Hualalai Golf Club. Mediate, the first-round leader after a 66, had a bogey-free 67.

Jimenez is making his third Champions Tour start. The Spaniard won the Greater Gwinnett Championship last year, a week after finishing fourth in the Masters. In May, he won the Spanish Open at 50 years, 133 days to break his own record as the oldest European Tour champion.

Mediate won twice on the 50-and over tour in 2013.

“With this wind, you just have to pay attention and play the right shot,” Mediate said.

Olin Browne was third at 9 under after a 67. Fred Couples, Colin Montgomerie and Mark O’Meara were another stroke back. Couples shot 64, Montgomerie 66, and O’Meara 67.

Couples had an eagle and three birdies on the four par 5s.

“I putted really well,” Couples said. “I hit some really good putts early in the round and they didn’t go in, then I started making them and they all went in.”

Defending champion Bernhard Langer was 7 under after a 65. He had a 10 on the par-5 seventh hole in his opening 72.

The 40-player field features major champions from the last five years, other tournament winners in the last two seasons and sponsor invitees.

CALGARY — The Shaw Charity Classic has rewritten the history books for the second straight year with another record-setting charitable contribution for a Champions Tour event.

Tournament officials announced the 2014 event raised $2,406,610 for distribution amongst 21 youth-based charities in southern Alberta including: Calgary Police Foundation funded program YouthLink Calgary Police Interpretive Centre; Hull Services; Kids Cancer Care Foundation of Alberta; KidSport Calgary; Children’s Wish Foundation (Alberta and N.W.T.); Ronald McDonald House of Southern Alberta; United Way All-In for Youth; and Sheldon Kennedy Child Advocacy Centre. The contribution tops last year’s donation of $2,276,251, which was the single largest charitable donation in Champions Tour history at its time.

“The Shaw Charity Classic has always been focused on providing Calgarians with the opportunity to witness elite golf, but more importantly to raise significant money to support children’s charities in the province,” said Clay Riddell, tournament chairman, Shaw Charity Classic. “All of Calgary contributed to this incredible achievement – from the more than 1,400 volunteers, generous support from our corporate partners, unprecedented media coverage and the thousands of golf fans that lined the fairways to watch one of the best fields on Tour. Thank you to the entire community for helping us achieve our goals!”

In June, Shaw Communications Inc. reinforced the importance of children’s charities behind the award-winning tournament in the Stampede City by stepping up to commit $1.275 million to the Calgary Police Foundation funded program YouthLink Calgary Police Interpretive Centre and Hull Services – the title sponsor’s two official charitable partners for the second annual Champions Tour event in Calgary.

“On behalf of Shaw and our over 14,000 employees across Canada, we would like to thank everyone helped make this year’s tournament an outstanding event, and we can’t wait for next year,” said Brad Shaw, CEO, Shaw Communications Inc. “We are privileged to work alongside YouthLink Calgary Police Interpretive Centre, Hull Services and the other charities to improve the lives of children and families and give back to our community.”

New Date Set for 2015, Volunteer Registration Open for 2015 

Tournament officials are already focused on staging an even better event in its third year, thanks to a new date announced for the Calgary stop on the 2015 Champions Tour calendar. The legends of the game will return to Calgary earlier next summer to tee it up, August 5-9, 2015, at Canyon Meadows Golf and Country Club.

“Holding the event earlier in the summer provides a greater chance for better weather, but more importantly even more opportunities to work with our corporate partners, and for attracting even more golf fans to the tournament,” said Sean Van Kesteren, tournament director, Shaw Charity Classic, who added volunteer registration for the 2015 event also opened on Friday. “We have already witnessed some of the largest crowds on the Champions Tour in our first two years, but Calgarians traditionally are enjoying the final long weekend of summer out of town, so we believe this schedule change by the Champions Tour will help us take the tournament to an even higher level.”

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.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – The Champions Tour has announced the best tournaments of the 2014 Champions Tour season.

Four specific categories were recognized – the President’s Award, the Players Award, the Tournament Business Affairs Award and the Outstanding Achievement Award.

Miller Brady, Senior Vice President & Chief of Operations for the Champions Tour, announced the Shaw Charity Classic, staged at Canyon Meadows Golf & Country Club in Calgary as the recipient of the President’s Award, a most prestigious award which captures the criteria of all the awards plus the intangibles that make it stand out from the rest. The Shaw Charity Classic’s charitable giving exceeded $2 million for the second consecutive year. It also marks the first time since the award was established that a tournament staged outside of the United States has won the President’s Award.

“The Shaw Charity Classic was an exceptional event in its first year and elevated its performance and stature on the Champions Tour in its second,” said Brady. “Tournament officials attracted one of the strongest fields of the season; a direct result of players convincing those who skipped the inaugural event that it was a ‘must play’ tournament. Everyone involved should take great pride in how the event has rapidly developed. It’s certainly very deserving of the President’s Award.”

Following the inaugural Shaw Charity Classic, which produced a runaway seven-shot victory by Rocco Mediate, this year’s huge galleries witnessed the most exciting finish of the season. Fan favorite Fred Couples and rookie Billy Andrade both recorded eagles on the final hole of regulation before heading to a playoff, eventually won by Couples with a birdie on the first extra hole.

“Receiving this prestigious award in just our second year shows the commitment of Shaw Communications and the Patron Group, not only to the Shaw Charity Classic, but to the local community and to the Champions Tour as a whole,” said Tournament Director Sean Van Kesteren. “We’re extremely proud to win and we could never achieve this recognition without the efforts of our sponsors, volunteers, staff and fans.”

The Players Award went to the DICK’S Sporting Goods Open. This year, the tournament gained worldwide publicity mainly due to the record-setting 13-under 59 shot by rookie Kevin Sutherland in the second round. Bernhard Langer won the event, one of five titles he claimed in his stellar season. The excellent condition of the En-Joie Golf Course, the engaged community, the friendly tournament staff and sponsors, along with the annual concert, this year featuring “Zac Brown Band”, are all contributing factors to a hugely successful event which players appreciate.

The Champions Tour Tournament Business Affairs Award went to the Boeing Classic for the third year in a row. The T.B.A. team rates and grades every tournament in several different categories that determine what makes a successful event, and the Boeing Classic, played at TPC Snoqualmie Ridge in Seattle, Wash. for the 10^th consecutive year earned the highest overall score. New records were set at the tournament with attendance, revenue and charitable giving all at record highs. Rookie Scott Dunlap won his first Champions Tour event in a playoff with veteran Mark Brooks. He was the third of five rookie winners on Tour in 2014.

The Outstanding Achievement Award was won by the Big Cedar Lodge Legends of Golf presented by Bass Pro Shopswhich excelled with the historic team-event being partly contested on the nine-hole Top of the Rock Par-3 course in Ridgedale, Mo. The venue was officially announced in January and played in June – surely the shortest lead time for any PGA TOUR-sanctioned event in memory. The community embraced the event with more than 1,000 volunteers contributing to its outstanding success. Fred Funk and Jeff Sluman won the tournament while Jim Colbert and Jim Thorpe claimed the unofficial Legends Division.

The Champions Tour Tournament Advisory Council presents the Bruno Award annually to an individual judged to have made special and outstanding contributions to the Champions Tour. The award is named in honor of Brian ‘Bruno’ Henning, the former Vice President of the Champions Tour and Southern Africa Golf Hall of Fame member. This year, Charles Schwab, whose company is the umbrella sponsor of the Champions Tour’s season-long Charles Schwab Cup competition and an Official Marketing Partner of the PGA TOUR, is the recipient of the Bruno Award. Charles Schwab & Company has had a profound impact on the Champions Tour after introducing the Charles Schwab Cup in 2001 as the first-ever, season-long points competition to identify the leading player on Tour. Each year, the Charles Schwab Cup awards $2.1 million to the top five finishers in the competition, with the champion receiving $1 million.

WINTER GARDEN, Fla. — It was a big day for Rod Spittle of St. Catharines, Ont., who earned full status on the Champions Tour for 2015 after finishing fifth at the final stage of Champions Tour Q-School.

The 1977 and 1978 Canadian Amateur Champion carded a 2-under 70 at Panther Lake Golf Club and finished the week at -5.

Spittle turned professional at the age of 50 in 2004 and earned a spot on the Champions Tour during the following season.  His lone win as a professional came in a sudden-death playoff at the AT&T Championship against Jeff Sluman in 2010.

Fellow Canadians Jim Rutledge of Victoria, B.C. and Rick Gibson of Calgary both shot 68s in the final round, but failed to earn fully exempt status in 2015 by a very narrow margin.

Rutledge (-4) finished in a tie for sixth place, just one stroke back of Spittle, while Gibson (-2) climbed thirteen spots to finish in a tie for 10^th with Argentina’s Cesar Monasterio.

For finishing between 6-13, both players earned conditional exempt status on the Champions Tour in 2015.

Unable to earn exempt status this year were Ken Tarling (+10) of Stouffville, Ont. and Calgary’s Darryl James (+16).

Canada’s Darryl James and Ken Tarling both had solid final rounds in the Champions Tour regional qualifying to advance to the final qualifying stage.

James, the 2007 and 2008 PGA of Alberta Champion, began the day in a four-way tie for fifth place and moved up a spot after carding an even par 72.

Tarling, a former Canadian Tour – now PGA Tour Canada – President (1983-1985), shot a 1-under par 71 and finished the week tied for 13th place alongside Trevor Dodds, a native of Namibia who won the Canadian Tour Order of Merit in 1995 and 1996.

Failing to qualify for the final stage were Canadians Remi Bouchard, Michael Dagenais, Mark Rypien and Marc Hurtubise.

The Champions Tour Final Qualifying Stage will take place November 18-21 at Orange County National in Winter Garden, Fla.