CALGARY—Kevin Sutherland, who became the latest professional to shoot 59 and first on the Champions Tour, will lead a group of three that have fired golf’s magic number into Calgary to tackle the Canyon Meadows Golf and Country Club for this year’s Shaw Charity Classic in just one week’s time.

Sutherland went where nobody has ever gone on the Champions Tour breaking the 60 mark on the scorecard over the weekend by firing a sizzling 13-under par round, which included 12 birdies, one eagle and one bogey. The lone bogey came on the final hole of the par-72 En-Joie Golf Club in Endicott, New York.

“Amazing round. Obviously I played really well. I was just in my own little world,” said Sutherland.

The 50-year-old Champions Tour rookie was greeted on the 18th hole with a standing ovation and many of his fellow Champions Tour players who rushed out to the green to witness this historic moment.

“The response I got when I came up 18 I have to admit gave me chills. I guess if your Jack Nicklaus or Arnold Palmer you get used to that, but when everybody stood up around the green and was clapping, I got some chills,” said Sutherland, whose low round on the PGA Tour coincidentally came at the 2010 Canadian Open when he shot 62. His lone PGA Tour victory was at the 2002 World Golf Championships Match Play Championship.

“To have the players behind the green giving me hugs and high fives, hand shakes and congratulations, that stuff means a lot and that is the stuff I’m going to remember most today.”

One of those players standing behind the 18th green to watch Sutherland complete his near flawless round was his best friend on Tour, and another member of golf’s 59 Club, Paul Goydos.

Goydos will join Sutherland in Calgary later this month – both in search of their first Champions Tour victories. Goydos became the fourth player in PGA Tour history to card a 59 when he made history himself in the opening round of the 2010 John Deere Classic. A Champions Tour rookie, Goydos has two PGA Tour titles: 1996 Bay Hill Invitational and the 2010 Sony Open in Hawaii.

Rounding out the trio of the 59 Club members that will swing into Alberta’s foothills for the second annual Shaw Charity Classic, August 27-31, 2014, is Chip Beck.

One of the Tour’s most colourful characters, Beck shot his 59 in the third round of the 1991 Las Vegas Invitational at Sunrise Golf Course. A four-time winner on the PGA TOUR, Beck also represented the United States on three Ryder Cup teams. Beck was part of the 81-man field that competed in the inaugural Shaw Charity Classic one year ago.

Tournament officials will announce the complete list of players that will tee it up in Calgary during a media conference on August 20.

ENDICOTT, N.Y. – Bernhard Langer rallied to win the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open on Sunday for his fifth Champions Tour victory of the year, while Kevin Sutherland followed his tour-record 59 with a 74 to drop into a tie for seventh.

The 56-year-old Langer closed with a bogey-free 66 for a one-stroke victory over Woody Austin and Mark O’Meara. Langer did not make a bogey in the event and finished at 16-under 200 at En-Joie for his 23rd career victory on the 50-and-over tour

“It doesn’t happen very often you go through a tournament without a bogey,” Langer said.

Sutherland, the second-round leader, had five bogeys – four on the first 10 holes – and three birdies in the final round. Playing his third Champions Tour event since turning 50 in June, he finished at 12 under.

Sutherland said he was pressing too much early.

“So, I made some dumb bogeys,” Sutherland said. “Just got myself behind early. I was surprised I didn’t play better today. A lot of energy was expended (Saturday) and I think I had a hard time just getting into the round.”

Langer said he really wasn’t watching the leaderboard.

“I knew I was close,” Langer said. “I just tried to keep my head down and make quality shots. When I looked at 16, I saw I was one up on someone who had already finished the round and figured I would be OK if I just parred out.”

That he did, and won for the first time with his daughter, Christina, serving as his caddie.

“I was more nervous for her than for me,” Langer said. “We hadn’t won a tournament with her caddying, though I’ve won a couple with my son. It’s always special when your kids are caddying.”

Christina is a junior at Florida Atlantic University.

Austin had a 65, and O’Meara shot 66.

Langer, tied for fifth with Bob Charles on the tour victory list, earned $277,500 to increase his tour-leading total to $2,652,520. The German has three victories in his last five starts.

Steve Lowery had a 72 to tie for fourth at 13 under. After challenging Langer for most of the round he hit into the pond on the par-3 14th en route to a double bogey and dropped another stroke on the par-4 15th.

Lowery birdied Nos. 7, 8, 9 and 11 to take a one-stroke lead at 15 under.

On the 14th, Langer made a 20-foot birdie putt for a three-stroke swing.

Canada’s Rod Spittle tied for 22nd at 7-under 209.

ENDICOTT, N.Y. – Kevin Sutherland shot the first 59 in Champions Tour history Saturday at the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open.

The 50-year-old Sutherland had a chance to become the first player to card a 58 in a PGA Tour-sanctioned event with a par on No. 18, but made his only bogey of the day. His par putt from about 6 feet slid just past the hole.

Sutherland opened with seven birdies and an eagle on the first eight holes. He had 12 birdies overall, including three straight coming into No. 18 to set up the chance for a 58.

He settled for a 13-under 59, after shooting 71 in Friday’s first round in his third Champions Tour event.

Sutherland owns one career PGA Tour title, winning the 2002 Match Play Championship.

Six players have shot a 59 on the PGA Tour.

After an eagle on the fifth hole, Sutherland said he got the feeling “this could be a good day.” A chip-in for birdie from a bunker on the par-3 seventh confirmed it.

“That was my biggest break of the day,” Sutherland said. “I guess you need a margin of luck to shoot a 59.”

Many of the other players who had finished their rounds gathered to watch Sutherland finish.

“I wasn’t expecting that,” Sutherland said. “It blew me away. It’s emotional, really, to see those guys, the support you get out here.”

He added, “Who would have thought you’d bogey the last hole and still feel great?”

Canada’s Rod Spittle shot a 67 Saturday and is tied for 8th at 9-under 135 heading into the final round.

ENDICOTT, N.Y. – John Cook birdied the final two holes for a 7-under 65 and a share of the first-round lead with Olin Browne on Friday in the Champions Tour’s Dick’s Sporting Goods Open.

The 56-year-old Cook had eight birdies and a bogey on the En-Joie course. He won the last of his nine titles on the 50-and-over tour last year in the season-opening event in Hawaii.

Cook missed 10 weeks of the season after injuring his back in a February fall at his Florida home. He made an 8-foot putt on the par-3 17th and a 25-footer on par-4 18th.

“I was really excited for this year, then (after the injury) I got really down,” Cook said. “I didn’t know when I was going to be able to play again.”

Surgery wasn’t necessary, but the layoff left some rust that had to be worked off.

“I’m feeling very good right now,” Cook said.

The 55-year-old Browne birdied five of the last seven holes in a bogey-free round. He won the 2011 U.S. Senior Open for his lone Champions Tour victory.

“Sixty-five is a great start,” Browne said. “I played really nice golf today. I hit a fair number of fairways and greens and I had a lot of good looks at birdies. And this course, the greens can be a little tricky, so I hit a lot of good putts that didn’t go in. I misread a few of them. I’ve never really played that great here even though I really like the golf course, so it’s a good start.”

He made birdie putts from 8 feet on the par-4 11th, 5 feet on the par-5 12th, 15 feet on the par-4 13th, 10 feet on the par-4 16th and 7 feet on the par-3 17th.

“I happened to get some putts where what I saw matched up with what actually happened,” Browne said. “I thought the hole locations today were really, really good and they’re on the sides of some of the greens so when you get holes in the middle of the greens that tend to be flatter, you get them toward the corners and you can actually see the breaks. I just felt like I was able to see the breaks better on the back.”

Defending champion Bart Bryant was a stroke back along with Steve Lowery and David Frost.

Bernhard Langer, the tour leader with four victories this year, was two shots back at 67 along with Sandy Lyle, Woody Austin, Jeff Sluman, Tommy Armour III, Doug Garwood, Dick Mast, Ben Bates, John Riegger and Scott Dunlap. Colin Montgomerie, a two-time major champion this season, opened with a 68.

The 50-year-old Austin is making his second Champions Tour start after making his debut with a tie for third in the U.S. Senior Open. He has played 22 PGA Tour events this season.

“I got off to a perfect start,” Austin said. “I hit a perfect tee shot on the first hole and then I hit it to about 10 inches, so you can’t get off to a better start than a putt you can make blindfolded and something that gets you going into the round.”

Rob Spittle is the leading Canadian. He’s tied for 16th after carding 68 in opening round. Jim Rutledge shot 74 and it tied for 61st.

CALGARY— Calgary’s Stephen Ames has confirmed he will tee-it-up in his own backyard at the Champions Tour’s 2014 Shaw Charity Classic, August 27-31.

Ames, who became eligible to play on the Champions Tour after turning 50 on April 28, 2014, will make his second start on the senior circuit, and first in the tournament he helped bring to Calgary one year ago. Ames is part of six-person philanthropic Patron Group who has backed the award-winning tournament that doled out a record-setting charitable donation for youth-based charities in southern Alberta in its inaugural year.

“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to tee it up at home here in Calgary for the Shaw Charity Classic,” said Ames. “Many of us worked very hard for a long time to bring an event of this caliber to this market.  It will be truly satisfying for me to finally get a chance to compete in front of my friends and family.”

Ames, who has played 21 seasons on the PGA Tour, made his Champions Tour debut earlier this year at the Senior PGA Championship where he finished tied for 15th.

“I absolutely loved it,” said Ames of his lone Champions Tour start. “The guys on the Champions Tour very much mean business and are very competitive. There are a lot of career wins out here, but everyone remains very driven and has an appreciation for the work they have put in to get to this stage of their career. One thing that never leaves any of us is that we still want to play well. We still want to win. I would take great pride in doing both in Calgary.”

One of Canada’s most renowned golfers, Ames is no stranger to the winner’s circle having captured four PGA Tour victories during his illustrious career where he has racked up nearly $20 million in earnings. The longtime Calgary resident has finished in the top-10 58 times, and is recognized most for his dominant win at The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass in 2006.

“Stephen has played a key role in helping the Patron Group bring the Champions Tour back to Calgary last year, and to have him compete in this event at home, will be a real treat for our spectators,” said Sean Van Kesteren, tournament director, Shaw Charity Classic. “Stephen is a big-time player, and one of the best ball strikers on the PGA Tour. Having him in the field playing in front of his fellow-Calgarians will make this year’s tournament extra special.”

It promises to be a memorable week, both on and off the golf course, for Ames who still has full-time privileges on the PGA Tour. In addition to playing in the tournament, he will also be officially inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame during a private ceremony at Canyon Meadows Golf and Country Club on Tuesday, August 26.

CALGARY — Junior golfers in southern Alberta will compete to win a chance to play inside the ropes with a Champions Tour professional, or local celebrity, at the inaugural nine-hole Junior Celebrity Pro-Am that will kick off the 2014 Shaw Charity Classic.

Junior golfers 18 years of age or younger are invited to visit the Golf Canada Calgary Centre, August 16, from 8 a.m. to 12 noon, to participate in the Junior Shootout – a FREE par-3 closest-to-the-pin contest.

The top players in each age category will win a unique golf experience while playing the tournament course at Canyon Meadows Golf and Country Club with a number of Champions Tour professionals and Calgary celebrities, August 25.

The shootout will include five age categories including:

Ages 7-9 (closest-three players to pin win)
Ages 10-12 (closest four players – two girls, two boys – wins)
Ages 13-14 (closest four players – two girls, two boys – wins)
Ages 15-16 (closest four players – two girls, two boys – wins)
Ages 17-18 (top-three players)                       

For more information, please click here.

Tickets for the Shaw Charity Classic are available online at www.shawcharityclassic.com. Youth 17 and under are admitted free with a ticketed adult.

CALGARY—Three of golf’s legends who have combined to win six PGA Tour major championship titles – Tom Lehman, Mark O’Meara and Hale Irwin – have added additional depth to an already stellar field that will compete in Calgary for the second annual Shaw Charity Classic, August 27-31, 2014.

Lehman, who hosted the Claret Jug in 1996, will be joined by the 1998 Masters and British Open winner O’Meara, along with three-time U.S. Open winner, Irwin, in Calgary. The trio brings a combined 41 PGA TOUR titles and 55 victories on the Champions Tour with them to Canada’s Stampede City.

“The Shaw Charity Classic has worked very hard to bring the biggest names on the Champions Tour to Calgary, and these three players certainly support that mission,” said Sean Van Kesteren, tournament director, Shaw Charity Classic. “Not only are Mark, Tom and Hale some of the most successful players on Tour, they are also among the most respected. They can still play at a very high level and we are thrilled to host them in Calgary again this summer.”

The only player to win Player-of-the-Year on all three PGA Tours: Web.com; PGA Tour; and Champions Tour, Lehman won five times on the PGA Tour. The highlight of his career came in 1996 when he followed up his British Open victory with a win at the TOUR Championship. Ranked number one on the official World Golf Rankings for a brief stint in 1997, Lehman has won eight times on the senior circuit including his three majors coming in 2010 at the Senior Players Championship, and 2011 and 2012 Regions Tradition.

“I am thrilled to be heading back to Calgary this year. I have a lot of friends in Scottsdale who are from Calgary and it will be fun to come back and spend more time in their city,” said Lehman. “The crowds last year were very enthusiastic and impressive, and so was the golf course. It may have been a first year tournament, but it was one of the best of the year. I’m sure it will be even stronger this year.”

One of the most popular figures in international golf, O’Meara is a winner of 16 victories on the PGA Tour including five times at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am and the 1995 Canadian Open. The two-time major winner has won twice since joining the Champions Tour in 2007, including one major in 2010 – the SENIOR PLAYERS Championship.

Rounding out the newest trio to return to Calgary will be World Golf Hall of Fame member, Hale Irwin. Inducted into the Hall in 1992, Irwin racked up 20 career titles on the PGA Tour, and became the oldest U.S. Open winner in 1990 (45 years old) when he captured his third national title just prior to joining the senior circuit. Since turning 50, Irwin is the Champions Tour career leader in wins and earnings with 45 victories and more than $26 million. The 69 year old, who has gone on to win seven major titles on the Champions Tour, became the first man since Gary Player in 2009 to shoot three rounds better than his age in a tournament last week at the 3M Championship (68-66-68).

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. Shaw Communications Inc. will also celebrate tournament week with Calgarians by hosting a FREEconcert featuring rock icons, Randy Bachman and Fred Turner, along with acclaimed Canadian band, The Sheepdogs, at Shaw Millennium Park on Thursday, August 28. Presented by Rdio, the country’s leading digital streaming music service, tickets to the all-ages concert are available by visiting shaw.ca/concert.

BLAINE, Minn. – Kenny Perry got the “warmup” he was looking for heading into the PGA Championship in his home state of Kentucky.

Capped by a 15-foot putt, Perry scrambled for a birdie on the 18th hole Sunday to beat hard-charging Bernhard Langer by a stroke in the Champions Tour’s 3M Championship.

The 53-year-old Perry closed with a 7-under 65 for his second victory of the year and seventh overall on the 50-and-over tour. He finished at 23-under 193 at TPC Twin Cities.

“This was a warmup week for me to work on my short game,” Perry said. “From 100 yards and in this week I was better than I ever can remember in my career. I was hitting it around the pin and I was converting. I was making putts.”

But, to be successful at Valhalla, Perry knows he’ll have to drive it exceptionally well and successfully hit his hybrids.

“It’s going to be a great challenge,” Perry said. “Hopefully, I can carry some of this momentum over.”

Perry lost a playoff to Mark Brooks in the 1996 PGA at Valhalla, and helped the United States win the 2008 Ryder Cup at the course.

Langer, the Senior British Open winner last week by a tour-record 13 shots, shot 63. He overcame a four-shot deficit on the back nine and was tied with Perry going to the par-5 18th.

In the second-to-last group, Langer’s second shot just cleared the water hazard and landed in the tall grass. He chipped on from an awkward stance and two-putted for par.

“My goal today was to shoot 8 under thinking 21 under should have a chance to win. I shot 9 under, outdid myself, and still didn’t win,” he said. “What Kenny did this week is pretty exceptional.”

One group behind, Perry hit his second shot into the grandstand behind the green. After a drop, he pitched to about 15 feet and made the putt.

“It was an easy putt for me,” he said. “I don’t always make them, but I feel like I should make them and I knocked it right in the middle.”

Jeff Maggert, Gene Sauers and Marco Dawson tied for third at 20 under. Maggert and Sauers shot 65, and Dawson had a 67.

It was the eighth straight year the tournament’s winning score was at least 15 under, including three totals of better than 20 under. David Frost set the record at 25-under 191 in 2010. The scoring average of 69.609 is the lowest in the tournament’s 22-year history.

Perry, who also won the Regions Tradition in May, birdied four of six holes around the turn for a four-shot lead over Langer, Maggert, Dawson and Sauers.

But Langer, who won the event in 2009 and 2012, birdied five of the first six holes on the back nine, including a lengthy putt on No. 14, to get within one.

“I was just trying to make birdies, just trying to go deeper and deeper,” Langer said. “I looked at the leaderboard somewhere around the eighth hole and saw that I was four behind or whatever and I figured I got to go really low here if I want to have any hope.”

A birdie putt at 17 moved Langer into a tie less than a minute before Perry, who hadn’t been scoreboard watching on the back nine, made a par putt on No. 16.

“I was just cruising, thinking pars were good. I’m thinking if I par in it’s over, and then I look up on 17 and we’re tied,” said Perry, who finished second, third and seventh in the event the past three years.

He began the day with a one-stroke lead over Dawson. While Perry birdied Nos. 7 and 8 and made par on the par-4 ninth, Dawson went par-par-bogey to give Perry a three-shot cushion. Dawson’s tee shot on No. 9 found the weeds, forcing him to hit back into the fairway on his second shot.

Sixty-nine-year-old Hale Irwin bettered his age for the third straight day with a 68 to tie for ninth at 14 under. The last player to better his age three times in an event was Gary Player at the 2009 Mitsubishi Electric Championship.

Wes Short Jr., who shot a 62 to miss the course record by a stroke, matched Irwin at 14 under.

Rob Spittle was the top Canadian, going 12-under to claim a top 20 finish. Jim Rutledge finished at 3-under to tie for 57th.

BLAINE, Minn. – Kenny Perry eagled the last hole after waiting out a thunderstorm to take a one-shot lead Saturday after the second round of the Champions Tour’s 3M Championship.

Perry shot a 9-under 63 to reach 16-under 128 at TPC Twin Cities.

The six-time senior winner birdied the par-3 17th and was on the green on the par-5 18th when play was stopped for the thunderstorm. After a two-hour delay, he made the 8-foot eagle putt.

First-round leader Marco Dawson was second after a 66.

Bernhard Langer, Gary Hallberg, Jeff Maggert and Gene Sauers were 13 under. Langer, coming off a record-breaking victory in the Senior British Open, and Maggert shot 67, and Hallberg and Sauers had 65s.

Dawson and Maggert were in the 18th fairway when play stopped. When play resumed, Dawson put a 5-iron pin high to set up an eagle, but Maggert – tied for the lead at the time – hit his approach shot in the water en route to a bogey.

Two shots back to start the day, Perry was 3 under on the front nine and added birdies at Nos. 10 and 15 to pull into a tie for the lead.

Fifth in the season-long points race, Perry has been one of the more consistent tour players, finishing no worse than 14th – including four top-10s – in his last six events. That includes a major win May 18 at the Regions Tradition.

Maggert, who started the day one shot back, bogeyed the first hole to fall to 7 under, before birdies on Nos. 3 and 4. Starting on No. 7, he birdied five of six holes to take a two-shot lead at 14 under, but promptly gave a shot back with a bogey on the par-4 14th.

Dawson tied for the lead with a birdie on the 318-yard par-4 seventh after he drove the green and two-putted. However, he didn’t get another birdie until No. 16.

Langer, who won the event in 2009 and 2012 and took the Senior British Open by a tour-record 13 strokes last week, was 3 under on the front, but had just two birdies on the back nine.

Canada’s Rod Spittle is tied for 16th after carding a 5-under 67 on Saturday.

BLAINE, Minn. – Monday qualifier Marco Dawson shot a 9-under 63 on Friday to take the lead in the Champions Tour’s 3M Championship, leaving Bernhard Langer a stroke back five days after the German star’s record-breaking victory in the Senior British Open.

Dawson, playing the back nine first at TPC Twin Cities, birdied three of his first four holes and chipped in for eagle on No. 18. After a birdie on the par-5 third hole, he birdied three of his final four holes.

Langer, the two-time 3M champion who won by a tour-record 13 strokes Sunday at Royal Porthcawl, was tied for second with Jeff Maggert, Rocco Mediate and Vijay Singh. Langer holed out from the fairway for an eagle on the par-4 14th and added birdies on Nos. 16 and 18.

Kenny Perry opened with a 65, and Paul Goydos had a 67 in his debut on the 50-and-over tour.

Rob Spittle is the leading Canadian, carding 68 in the opening round. Jim Rutledge scored 72 to tie for 57th heading into the weekend.