BIRMINGHAM, Ala.
&mdash Bob Tway feels a bit like a rookie going into his first Champions Tour event since he’ll be playing on an unfamiliar course against a different roster of players than he has been facing lately on the PGA circuit. Tway has even received a bit of rookie-style razzing. “I’ve caught a lot of grief already, so I can definitely feel it that way,” he said. Tway turned 50 on May 4, making him eligible for the Champions Tour. The eight-time PGA winner will debut Friday in the US$1.7 million Regions Charity Classic on the 7,503-yard, par-72 Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Ross Bridge. Not everything about the venue is unfamiliar to Tway. Walking into the players’ dining room and seeing plenty of familiar faces he used to frequently compete against was hardly a rookie moment. “It was quite special,” said Tway, who won the 1986 PGA Championship. “It brought a smile to my face. All of a sudden, I kind of thought, ‘This is pretty cool.”‘ The first player to make his Champions Tour debut this year, Tom Lehman, teamed with Bernhard Langer to win the Legends Division at the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf in his initial start. Only 12 other first-timers have accomplished that.
And Tway isn’t predicting he’ll add to that number.