Bob Tway faced high expectations in his Champions Tour debut Friday.
Some golf analysts considered Tway a sleeper to win the Regions Charity Classic, thanks in part to his age and that Tom Lehman won in his Tour debut two weeks ago. Tway’s expectations weren’t nearly so lofty, and it turned out for good reason. Tway shot a four-over par 76, tied for 73rd out of 78 players and 11 shots back after one round. “If I would have been playing now as I was at the end of last year, I would have come here with higher expectations,” said Tway, an eight-time PGA Tour winner who qualified for the Champions Tour when he turned 50 on May 4. “But I knew I wasn’t playing that great.” Tway had initially committed to play at the PGA Tour’s Valero Texas Open in San Antonio this week but decided to move up his Champions Tour debut, figuring it would be easier to start the Champions Tour now. “I guess anytime you start something new, there’s a little bit of anxiety to it,” he said. On a day filled with birdies, Tway had five bogeys and one birdie. The golfers on average produced 3.5 birdies per round. “On a golf course like this, to make one birdie is pretty sad,” Tway said. “I played horribly. Driving the ball was OK. My iron game was not good at all. The positions that I had for iron shots, you should hit good shots, and I never hit it close to the hole.” Tway was like a rookie all over again. He enjoyed reconnecting with players he had not seen in a while, and adjusted to a slightly different game.
For starters, Champions Tour players and their caddies can use golf carts. Ross Bridge is so large that Tway hopped on a couple shuttles occasionally, although he prefers to walk.