By Ken Klavon, USGA

Hutchinson, Kan. – In the past few years, an influx of fresh blood has given the Champions Tour new life.

It's been a topic of conversation with the likes of Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer no longer playing. And Gary Player doesn't content like he used to. So what's a tour to do?

Ben Crenshaw, Jay Haas, Peter Jacobsen, Tom Kite, Craig Stadler, Curtis Strange to some extent, and Fuzzy Zoeller have joined the ranks. Fred Couples and Nick Price are close to coming on board.

Last year, Greg Norman and Loren Roberts were eligible to play, with Roberts contending to the end in last year's Senior Open. Norman was also in the hunt on the final day and finished fourth after playing in one previous tournament as a tune-up. But because of ongoing acrimony with the PGA Tour, he politely declines to compete in Champions Tour sanctioned events.

This year's infusion can be traced to Fred Funk and 1987 U.S. Open champ Scott Simpson. The theory holds that the new (old) faces will clean up because they're still a factor on the PGA Tour, as in the case of Funk. There's evidence of that. Haas, 52, and 51-year-old Roberts, two of the relatively younger guys, have combined to win six of the 17 tournaments this season.

"I think the transition is seamless when it comes from the PGA Tour to the Champions Tour," said Tom Watson, who had 39 victories on the PGA Tour.

As one of the elder statesmen now, at 56, Watson recognizes that the Champions Tour needs the bigger-named players to survive.

Jay Haas, above, and Loren Roberts have done well this year on the tour. (John Mummert/USGA)

"That's right," he said. "There's not a question there's a lot of big names that haven't played or are not playing now. And you look at the names that people are familiar with – the Trevinos, Nicklauses, Palmers – that hurts the tour. But the thing is, it's an evolutionary process and we go from the tour that doesn't have those names to the names we have now. And you make the best of it."

For Haas, letting go wasn't the hardest part.

"It was difficult for me to say, ‘OK, now I'm going there,'" said Haas. "I didn't just turn the page and say, ‘OK, that's done now and I'm going to the Champions Tour. It didn't happen for me and it probably won't for Fred."

Funk has held his own. He finished second at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans and has collected two top-10s on the regular tour this year. Furthermore, he's coming off appearances playing for the U.S.A. squad in the Presidents Cup and 2004 Ryder Cup. He set a goal of making this year's Ryder Cup team, which right now, he would not make.

The fact that he's making his debut at the Senior Open makes little difference to him.

"Boy, it sure snuck up on me quicker than I thought," said Funk. "I still feel as long as I'm competitive out there, I should stay [on the PGA Tour]. And yet at the same time, I'm really excited with the opportunity that the Champions Tour presents itself to me."

Despite when Funk makes the full conversion, the issue remains: is there a player who can transcend the tour's awareness? Purely speculative, Tiger Woods is only 30 and likely won't need to play if he chooses not to. Nor would he want to, said Roberts. Because more money has flooded into the PGA Tour, some of the older veterans may not need to play into their golden years.

But on the flip side, the "second chance" tour as Roberts called it, has been a shot in the arm for

Loren Roberts, on site Wednesday, believes the Champions Tour has provided him a second chance. (John Mummert/USGA)

others like Jerry Pate. The 1976 U.S. Open champion played 365 PGA Tour events until a bum shoulder requiring multiple surgeries that essentially ended his playing career in 1982. He segued into the broadcast booth, where he made a living until he turned 50.

"If you talk about Champions Tour golf, this is the greatest mulligan in life of any sport I know," said Roberts, adding, "I think a lot of guys who play out here are probably not as anal as they used to be on the golf course just because this is a second time around."

Which leads to the chicken-and-egg question. Which is better for the tour, one or two guys cleaning up or a marquee name to draw in fans?

"Well, I think the more guys that we can get, like Fred Couples and Nick Price and Greg [Norman], if they would come out and play, I think they would really add a lot to what we call senior golf or whatever," said Roberts.

Snakes, What Snakes?

When the Women's Open was played in 2002, bull snakes were on many players' minds. They are lurking in the tall weeds of Prairie Dunes, finding a home after being responsible for eradicating the course of rattle snakes when Perry Maxwell designed it. The bull snakes' function these days is to take care of course-damaging rodents.

Still, like a rose is a rose is a rose, a snake is a snake is a snake.

Jim Thorpe may carry the biggest phobia. He's been in the severe rough a few times this week. Has he seen any?

"No, thank goodness, no," he said. "I'm afraid of them. Oh, am I afraid of them."

They're Here

In 1988 Prairie Dunes hosted the fourth of eight USGA championships, that being the U.S. Mid-Amateur. Five players who had reached match play that year are in the field. They are champion David Eger, John Harris, Buddy Marucci, Greg Reynolds and George Zahringer.

Ken Klavon is the USGA Web Editor. E-mail him with questions or comments to kklavon@usga.org.