The Tradition

For other uses, see Tradition (disambiguation).
The Tradition
Tournament information
LocationBirmingham, Alabama, U.S.
Established1989
Course(s)Greystone Golf and Country Club
(Founders Course)
Par72
Length7,277 yards (6,654 m)[1]
Tour(s)PGA Tour Champions
FormatStroke play
Prize fundUS$2,500,000
Month playedMay
Tournament record score
Aggregate265 Doug Tewell (2001)
265 Steve Stricker (2023)
To par−23 as above
Current champion
United States Doug Barron
Location map
Greystone G&CC is located in the United States
Greystone G&CC
Greystone G&CC
Location in the United States
Greystone G&CC is located in Alabama
Greystone G&CC
Greystone G&CC
Location in Alabama

The Tradition (known as the Regions Tradition for sponsorship reasons) is an event on the PGA Tour Champions. First staged 35 years ago in 1989, the PGA Tour recognizes the event as one of the five senior major golf championships. Unlike the U.S. Senior Open, Senior PGA Championship and Senior Open Championship, it is not recognized as a major by the European Senior Tour, and is not part of that tour's official schedule. It is the only senior major where the winner does not earn an exemption into a PGA Tour or European Tour event.

Locations

Arizona

From its inception in 1989 through 2001, the tournament was held in Arizona at the Cochise Golf Course of the Golf Club at Desert Mountain in Scottsdale. In 2002, it was held at the Prospector Course of Superstition Mountain Golf & Country Club near Gold Canyon.[2] While in Arizona, the event was played in early April.

Oregon

In 2003, the event relocated to northwest Oregon for four years at the South Course of The Reserve Vineyards and Golf Club in Hillsboro, Oregon, just west of Portland. Following the 2006 edition, it moved to the high desert of central Oregon for four years, to the Crosswater Club in Sunriver, south of Bend. The lengthy course sits on 600 acres (2.4 km2) of woodlands and preserved wetlands along the Deschutes River, at an average elevation of 4,170 feet (1,270 m) above sea level. The par-72 layout played at 7,316 yards (6,690 m) in 2009. During the eight years in Oregon, the event was held in mid- to late August.

Alabama

Following the 2010 event, Birmingham, Alabama–based Regions Financial Corporation announced in August that it was taking over sponsorship of the tournament. For five years, the event was played at the Shoal Creek Golf and Country Club in the Shoal Creek development, southeast of Birmingham. [3] The Tradition superseded the Regions Charity Classic, a regular Champions Tour event which began in 1992 as the Bruno's Memorial Classic.[4] Shoal Creek previously hosted two PGA Championships, in 1984 and 1990.

Since moving to Alabama in 2011, the event has been played in May and June. It moved from Shoal Creek to the nearby Greystone Golf and Country Club in 2016, and is held on the recently renovated Founders Course.

Winners

Year Winner Score To par Margin of
victory		 Runner(s)-up Winner's
share ($)		 Venue
Regions Tradition
2024 United States Doug Barron 271 −17 2 strokes New Zealand Steven Alker 375,000 Greystone
(Founders Course)
2023 United States Steve Stricker (3) 265 −23 6 strokes South Africa Ernie Els
Sweden Robert Karlsson		 375,000 Greystone
(Founders Course)
2022 United States Steve Stricker (2) 267 −21 6 strokes Republic of Ireland Pádraig Harrington 375,000 Greystone
(Founders Course)
2021 Germany Alex Čejka 270 −18 Playoff United States Steve Stricker 375,000 Greystone
(Founders Course)
2020 Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2019 United States Steve Stricker 270 −18 6 strokes United States Billy Andrade
United States Paul Goydos
United States David Toms		 360,000 Greystone
(Founders Course)
2018 Spain Miguel Ángel Jiménez 269 −19 3 strokes United States Joe Durant
United States Gene Sauers
United States Steve Stricker		 360,000 Greystone
(Founders Course)
2017 Germany Bernhard Langer (2) 268 −20 5 strokes United States Scott Parel
United States Scott McCarron		 345,000 Greystone
(Founders Course)
2016 Germany Bernhard Langer 271 −17 6 strokes United States Olin Browne 345,000 Greystone
(Founders Course)
2015 United States Jeff Maggert 274 −14 Playoff United States Kevin Sutherland 345,000 Shoal Creek
2014 United States Kenny Perry 281 −7 1 stroke United States Mark Calcavecchia 330,000 Shoal Creek
2013 South Africa David Frost 272 −16 1 stroke United States Fred Couples 335,000 Shoal Creek
2012 United States Tom Lehman (2) 274 −14 2 strokes Germany Bernhard Langer
Taiwan Lu Chien-soon		 335,000 Shoal Creek
2011 United States Tom Lehman 275 −13 Playoff Australia Peter Senior 330,000 Shoal Creek
JELD-WEN Tradition
2010 United States Fred Funk (2) 276 −12 1 stroke United States Michael Allen
Taiwan Lu Chien-soon		 392,000 Crosswater
2009 United States Mike Reid 272 −16 Playoff United States John Cook 392,000 Crosswater
2008 United States Fred Funk 269 −19 3 strokes United States Mike Goodes 392,000 Crosswater
2007 Republic of Ireland Mark McNulty 272 −16 5 strokes United States David Edwards 390,000 Crosswater
2006 Argentina Eduardo Romero 275 −13 Playoff United States Lonnie Nielsen 375,000 The Reserve
(South Course)
2005 United States Loren Roberts 273 −15 Playoff United States Dana Quigley 375,000 The Reserve
(South Course)
2004 United States Craig Stadler 275 −13 1 stroke United States Allen Doyle
United States Jerry Pate		 345,000 The Reserve
(South Course)
2003 United States Tom Watson 273 −15 1 stroke United States Jim Ahern
United States Tom Kite		 330,000 The Reserve
(South Course)
The Countrywide Tradition
2002 United States Jim Thorpe 277 −11 Playoff United States John Jacobs 300,000 Superstition Mountain
(Prospector Course)
2001 United States Doug Tewell 265 −23 9 strokes United States Mike McCullough 255,000 Desert Mountain
(Cochise Course)
2000 United States Tom Kite 280 −8 Playoff United States Larry Nelson
United States Tom Watson		 240,000 Desert Mountain
(Cochise Course)
The Tradition
1999 Australia Graham Marsh 136[a] −8 3 strokes United States Larry Nelson 225,000 Desert Mountain
(Cochise Course)
1998 United States Gil Morgan (2) 276 −12 2 strokes United States Tom Wargo 210,000 Desert Mountain
(Cochise Course)
1997 United States Gil Morgan 266 −22 6 strokes Japan Isao Aoki 180,000 Desert Mountain
(Cochise Course)
1996 United States Jack Nicklaus (4) 272 −16 3 strokes United States Hale Irwin 150,000 Desert Mountain
(Cochise Course)
1995 United States Jack Nicklaus (3) 276 −12 Playoff Japan Isao Aoki 150,000 Desert Mountain
(Cochise Course)
1994 United States Raymond Floyd 271 −17 Playoff United States Dale Douglass 127,500 Desert Mountain
(Cochise Course)
1993 United States Tom Shaw 269 −19 1 stroke United States Mike Hill 127,500 Desert Mountain
(Cochise Course)
1992 United States Lee Trevino 274 −14 1 stroke United States Jack Nicklaus 120,000 Desert Mountain
(Cochise Course)
1991 United States Jack Nicklaus (2) 277 −11 1 stroke United States Jim Colbert
United States Jim Dent
United States Phil Rodgers		 120,000 Desert Mountain
(Cochise Course)
1990 United States Jack Nicklaus 206[b] −10 4 strokes South Africa Gary Player 120,000 Desert Mountain
(Cochise Course)
1989 United States Don Bies 275 −13 1 stroke South Africa Gary Player 90,000 Desert Mountain
(Cochise Course)

Multiple winners

Through 2023, five men have multiple wins in the Tradition:

Notes

  1. ^ Shortened to 36 holes due to snow.
  2. ^ Shortened to 54 holes due to rain.

References

  1. ^ "Course map". Regions Tradition. 2016. Retrieved May 22, 2016.
  2. ^ The Countrywide Tradition moves to a new home
  3. ^ al.com - How the Regions Tradition came to Shoal Creek - 2011-05-04
  4. ^ Shoal Creek will host Regions Tradition in 2011

33°25′46″N 86°39′03″W / 33.4294°N 86.6508°W / 33.4294; -86.6508