Charles Schwab Cup Championship Field Set

October 29, 2008

Press Release

John Cook

With the completion of the Champions Tour’s AT&T Championship won by John Cook, the field is now finalized for this week’s Charles Schwab Cup Championship, one of the most anticipated events on the Champions Tour schedule. Comprised of the top 30 players on the current Champions Tour money list, the field represents one of the strongest in tournament history with a total of nine major championship winners, three World Golf Hall of Fame members as well as 10 Champions Tour stars who are making their first appearance in the Charles Schwab Cup Championship.

The event began October 27 with at Sonoma Golf Club in Sonoma, and continues through Sunday with four championship rounds The field, listed below, represents a total of 262 career Champions Tour and PGA TOUR victories, including nine major championship wins on the PGA TOUR.

World Golf Hall of Fame member Bernhard Langer, the Champions Tour’s current money leader ($1,992,573), will be looking for his fourth Champions Tour win and first Charles Schwab Cup title. Langer, a two-time Masters winner (1985, ’93), will be joined in Sonoma by the following PGA TOUR and Champions Tour major champions:
Bernhard Langer, Tom Kite, Nick Price, Scott Simpson, Jeff Sluman and Craig Stadler

With double Charles Schwab Cup points on the line to for the top-10 finishers and based on the points available (884) to the winner of the Charles Schwab Cup Championship, only five players are within shooting range of the Charles Schwab Cup’s $1 million first-place annuity payout. Jay Haas (2,556 Schwab Cup Points) has a slim twelve point lead over Fred Funk (2,544) coming into Sonoma. Bernhard Langer (2,460), Eduardo Romero (2,032), and John Cook (1,867) still have an outside opportunity to capture the Cup.

Ten players who have never competed in the Charles Schwab Cup Championship are in Sonoma this week. The 10 players are three-time winner in 2008 Bernhard Langer and two-time winner Jeff Sluman. Joining them will be John Cook, Nick Price, Mark Wiebe, Bruce Vaughan, Tim Simpson, Gene Jones, Joey Sindelar and Mike Goodes.

Tom Watson, who is No. 17 on the money list, is recovering from hip replacement surgery will not participate in the Charles Schwab Cup Championship, bringing the field to 29 players.

Also absent from this year’s event will be Jim Thorpe, the Charles Schwab Cup Championship’s three-time defending champion, who finished five spots short of qualifying at No. 35 on the Money List, $106,451 dollars short of securing the 30th spot as he did in 2007.

2008 Charles Schwab Cup Championship field (by money list position):

1. Bernhard Langer ($1,992,573), 2. Jay Haas ($1,943,226), 3. Fred Funk ($1,797,931), 4. John Cook ($1,661,538), 5. Jeff Sluman ($1,625,276), 6. Eduardo Romero ($1,581,099), 7. Loren Roberts ($1,497,939), 8. Scott Hoch ($1,429,530), 9. Tom Kite ($1,230,092), 10. Lonnie Nielsen ($1,190,012), 11. Nick Price ($1,092,097), 12. Scott Simpson ($1,073,126), 13. Andy Bean ($1,064,789), 14. Denis Watson ($1,044,580), 15. Mark Wiebe ($1,027,949), 16. Mark McNulty ($975,105), 17. Tom Watson ($972,343), 18. D.A. Weibring ($956,030), 19. R.W. Eaks ($917,816), 20. Brad Bryant ($914,413), 21. Tom Jenkins ($797,765), 22. Keith Fergus ($797,151), 23. Bruce Vaughan ($793,595), 24. Gene Jones ($767,061), 25. Tim Simpson ($754,641), 26. Joey Sindelar ($749,333), 27. Craig Stadler ($726,732), 28. David Eger ($645,921), 29. Mike Goodes ($627,584), 30. Bob Gilder ($614,783).

Top Watson will not play in the tournament because of hip surgery.

Posted in Golf Tournaments, Player Profiles