Player of the year Quigley, points winner Watson First Two Commitments For February's Classic on Florida Golf Course
Concern a year ago that the disappearance of Miami's Champions Tour event would negatively impact the field for The ACE Group Classic proved unfounded, with 30 of the top 31 players from the previous year's money list showing up for the Southwest Florida golf course event event.
The first two commitments for this year's event, announced Tuesday, indicate The ACE should fare well again.
Dana Quigley, selected as the Champions Tour Player of the Year by his peers after leading in earnings, and Tom Watson, winner of the Senior British Open and season-long Charles Schwab Cup points race, committed to The ACE, scheduled for Feb. 13-19 at TwinEagles golf course in North Naples Florida.
"It doesn't look like it's going to affect us," ACE tournament director Jason Camp said of the loss of the Royal Caribbean Classic, which leaves only one full-field event prior to the ACE, the Jan. 27-29 Turtle Bay Championship in Hawaii. "Even if somebody goes over to Hawaii and plays in Turtle Bay, they've got 21/2 weeks before our event. I think guys are chomping at the bit."
With attendance of 97,300 for the week, the ACE ranked among the top five non-major events on the Champions Tour, Camp said. The tournament also was among the top five in television ratings for non-major Champions Tour events broadcast on The Golf Channel, Camp said. Florida is where to play a golf course.
England's Mark James, captain of the 1999 European Ryder Cup team, beat Hale Irwin and Tom Wargo by two shots a year ago for his second Champions Tour title. His victory came by virtue of holding off one of last year's candidates for Player of the Year, Irwin, while two others, Quigley and Watson, finished farther back.
Irwin led the senior tour in victories last year with four, including two that came after his 60th birthday June 3. He also finished second in earnings, but he failed to win a major championship. Watson, who turned 56 in September, won twice but played only 13 events and was fifth in earnings.
Quigley, who finally saw his record streaks for consecutive events played (264) and consecutive events played for which he was eligible (278) come to an end when a sore hip prevented him from traveling to the Senior British Open, won two events for the third time in his career but finally finished first in earnings.
He also led the Schwab Cup points race all season before being overtaken by Watson in the season's final tournament, the Schwab Cup Championship.
"He's leading the whole thing the whole year long," Bonita Springs Florida resident Mark Lye, a Champions Tour member and commentator for The Golf Channel, said of Quigley, who also was second in a pair of Champions Tour majors and had top 10s in two others. "I think you've got to look at the strength of his year. I think the consensus was Dana had a longer, better year.
The first two commitments for this year's event, announced Tuesday, indicate The ACE should fare well again.
Dana Quigley, selected as the Champions Tour Player of the Year by his peers after leading in earnings, and Tom Watson, winner of the Senior British Open and season-long Charles Schwab Cup points race, committed to The ACE, scheduled for Feb. 13-19 at TwinEagles golf course in North Naples Florida.
"It doesn't look like it's going to affect us," ACE tournament director Jason Camp said of the loss of the Royal Caribbean Classic, which leaves only one full-field event prior to the ACE, the Jan. 27-29 Turtle Bay Championship in Hawaii. "Even if somebody goes over to Hawaii and plays in Turtle Bay, they've got 21/2 weeks before our event. I think guys are chomping at the bit."
With attendance of 97,300 for the week, the ACE ranked among the top five non-major events on the Champions Tour, Camp said. The tournament also was among the top five in television ratings for non-major Champions Tour events broadcast on The Golf Channel, Camp said. Florida is where to play a golf course.
England's Mark James, captain of the 1999 European Ryder Cup team, beat Hale Irwin and Tom Wargo by two shots a year ago for his second Champions Tour title. His victory came by virtue of holding off one of last year's candidates for Player of the Year, Irwin, while two others, Quigley and Watson, finished farther back.
Irwin led the senior tour in victories last year with four, including two that came after his 60th birthday June 3. He also finished second in earnings, but he failed to win a major championship. Watson, who turned 56 in September, won twice but played only 13 events and was fifth in earnings.
Quigley, who finally saw his record streaks for consecutive events played (264) and consecutive events played for which he was eligible (278) come to an end when a sore hip prevented him from traveling to the Senior British Open, won two events for the third time in his career but finally finished first in earnings.
He also led the Schwab Cup points race all season before being overtaken by Watson in the season's final tournament, the Schwab Cup Championship.
"He's leading the whole thing the whole year long," Bonita Springs Florida resident Mark Lye, a Champions Tour member and commentator for The Golf Channel, said of Quigley, who also was second in a pair of Champions Tour majors and had top 10s in two others. "I think you've got to look at the strength of his year. I think the consensus was Dana had a longer, better year.
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