PALMER, PLAYER AND TREVINO TO JOIN MASTERCARD CHAMPIONSHIP FIELD FOR START OF CHAMPIONS TOUR'S 25th ANNIVERSARY SEASON
KA'UPULEHU-KONA, Hawaii -- Three of golf's biggest names -- Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Lee Trevino -- have accepted sponsor exemptions and will play in the season-opening event of the Champions Tour's 25th anniversary season, the MasterCard Championship.
The MasterCard Championship will be played Jan. 17-23 at Hualalai Golf Club in Ka'upulehu-Kona, Hawaii as the Champions Tour launches a yearlong celebration of its first 25 years.
Palmer, Player and Trevino, all members of the World Golf Hall of Fame, collectively have won 202 PGA TOUR and Champions Tour titles.
Palmer will be at Hualalai for the second year in a row and make his sixth appearance in the MasterCard Championship, which was first played in 1984. His best finish was a runner-up to Miller Barber in 1986 at La Costa Country Club in Carlsbad, Calif. Palmer owns 92 worldwide titles, including seven major championships on the PGA TOUR and five on the Champions Tour.
Player will be competing in the MasterCard Championship for the fourth year in a row and the seventh time overall. His best finish was 10th in 1989 and 1999. The most successful international golfer of all time, Player has won 163 tournaments worldwide including nine major championships (three Masters and three British Opens) on the PGA TOUR and six on the Champions Tour.
Trevino will be playing in the MasterCard Championship for the 13th time. The three-time Champions Tour Player of the Year was a runner-up in the 2000 event with three other golfers. He has won six majors on the PGA TOUR and four on the Champions Tour.
The sponsor exemption category was created in 2002. Up to four sponsor exemptions may be granted to exempt players who have a minimum of 30 combined PGA TOUR and Champions Tour victories. The addition of Palmer, Player and Trevino increases the expected field to 37 players.
This is the 22nd playing of the MasterCard Championship. It features winners of Champions Tour major championships of the last five years (2000-2004) and winners of Champions Tour official money cosponsored and approved tournaments of the last two years (2003-2004).
The MasterCard Championship will air live on The Golf Channel on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 21, 22 and 23 from 7:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m. ET. Fuzzy Zoeller is the defending champion.
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