With less than one week remaining until the Champions Tour returns to Baltimore for the final major of the season, tournament officials announced that the number of former Masters champions in the field has grown from five to nine.
Ben Crenshaw, Sandy Lyle, Larry Mize and Fuzzy Zoeller have joined the field to take on Baltimore Country Club's Five Farms course for the Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship. The first round is Thursday.
Crenshaw, a two-time Masters champion (1984 and 1995), joined the Champions Tour in 2002 after a long and successful career on the PGA Tour highlighted by 19 victories. Last year at the Senior Players Championship, Crenshaw finished two strokes behind champion D.A. Weibring.
Lyle, a native of Scotland with 29 worldwide titles, is a two-time major champion (1985 British Open and 1988 Masters). Lyle joined the Champions Tour in 2008 and finished tied for 65th in his first appearance at Baltimore Country Club.
Mize played on the PGA Tour from 1982 to 2007, winning four times and finishing in the top 10 85 times. He won the 1987 Masters when he holed a 140-foot chip-in on the second playoff hole to beat Greg Norman and earn a green jacket in his hometown of Augusta, Ga. A member of the Champions Tour since last fall, he finished tied for 27th in his debut at the 2008 Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship.
With his 1979 Masters victory, Zoeller joined an elite trio of players to have earned a green jacket in their first appearance at Augusta National. Through seven seasons on the Champions Tour, Zoeller has added two victories to his resume, including a major at the 2002 Senior PGA Championship.
Players have until 5 p.m. today to commit to the tournament.
Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship
When: Next Thursday-Sunday, rounds 1-4; tee times begin 7:45 a.m. (Thursday and Friday) and 8:45 a.m. (Saturday and Sunday). Also, practice round Tuesday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday pro-am, 7 a.m.-7 p.m.
Where: Baltimore Country Club Five Farms Course, Timonium
TV: Thursday and Friday, Golf Channel, 1 p.m.-3:30 p.m.; Saturday (1:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m.) and Sunday (4 p.m.- 6 p.m.), NBC
Tickets: Available for purchase at the gate or by calling 410-853-7064. Prices range from $10 (practice round) to $30 (at the gate for daily pass). There are discounts available for advance purchases. Weekly passes are also available.
Parking: All tournament parking (preferred parking and general parking) on Tuesday and Wednesday will be at Padonia Park Club, free of charge. Preferred parking Thursday-Sunday will be located at Padonia Park Club. A pass will be required to gain access to preferred parking. They can be purchased for $10 plus tax and fees via the tournament Web site, www.ceseniorplayers.com. Passes will not be sold at the lot. General parking Thursday-Sunday will be located adjacent to Oregon Ridge Park on Shawan Road in Hunt Valley and is free. Shuttles run from parking to the course at all times.
