Three major champs vying for first Champions win
By Lauren Deason, PGATOUR.COM Editorial Coordinator
TIMONIUM, Md. -- Like a proud papa showing off pictures of his kids, Mark O'Meara excitedly beckoned members of the media to take a look at the images on his iPhone of a steelhead fish he had snared.
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"Want to see this fish I caught? Check this baby out," O'Meara said, the passion evident in his voice. "This fish right here is about 18 pounds. That's an on the fly, catch and release, a big male fish."
Claiming he was "better at fishing than golf" now, O'Meara turns to the rod when he's not picking up the clubs. He took five weeks off from golf and spent part of that time driving 18 1/2 hours with his boat and his big truck to spend 10 days fishing the Bulkly River in Smithers, British Columbia, Canada.
There's a serenity, he says, that he can't find anywhere but on a river with that fly fishing rod in his hand. It's also the challenge of catching the rare steelhead, which is one of three types of fish that swim hundreds of miles to the ocean, swim hundreds of miles back to spawn and, unlike most fish, do not die upon their return.
"These fish are quite amazing to think that they swim hundreds of miles to get back to where they came from. Swinging a fly through the water and catching them through the fly," O'Meara said, "it's my passion."
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Ben Crenshaw has only played 15 events on the Champions Tour in 2008. His eldest daughter turned 21 last week and he has a 16-year-old and a 10-year-old at home. Needless to say, the two-time Masters champion has changed his priorities some since his PGA TOUR days.
"I wish that I could play more but I can't quite get myself to do it at this time in life. There's no question that, in order to be successful out here, you have be committed," he said. "There are enough fine players that are 100 percent committed to their golf and it shows. I think 25 or 30 of them have played better out here than they ever played..
"I'm not making excuses. I'm doing exactly what I want to do," he added. "I enjoy building an odd course here and there, one or two at a time. I've been involved in architecture since 1985 and it's a passion of mine, but I have a young family still."
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Nick Price is in the same boat. He's got a trio of teenagers at the house and, while he enjoys life on the Champions Tour, he took almost the whole summer off to spend time with his kids.
"I think the best way to explain it is, I suppose my priorities in my life have changed a little because my kids are a little older now," he explained. "My kids are 17, 15 and 12 so I'm trying to be a good father as well as still play golf.
"Probably the thing that's losing now is the fact I'm not playing as well as I would like to but I think I'm a good father and that's what I need," he added. "...If you don't play a lot, it's hard to win out here."
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All three of those players, each of whom won multiple majors on the PGA TOUR, have figured out exactly what Price means -- a sparkling PGA TOUR resume doesn't lead to Champions Tour titles. None of them has earned a victory on the Champions Tour yet, let alone a major title. Yet all three are near the top of the leaderboard at the final major of the Champions Tour season, the Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship.
Crenshaw held his first 36-hole lead in a Champions Tour major on Friday after rounds of 67 and 66. O'Meara and Price were three shots back and tied for fifth following the second round.
They are part of a group of big-name players -- others include Curtis Strange, Larry Mize and Sandy Lyle -- who won majors on the PGA TOUR but haven't picked up a title on the 50-and-over circuit. Jay Haas, a player who never won a major on the PGA TOUR but has won two major titles on the Champions Tour as well as back-to-back Player of the Year titles, might have an explanation.
"I think, for me personally, not having been to the mountaintop like those guys have, this is my chance," he said. "I look at Curtis (Strange), he and I have been friends for a long time, and he's been to that mountain. This is not as important to him perhaps. Had he not had success on the PGA TOUR, maybe he would want it more on the Champions Tour."
Still, Price, O'Meara and Crenshaw are in the hunt at a major this week. If these guys really haven't played or practiced the way they implied, it might seem strange to see them near the top of the leaderboard. Perhaps, though, there's a reason why, even if their games aren't in tip-top shape, they can still contend: They are having more fun.
"When you look at my career on the PGA TOUR, it spanned 30 years. I worked really, really hard particularly through about year five to 25, a 20-year period. I don't think I've got it in me to work that hard anymore," Price said. "Whether that was the recipe, the work that I did, that got me over the hurdle and got me to win I don't know but I think it had a lot to do with it that my work ethic was good.
"...In times gone behind, I was I don't want to say a slave to the game but I was driven by the game and now I'm driven by other things. It's a good situation to be in," he explained. "I think Mark, Ben and myself all did well financially and it's not that we have to come out here and slave away. Out here it has to be fun for us and I think that's what the galleries need to see. There has to be a certain amount of competition but there also has to be a little more fun."
Price and O'Meara agree, however, that they will need a little something extra to win at a challenging Baltimore Country Club. It's not like they can stroll in after taking time off and contend against a Tour all three referred to as extremely competitive. In 2008, O'Meara has had two top-10s in 13 starts, Crenshaw has had one top-10 in 15 starts and Price has fared the best with nine top-10s in 15 starts.
"My nerves are questionable. When you haven't won regularly, when you haven't won in a while, you start doubting yourself," Price said.
"This game is all about confidence. Confidence comes from hitting good shots and, if you aren't hitting that many good shots, you can't really fake it out there," O'Meara agreed. "Most of the year I've been teetering on seeing some good signs and then not producing what I need to produce. My confidence is a little low right now and that doesn't switch over night; it takes time to build that back."
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