CT Insider: Forsman heats things up heading to majors

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Stan Badz/PGA TOUR

Dan Forsman hasn't finished outside of the top 25 in any of his nine events this season.

Dan Forsman turned up the decibel level. Way up.

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Forsman had quietly put together a very nice campaign on the Champions Tour. He had four top 10 finishes in six events, and five straight finishes at T13 or better.

All signs were trending positive when Forsman topped it all with a victory at the Regions Charity Classic.

In the process, he dispelled the notion that a great round of golf can't be followed by another. History tells us it's a difficult. Forsman knows it, too.

In the back of his mind, the question lingered in anticipation of Sunday's round. He asked himself, "What do you do tomorrow? Do you back it up?"

The answer was an emphatic, "Yes."

Forsman followed a scintillating 10-under 62 -- featuring a back-nine 30 -- with a final round 66 for a 196 total, 20-under-par.

The Sunday round began with a 30 on the front which, essentially, is all Forsman needed to tuck the trophy under his arm and bid the field farewell. After opening with four birdies and an eagle on the front, Forsman made two more birdies at the 10th and 11th holes.

It was spectacular golf. Forsman made two eagles in Saturday's round, at the sixth and 16th holes, and again made eagle at the sixth Sunday on his way to a 3-shot victory over Joe Ozaki and Peter Senior.

It was Forsman's second Champions Tour victory. It followed last year's win at the AT&T Champions Classic in Valencia, Calif., where Forsman won a playoff over Don Pooley. He jumped into third place in the Charles Schwab Cup race behind Fred Couples and Bernhard Langer.

Forsman's timing is excellent. After a week off, the Champions Tour embarks on its major championship season at the Senior PGA Championship in suburban Denver and Forsman has stamped himself a contender.

Forsman was paired with Langer and Hale Irwin for the second round in Birmingham. That was special for him.

"Irwin and Langer, that will get you excited," Forsman said. "I knew I was in for a special day. I wanted to play well. Those are two stars I have looked up to and admired."

Forsman was 1-over after two holes, which makes the 62 that much more impressive. He made four straight birdies beginning at the 11th hole, then the eagle at the 16th where he reached the green with a 3-iron to 12 feet. Forsman thought he had another birdie at the 17th but the putt slipped away.

"I wanted that one," he said.

"I was aware that I was playing well. I was kind of lost in what I was shooting. That's a key. I knew I was playing well but didn't want to know how well or where I stood. I wanted to remain in that insulated bubble - anything I could do to keep that routine the same."

Forsman said a tip he got on the eve of the tournament when a nutritionist spoke to the Champions Tour players proved beneficial. The advice was to keep the blood sugar high enough to prevent late-round fatique and loss of focus.

"Something she shared with us, I tried to implement," he said. "I'm one of those guys who doesn't like to eat a lot of food before the round. I've got to say it helped me. I felt really calm, as calm in the circumstances as could be. As a result I was able to executive some nice shots and finished as strong as I have in a while."

The final round began as well as the Saturday round ended.

"I wanted to come out and shoot a good score," Forsman said. "I kind of caught fire on the front nine, ended up shooting 30. Even I had to step back, 'Wow, 8-under after 10 holes.'"

There was a fleeting moment of apprehension when it began to rain. A few weeks earlier, at the Outback Steakhouse, Forsman finished in a tie for fifth in the rain-shortened tournament won by Langer. Forsman was in contention there and started off with a charge.

"At the Outback, I birdied one and two and drove it right down the middle at No. 3," he said. "I was feeling like Ben Hogan when the rain came. That was a day I was disappointed in. I had a chance to win the tournament. It didn't happen because of weather."

Nothing was going to deny Forsman at the Regions Charity Classic. His golf was simply too good.

Champions Tour Insider notes

• Indiana native Fuzzy Zoeller will tee it up at next week's Senior PGA Championship but a part of him will be at the Indy 500 where his Ultra Premium Vodka is a sponsor of the No. 20 Dallara/Honda/Firestone entry being driven by Ed Carpenter.

"I've won some majors in my golf career," said Zoeller, winner of the 2002 Senior PGA. "There is no doubt the Indianapolis 500 is the major championship in the world of motor racing.

"I'd love to add another major to my resume."

Zoeller launched his Ultra Premium Vodka last July.

• Ken Green played in his first individual medal play event as an amputee at the Regions Charity Classic. He shot 74-76-75 225.

"I'm pretty happy with the week," Green said. "This is a tough course with the different lies you can get here. This is my first individual tournament in awhile where every shot counts. The one thing I have to keep remembering is it seems like it's been an eternity, but it's only been 11 months (since the accident). I've done very little in terms of golf. It's definitely a home run for me."

Green said the players on the Champions Tour have been "wonderful."

"I thought they would wonder why I'm playing, that I really shouldn't be out here because I'm not playing good enough," he said. "They've been just the opposite. I misread the reception of the players and I'm glad I did."