Recent winners showing that 60 is the new 50 on Tour

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Chris Condon/PGA TOUR

60-and-over players like Tom Kite (in his trademark straw hat)

CONOVER, N.C. With temperatures hovering around 95 degrees in the heat of the day with the humidity as thick as a wool sweater, Tom Kite worked on his swing at the Greater Hickory Classic at Rock Barn last week.

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It didn't matter that the weather was hot because Kite needed to put in the work after his round.

That's probably as good an example as any as to why the 60-and-over crowd on the Champions Tour isn't done yet.

The 61-year-old Kite worked on the range for two hours after his first round, with his trademark straw hat and solid black pants hitting ball after ball. Then he went out the next day and had three eagles in his first nine holes to shoot a 28 on his way to a 65. It was the first time in Tour history a player had three eagles in nine holes.

Kite, who shot 66 on Sunday and tied for 15th at Rock Barn, isn't surprised that players over 60 are in contention more often these days.

"It's not going to be that unusual anymore," Kite said. "Guys are taking care of themselves and really trying to do some stuff. Obviously, most of the tournaments that are won will be guys that are 50, 51, 52 and 53 in that range. But the guys are in better shape and we are enthusiastic about playing.

"I just think guys that are in their 50s, you see them in contention on the PGA TOUR, and guys that are in their 60s are going to compete more and be in the hunt on the Champions Tour. Theres a correlation there."

The success of the older set of Champions Tour players has been rampant, especially in recent weeks. Tom Watson, at age 61, won the Senior PGA Championship and the next week 60-year-old Bob Gilder won the Principal Charity Classic.

"I think 60 is the new 50," said Larry Nelson, who is 63 and is quite capable of getting into contention again.

James Mason, a 60-year-old Monday qualifier, worked his way into contention at Rock Barn with a pair of 65s on the weekend. He got into a playoff with 53-year-old Mark Wiebe, but lost on the third playoff hole as he was attempting to be the third straight 60 or over winner on Tour.

"It looks like us old guys still have some game," Mason said. "We can still play some golf."

When Watson and Gilder won in consecutive weeks, it marked the first time in the 31-year-history of the Champions Tour that players age 60 or older won in consecutive weeks. It has happened just 20 times in Tour history, but with the recent success of 66-year-old Hale Irwin, who made a run at the Senior PGA Championship, there's plenty of inspiration to go around.

"Hale's probably the biggest inspiration because here he is 66 or whatever and we feel like if he can do it we can do it, but he's kind of an anomaly," Nelson said.

Bruce Fleisher, another player in his 60s, had a choice word when reminded about Irwin, who has won three times in his 60s, and Watson.

"They are freaks," Fleisher said. "It's going to happen and Bob Gilder got it done. So there are horses for courses, but for the most part the courses are getting longer and its not getting easier for us older guys."

Fleisher said that even though two players have won this year in their 60s, it doesn't mean its a trend.

"It's still hard to win when you are over 60 but it can be done and that's been proven this year," Fleisher said.

Jim Thorpe, who is 62, spent 10 months in an Alabama federal prison for tax evasion, and is back on the Champions Tour hoping to dig out of a financial hole.

Thorpe says a lot of it has to do with desire.

"I think it depends on the individual," Thorpe said about the over-60 crowd. "Some of the players still like to work hard at 60 or older and some don't. I think those guys like Dana Quigley, who is 64, and he still loves the game and still works hard and plays a lot.

"Some of the guys over 60 might lose interest a little bit and it shows. I'm broke and I've got no choice so I've got to keep going and keep working."

Quigley says it's great to see the over 60 set making noise.

"We're still kicking because we don't want to go home," Quigley said. "We can't stand the bare facts that we don't want to quit just yet so we're doing everything we can to stay relative."

Quigley said for some players in their 60s who didn't play on the PGA TOUR might have a little more incentive.

"Some of us didn't spend our whole lives on the regular TOUR so weve got a lot of golf still left in us," Quigley said. "I don't know that us guys in our 60s are getting more respect because they might just think were getting lucky."

Tom Jenkins, another veteran, says he's in better shape now than when he first joined the Tour. He still can hit it far, and says just because he's 63 doesnt mean he can't win again.

"When Bob Gilder won (two weeks ago) it was a great thing for us old guys," Jenkins said. "It's always nice to see that because you keep going along and you feel like 'Can I still play out here and contend?' Then you see Gilder win and you kind of change your attitude a little bit."

Jenkins spent plenty of time working on his putting last week.

"I've been hitting the ball better than I have really my whole life and it's just a matter of getting the putts to fall," Jenkins said." We are always looking for that magical week so you never know."

Jenkins says he thinks a lot about the end of his career on the Champions Tour.

"We love it," Jenkins said about guys playing into their middle 60s and beyond. "When you stop playing that's the end and you are not sure what might happen after that. So as long as you keep playing and are still competitive and your heart is still pumping and it means something then you keep playing."

Watson, who nearly won the British Open as a 59-year-old in 2009, was asked what it's like to be able to win in his 60s: "I'm thinking to myself I'm saying, 'how do I do this?'"

Irwin, the all-time winner in Champions Tour history with 45 victories, said he didn't know what the word retirement means. Irwin has four top-10 finishes this season.

Fred Funk, who has six Champions Tour wins, agreed with Kite that fitness is a big reason for longevity.

"I think as long as they are healthy and stay fit there's no age to good scores," Funk said. "Good scores are good scores and I think the key is staying fit. You see Irwin is very fit and all three of those guys (Gilder, Watson and Irwin) and Gil Morgan still hit it great.

"I think it's more of guys taking care of themselves."

Funk, who has qualified for this week's U.S. Open and will turn 55 this week, sees all the older players being successful and he is inspired to keep himself in good shape.

"I want to be out here until I'm 70," Funk said. "Thats my goal."

John Dell has covered golf for the Winston-Salem Journal in North Carolina for the last 17 years. His views do not necessarily represent the views of the PGA TOUR. You can reach him at johndell@triad.rr.com.