After one-year absence, Bank of America Championship returns  PGATOUR.com Staff Back this week is not only the Champions Tour, which had last week off, but the event it is playing as well -- the Bank of America Championship.  Hale Irwin believes he can win again if he can eliminate some distractions. (Michael Cohen/WireImage)
After the 2006 edition of the tournament was cancelled due to rain last year, the Nashawtuc Country Club in Concord, Mass., is once again the site of the event. And once again, the ever-dominant Jay Haas is the frontrunner. Prior to the U.S. Open on the PGA TOUR, Haas notched his third win of the season at the Principal Charity Classic. Haas, who currently sits atop the money list and the Charles Schwab Cup standings, remains the Champions Tour's only multiple event winner this season. He comes to Nashawtuc Country Club hoping to continue his success. "It's been a satisfying year so far," Haas said. "The pool of players is getting deeper out here and I'm proud to have won three times." This tournament has sentimental value to Haas, as his uncle played in it and won back in the early 1980s. "My uncle Bob Goalby played here at this tournament and won here back in 1981 [the first year the event was held]," Haas said. "He got me started in the game. I owe so much of what I accomplished to him. He's one of the first people I call when I win." But there may be no such phone call to Goalby this week since, after a week of rest and practice time, Haas finds himself up against stiff competition. Although he continues to dominate the Champions Tour, other players are acknowledging that the competition is getting tougher. "We're seeing a lot of good play now on this Tour," Hale Irwin said. "New players are bringing a competitive mindset and personality to the Tour." Irwin, who currently is No. 4 on the money list, has finished in the top-10 in six of his last seven starts, including a tie for seventh recently in the Principal Charity Classic. "Over the past several months I've been playing well and had some chances to win," Irwin said. "If I can eliminate some of my errors, I would be in much better shape." Irwin admits that designing courses has taken some of his focus away from his game, although the only indicator to make one to believe that was unusual was his tie for 42nd at the Senior PGA Championship. "I have had a few more distractions with my design business and that has had a little bit of an impact," Irwin said. "But when you take some from one area, it affects the other areas. I'm adjusting now as I go." Despite the distractions, Irwin maintains that he is ready to play, and is looking forward to competing at Nashawtuc. "I'm anxious to see the changes in the course," Irwin said. "I've always enjoyed Nashawtuc. I love it here." Copyright 2007 PGATOUR.com. All rights reserved. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
PGATOUR.com is part of the Turner Sports and Entertainment Digital Network