Champions Tour Insider: Easier without expectations

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Olin Browne tied for 50th in his Champions Tour debut at last week's Principal Charity Classic.

Beyond the obvious, Olin Browne doesn't know what to expect on the Champions Tour and that's quite all right with him.

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Great expectations are a terrific concept in certain quarters but there is a downside when applied to golf. Ask Mark McNulty and a lot of others about that. McNulty demonstrated once again last week that the game usually becomes easier when expectations take a back seat.

Browne made his Champions Tour debut at the Principal Charity Classic. Despite a roller coaster ride -- a very nice start with a 67 before rounds of 73-77 left him at 217 and tied for 50th -- Browne's impressions were validated.

"I'm happy to be here," Browne said. "My playing record the last couple of years has not been that great. I'm looking to play the very best I can play and see what happens."

No expectations. Just a practical approach to what too often is an enigmatic game.

That's the same approach McNulty took on his final, winning stroke at the Principal Charity Classic -- a 30-foot putt for birdie on the fourth playoff hole against Fred Funk.

"There is no pressure on a 30-foot putt," McNulty said. "A six-foot putt you're supposed to make six out of 10, seven out of 10. On a 30-foot putt, there is no expectation. On a 100-foot putt there is no pressure on you to make it. A four-foot putt, you're supposed to make it."

Browne, a three-time winner on the PGA TOUR, is satisfied to be a rookie again and go about his business without the burden of anticipating what the future might bring. He's learning new ropes in new towns on new courses.

This week, it's the Triton Financial Classic at The Hills Country Club in Austin, where Denis Watson is the defending champion.

"It's exciting to be a rookie again," said Browne, who took a pass on the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial in favor of the Principal Classic.

"The Colonial has been a staple of mine for the last 11 years. I was disappointed it was the same week. I would have been happy playing both of them. I'm happy to be playing here."

Browne's reasoning is that he's destined for the Champions Tour so why not get an early and complete indoctrination.

"I'm not getting any younger," he said. "I want to support (the Champions Tour). I'll probably continue to play both tours as long as possible but this is where I'll spend most of my time."

Browne celebrated his 50th birthday on May 22. The timing of his eligibility for the Champions Tour was a consideration on choosing the Principal Charity Classic over Colonial.

"If I had started at the beginning of the year and had eight, 10 events under my belt, I might have gone to the Colonial," Browne said.

"I feel it's important to be committed to one or the other. If you want to play well out here, it's really difficult to play 12, 14 events on each tour. It's a continuity issue, style of play issue, travel issue. It's a nice thing to aim for but in reality it's more important to play with one thing on your mind as opposed to two. It helps me in my decision that I'm not exempt on TOUR anymore. If I had a multi-year exemption I might take a different approach. I'm getting a subtle hint it might be time to move on."

Subtleties aside, Browne is looking forward to the new experiences.

"Everything is a little different but, hey, it's a great opportunity," he said. "Like going to places out west, like Pebble Beach, in the fall. That's going to be great, playing in that tournament."

The Champions Tour's Walmart First Tee Open is played on Pebble Beach Golf Links and Del Monte Golf Course on the Monterey Peninsula, September 4-6.

Something Browne is certain to discover is that winning on the Champions Tour requires dedication and preparation. McNulty is a seven-time winner on the Champions Tour but last week's victory didn't come without plenty of sweat.

"My game has sort of been there, not there," McNulty said. "The swing has been there, not there. I've been working on a few things."

That included a visit with his swing coach, David Leadbetter, in Orlando before the Principal Charity. McNulty came out of the session "with a lot of good, positive thoughts.

"It was great for me to come out straightaway and play pretty well obviously," McNulty said. "I'm excited for the rest of the season ... but there's still work left to be done."

Champions Tour Insider notes:

• What do Dave Barr, Jim Thorpe and Chip Beck have in common? They have recorded a hole-in-one on the PGA TOUR, Champions Tour and Nationwide Tour. Beck was the latest to join the elite club when he made an ace at the Senior PGA Championship at Canterbury Golf Club.

• Only one golfer is in the top 10 of the greens in regulation and scrambling statistical categories. Loren Roberts is second in scrambling and tied for 10th in greens in regulation.

• Bruce Summerhays, 65, and Tom Jenskins, 61, proved once again that age isn't a deterrent to fine golf. The sixtysomethings tied for sixth at the Principal Charity Classic.

• Scott Hoch will be in a comfort zone this week at the Triton Financial Classic. In his two previous starts in this event, he won in 2007 and tied for second last year.