After what Dave Barr endured last season playing golf on three different tours there’s been only one thing on the mind of this pro from the Okanagan---finishing among the top 30 money-winners and retaining his playing privileges with the over 50 crowd on the Champions Tour for next season. With just four tournaments remaining before the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship Barr seems well positioned as the 23rd leading money-winner and he’s on the bubble in 31st place in the points race. However, despite winning the first tournament he played this year, by no means is his future guaranteed.

At Hunt Valley, MD Sunday (September 14) it was Larry Nelson who came out on top in the Constellation Energy Classic thanks to a (67-70-70—207) 9-under par two-stroke victory ahead of Doug Tewell and Jim Dent. The win was Nelson’s 17th since joining the Champions Tour in 1997.

For some players who experienced sensational careers on the regular PGA TOUR, like Nelson, Hale Irwin, Lee Trevino, Raymond Floyd, Miller Barber and Don January, competing on the over-50 Champions Tour has been a lot of fun and a chance to make easy money. For a few who never played the regular Tour it has been a dream come true. For players like Kelowna, BC’s Dave Barr, who only got to the winner’s circle twice (1981 Quad Cities & 1987 Georgia-PacificAtlanta Classic) since joining the TOUR in 1978, playing the Champions Tour for the kind money that’s now on the table represents an opportunity to enjoy a career far longer than in any other professional sport.

The Senior PGA Tour grew from one event that was first held in 1978, The Legends of Golf. In 1980 there were two events. In 1981 the seniors came to Vancouver and the Peter Jackson Champions at Capilano was one of six stops on the new calendar. In 1983 Don January won five of the 13 tournaments he played in and was the leading money-winner with $237,571. In 1993 Dave Stockton won five times and captured the money title with $1,175,744. Last year in 27 tournaments Hale Irwin collected four championships and took a record $3,028,304 to the bank. Today the average purse for the 30 or so tournaments on the calendar is $1.5 million.

Last year, Dave Barr found his way into five tournaments on the PGA TOUR and earned $28,395. He teed it up in two Nationwide Tour events and made $4,230. In 2001, he missed qualifying for the senior tour by one stroke at Q-school so after turning 50 in March last season Barr was eligible to seek sponsor exemptions and Monday qualifiers and that got him into eight Champions Tour events where he earned $132,259. That success alone proved Barr belonged on Tour so at the end of last season he returned to Q-school and this time finished a healthy seventh. In his best previous year as a tour player in 1994 Barr won $314,885 and finished 53rd on the money list. Now, In order for Barr to ensure his playing status for 2004, he needs to win just over $700,000.

Two weeks ago Barr returned home to Kelowna to rest and prepare for the remaining six weeks of his season. For only the second time since 1980 he chose not play in the Canadian Open. (15 years ago Barr finished fourth at Glen Abbey, the closest any Canadian has come since Pat Fletcher’s win in 1954) It was a sobering time for Dave and his wife Lu Ann as they watched at night from the dock in front of their home as wide fires destroyed homes and countryside on the opposite side of Okanogan Lake. Perhaps more grateful now than ever before for what he has, Barr returned to the Tour focused and refreshed.

In Baltimore this past week the 592-yard par-5 finishing hole at Hayfields Country Club was a backbreaker for Barr, who began his final round 7-shots behind the leaders. After making the turn at 1-over for the day and the tournament following a bogey at four, Barr dug in his heels and reeled off birdies at 10, 12, 13 and 16. Despite facing an uphill blind tee shot and the memory of having taken a double bogey six a day earlier, Barr pared 17 and was now 3-under and hoping for just one more birdie to fatten his pay cheque. Instead however, the Okanogan pro came up with a bogey. Regardless, Barr’s score of (71-73-70—214) 2-under par was just seven behind Nelson and his tie for 18th place was worth $21,500. In 23 tournaments he has won $655,598 and is currently 24th in the money standings, his best season ever. But will it be enough? This week and next the Barrs will attend tournaments in North Carolina ---provided Hurricane Isabel dosen’t interfere--- then head off to Oahu, Hawaii before a final stop in Texas. With some breaks and good putting Barr will tee it up in Sonoma, CA a month from now with the rest of the top 30 money winners.

INSIDE THE ROPES: . . . . Jim Dent, at age 64, fired a tournament low 65 in the second round and just missed becoming the oldest player ever to win on the Senior circuit. A non-winner during his 18-year PGA TOUR career, Dent has 12 wins on the Champions Tour and six more since turning 60 on the Super Seniors series although his last win came three years ago . . . Nelson was stung by a bee on the knuckle near the tip of his right index finger while lining up a putt on the 9th green Sunday. He took a couple of minutes to deal with the shock, then went ahead and drained a par-saving 12-footer before treating the sting with ice and tobacco. “I actually didn’t feel my finger for about three holes,” even though he sank a 25-footer at the 11th that helped seal the championship . . . . Nelson’s first win since 2001 was worth $250,000 and pushed his earning’s for this season to over $1,081,000, the sixth consecutive year he’s surpassed $1M in winnings . . . . former European Rider Cup captain Sam Torrance T4th and collected $73,500 in his Champions debute . . . . the winner of the Charles Schwab Cup championship in Sonoma, CA October 26 receives a $1 million annuity . . . . Dan Halldorson received a sponsor exemption for one appearance on the Champions Tour this year and earned $31,697. Bill Hardwick, a regular on the European senior tour, won $2,706 in his lone tournament and Norm Jarvis picked up $1,360 in his only showing.

Although it took him two days to complete it, Vijay Singh compiled a bogey-free, six under par finish and won the rain-delayed John Deere Classic in Illinois by four shots and together with the $630,000 first place prize is now first in the money race. Singh (right, AP photo) had a pair birdies in the five holes he played Sunday but when play resumed Monday the big Fijian added birdies at 8,14,16 and 17 to finish (66-68-69-65—268) 16-under par and win for the third time this season --- and the 14th time in his 10-year PGA TOUR career. Singh has won more than $5.7 million in 23 tournaments this season and may be considered a candidate for Player of the Year honors, although he’s more concerned with winning the money title.

"I can control the money list. I can't control the player of the year," says Singh. "If I play well, I just have no worries about what can go wrong," Singh says Masters Champion Mike Weir of Canada would get his vote as Player of the Year.

Chris Riley, J.L. Louis and Jonathon Byrd shared second place at 12-under par while Calgary resident Stephen Ames closed strongly (72-69-72-66—279) and T21. Ian Leggatt, Cambridge, ON withdrew following his opening round of 78.

IN THE BUNKER: . . . . Mark O’Meara, one of Tiger Woods’ Florida neighbors, closest friend and most frequent golfing partner, is having an off-season. He’s now missed five consecutive cuts, hasn’t made a cheque since the British Open in July and has slipped out of the top 130 money winners with only $380,000 in 21 tries.

Annika Sorenstam helped to treat her fans in native Sweden to something special – a record victory for Europe in dominating fashion over the United States in the Solheim Cup, 17 1/2 to 10 1/2. Sorenstam won four times during the matches while the win is Europe’s third in cup history

Talk about a close call. Twenty-four-year-old Kimberly Adams of Tide Head, NB had a two shot lead with one hole remaining, double bogeyed the 18th at Thornhill, ON’s Bayview G&CC to force a playoff, then managed to bounce back and sink a 5-foot putt for par on the second extra hole to claim the Canadian PGA Women’s Championship presented by Aquifina as her first professional victory. This was the final BMO Financial Group Canadian Women’s Tour event of the season and assures Adams of a spot in the 2004 BMO Canadian Women’s Open.

“That is sweet,” smiled Adams (Thursday, September 11). “I had no idea that I would be getting the exemption. I just played in the U.S. Open this year and getting the chance to go to the Canadian Open is amazing.”

Adams (73-74—147) and Isabelle Beisiegel (74-73—147) of St. Hillaire, PQ both finished at 3-over par. Beisiegel, who missed winning in regulation by inches with a birdie attempt at 18, drove out of bounds on the second playoff hole, then found a greenside bunker with her approach shot, opening the door for Adams.

“Last week, I had a hard time controlling my nerves,” remarked Adams, who lost in a six-hole playoff for the final two spots at the first sectional round of LPGA Q-school. “It was nerve wracking out there today and I was trying to use my nerves to my advantage instead of against me. This is a great confidence booster for me heading into next week.” Adams’ first place cheque for $8,100 will come in handy as she tries again in Florida for a chance to get into next months LPGA Q-school. Beisiegel has already qualified for the final stage through her results playing on the American Futures Tour.

Adams almost cancelled coming to the tournament after learning a week earlier that her father had been admitted to hospital with kidney complications. “I was going to pull out to be with him,” she said. “Knowing that he was stable in the hospital, there was nothing that I could do so I decided to come out and play. We kept in close contact and he reassured me that he was fine. I think my parents were both crying when I told them that I won. They were just so thrilled.”

Vancouver’s Chris Greatrex narrowly missed getting into the playoff but instead had to settle for 3rd at (75-73—148) 5-over par, four shots ahead of defending champion Liz Earley (75-77—152) of St. Catharines, ON.

For complete results and money, visit www.cpga.com.

Graham Cooke of Hudson, QC, a 57-year old golf course architect and seven-time Canadian Mid-Amateur Champion, will be going for his third consecutive Canadian Senior Championship this week (September 15-18) when the field tees off at Bally Haly Golf and Curling Club in St. John's, Newfoundland in the RCGA’s 42nd National senior final. Cooke, who earlier this season elected not to defend his Mid-Amateur title, has claimed the Senior Championship in each of the two years he’s been eligible. Other past Senior champions competing this week include Patrick Suraj of Etobicoke, ON, (1996-97), Canadian Senior Match Play champion Billy Graham of Pensacola, Florida (2000-03) and Robert Fugere of Hull, QC, winner of the 1999 Canadian Senior Match Play Championship. Michael Harrington of Toronto will also be in Newfoundland looking to defend his 2003 Super-Senior title and should be challenged by 2002 Super-Senior champion Eamonn P. McCormack of St. Bruno, QC.

The event will also play host to the Senior Inter-provincial Team Championship being held in conjunction with the first two rounds of play. Quebec comes in as the defending champion and will be looking to claim the province's fifth senior team championship. The Canadian Senior Champion will be awarded the John Rankin Memorial Trophy and the Canadian Super Senior Champion receives the Governors Cup. The championship is conducted at stroke play over 54 holes. This year's field features 115 players with a cut to the low 70 and ties after 36 holes.

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