Officials of the Mitsubishi Electric Classic announced today that the tournament has accepted commitments from defending champion Stephen Ames, major championship winner and fan favorite Colin Montgomerie, and reigning Charles Schwab Cup Champion Kevin Sutherland.
The Mitsubishi Electric Classic is an official event on the PGA TOUR Champions scheduled for April 9-15, 2018. This 54-hole stroke play golf tournament features 78 PGA TOUR Champions professionals competing for a $1.8 million purse at the prestigious TPC Sugarloaf in Duluth, Georgia. The event, which will benefit local charities through the Gwinnett Championship Foundation, Inc., has raised nearly $2 million since its first tournament in 2013. All three official rounds will be internationally televised on the Golf Channel. For more information, visit www.mitsubishielectricclassic.com.
Ames, 53, is coming off a career-best PGA TOUR Champions season. His Mitsubishi Electric Classic victory was his first PGA TOUR Champions title, and he followed that up with four straight top-10 finishes to give him a total of seven on the season. The Canadian native competed in 23 events in 2017, finishing with career highs in both earnings, $1,020,917, and Charles Schwab Cup points, ranking him No. 18. Ames will be making his fourth start at the Mitsubishi Electric Classic, where he’ll attempt to be the first player to defend his title. His scoring average at TPC Sugarloaf is 70.38 with career earnings of $360,450 in the Mitsubishi Electric Classic.
Colin Montgomerie, 54, has recorded six PGA TOUR Champions victories since joining the TOUR in June 2013. Three of his six wins have come in major fashion, claiming titles at the 2014 and 2015 Senior PGA Championship presented by KitchenAid and the 2014 U.S. Senior Open Championship. The Scottish native and World Golf Hall of Fame member has tallied 43 PGA TOUR Champions top-10 finishes in his career and more than $7.7 million in earnings. His current Charles Schwab Cup ranking is No. 5 on the strength of three top-20 finishes in three starts, including a runner-up effort at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai. Montgomerie will make his fourth Mitsubishi Electric Classic appearance in April. His record in Duluth includes $103,784 in earnings, a scoring average of 69.5 and finishes of T8 in 2014, T10 in 2015 and T4 in 2016’s event.
Reigning Charles Schwab Cup Champion Sutherland enjoyed a breakthrough year on the PGA TOUR Champions circuit in 2017. He started the season with seven straight top-10 finishes, grabbing 15 total over 23 events, and finishing outside the top-25 only three times. He ended the season in grand fashion by recording his first PGA TOUR Champions victory at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship, claiming the coveted Charles Schwab Cup title. Sutherland, 53, has continued to play well this season, logging three top-20 finishes. He is currently ranked No. 18 in Charles Schwab Cup points to go with $95,336 in earnings. The California resident will be making his fourth Mitsubishi Electric Classic start at the 2018 event and looks to record a third consecutive top-10 finish at TPC Sugarloaf. His best effort came in 2017 when he tied for sixth with the 2016 champion of the Mitsubishi Electric Classic, Woody Austin. Sutherland’s tournament scoring average is 70.00 with career earnings in the Mitsubishi Electric Classic of $124,920.
About the Mitsubishi Electric Classic: The Mitsubishi Electric Classic is an official event on the PGA TOUR Champions scheduled for April 9-15, 2018. This 54-hole stroke play golf tournament features 78 PGA TOUR Champions professionals competing for a $1.8 million purse at the prestigious TPC Sugarloaf in Duluth, Georgia. The event, which will benefit local charities through the Gwinnett Championship Foundation, Inc., has raised nearly $2 million since its first tournament in 2013. All three official rounds will be internationally televised on the Golf Channel. For more information, visit www.mitsubishielectricclassic.com.
About PGA TOUR Champions: PGA TOUR Champions is a membership organization of professional golfers age 50 and older, including 35 members of the World Golf Hall of Fame. The Tour’s mission is to provide financial opportunities for its players, entertain and inspire its fans, deliver substantial value to its partners, create outlets for volunteers to give back and generate significant charitable and economic impact in tournament communities. In 2018, the PGA TOUR Champions schedule includes 27 tournaments across the United States, Scotland and Canada, with purses totaling more than $56 million. The Charles Schwab Cup, which includes the Regular Season and the Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs, is used to determine the season-long champion. All events are televised in the United States, with most receiving complete coverage on Golf Channel, the exclusive cable-television partner of PGA TOUR Champions. Internationally, telecasts air in excess of 190 countries and territories, reaching more than 330 million potential households. Follow PGA TOUR Champions online at PGATOUR.com, at facebook.com/PGATOURChampions, on Twitter @ChampionsTour and on Instagram @pgatourchampions.
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