BUTCH BAIRD - Baird won his first tournament since the 1986 Cuyahoga Seniors International when he captured this year's Northville Long Island Classic in June.
He came close to winning at last year's MONY Syracuse Senior Classic, but ended up in a tie for second. At the 1988 Showdown, Baird was disqualified for playing his ball from the wrong place. He finished tied for 12th in the 1987 Showdown.MILLER BARBER - The two-time defending US WEST Showdown Classic champ seems to own Jeremy Ranch. Last year, Mr. X came from four strokes behind during the final round to defeat Ben Smith, Dick Rhyan and Orville Moody.
Last year's victory marked the third time Barber has won at Jeremy Ranch. His first victory came in 1985 when he teamed with Ben Crenshaw to win when the tournament was still a junior/senior format.
In 1988, he finished ninth on the money list. Besides his victory at the Showdown, Barber also won the Fairfield-Barnett Classic.
He lives in Sherman, Texas.
DON BIES - In Bies' first year on the Senior PGA Tour, he won $293,552 to finish 11th on the money list. He also walked away with victories at the Northville International and the GTE Kaanapail Classic.
Bies has remained hot in 1989, winning back-to-back tournaments in the spring. At last year's Showdown Classic, he carded rounds of 70, 69 and 76 for a 1-over-par 215 to tie for 13th.
BILLY CASPER - The Utah resident missed last year's Showdown Classic, but returns this year.
Casper won the inaugural Jeremy Ranch Senior PGA Tour event in 1982, edging Miller Barber and Don January when it was a 72-hole event. His 65 during final-round action is still a competitive course record.
During his 27 years on the PGA Tour, he won 51 times including the U.S. Open twice (1959 and 1966) and the Masters (1970). He was the PGA Player of the Year in 1966 and 1970.
Since joining the Senior Tour in 1981, Casper has won nine times including the U.S. Senior Open, joining Orville Moody, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player as players who have won both the U.S. Open and the U.S. Senior Open.
DALE DOUGLASS - Douglass continues to rack up big money on the Senior Tour. Since vaulting on the scene in 1986, with four victories including the USGA Senior Open, he has gone through quite a dry spell until he won the 1988 GTE Suncoast Classic.
He missed the 1988 Showdown Classic due to an injury. He played in his first Showdown as a senior in 1986, where with partner Charles Coody he finished in a tie for 18th.
AL GEIBERGER - "Mr. 59" continues to enjoy success on the Senior Tour. Last year he won the Arizona Classic and took home a career-high $348,735 in winnings.
Thomas-Memphis Classic.
In Geiberger's first Showdown Classic last year, he shot rounds of 75, 69 and 68 to finish in a tie for seventh with Bob Rawlings.
LOU GRAHAM - Graham is making his inaugural US WEST Showdown appearance this year after joining the Senior PGA Tour in 1988. In his rookie season, he won $211,948 without benefit of a tournament win.
HAROLD HENNING - The successful South African has won three Senior PGA Tour events, including this year's Legends of Golf with teammate Al Geiberger.
Henning's best showing at Jeremy came in 1986, when he teamed with Denis Watson for a second place the last year the event was a junior-senior format.
Henning lives in Palm Beach, Fla.
LARRY MOWRY - Mowry was a successful min-tour player from 1976 to 1983, but never enjoyed tremendous success until turning 50. In 1987, he won the Crestar Classic and the Pepsi Senior Challenge, and followed that with a win in the 1988 General Tire Las Vegas Classic.
This season, Mowry has added two more titles to his resume - the PGA Senior Championship and the Dominion. At the 1988 Showdown, he tied for 28th.
ORVILLE MOODY - The "Sarge" made golf history earlier this summer when he became the fourth player to win both the U.S. Open and the U.S. Senior Open. Moody edged Frank Beard for the 1989 Senior title.
On the PGA Tour, he won the U.S. Open, his only tour victory, in 1969 in Houston, Texas. Last season, his fifth year as a member of the Senior Tour, Moody won four tournaments for $411,859.
BOBBY NICHOLS - Until this year, Nichols last victory, and his only senior win, was the 1986 Showdown Classic as a teammate of Curt Byrum. That drought ended in May when he won the southwestern Bell Classic.
His first visit to Utah was during the 1963 Utah Open at the Salt Lake Country Club. Last year he was 17th in the Showdown.
DOUG SANDERS - The host of his own Doug Sanders Kingwood Celebrity Classic in Houston, Sanders still finds time to compete on the Senior PGA Tour. Last year his best finish came at the Pepsi Senior Challenge where he tied for fifth.
During his 26-year career on the PGA Tour, he won 20 tournaments including the Canadian Open as an amateur.
BEN SMITH - Smith trilled the 1988 Showdown Classic gallery with his stellar performance during the first two rounds before dropping to a final-round 76 to place him in a tie for second with Orville Moody and Dick Rhyan.
Smith still took home $24,666 for his efforts and finished the year with $160,363. He never played on the regular PGA Tour and was in the auto repair business for 15 years before joining the Senior PGA Tour in 1984. He lives in Orlando, Fla.
WALTER ZEMBRISKI - Zembriski has enjoyed a tremendous amount of success since joining the Senior PGA Tour in 1985. He has also had his share of success in the US WEST Showdown Classic.
In 1987, Zembriski finished tied for eighth. Last year, he came back and tied for ninth to give him two top 10 finished in as many years.