LEHI — This year's Sorenson Champions Challenge might be missing the big-name celebrities and the flamboyant professionals of the past, but it's certainly not lacking in golf's nice guys.

The three new faces in this year's field — Jay Haas, Mike Reid and Mark O'Meara — are clearly among the gentlemen of the game. Add them to a lineup that includes Hale Irwin, Scott Simpson, Mike Weir, Dean Wilson, Billy Casper, Dave Stockton, Ian-Baker Finch, Daniel Summerhays, Craig Stadler and host Johnny Miller, and there's a whole lot of what's right with golf on exhibit at the Golf Club at Thanksgiving Point.

"I can't think of a better place to spend time. I really love it here," said O'Meara on living part-time in Deer Valley and having the chance to play in front of Utah golf fans.

Sure, those who attended Monday's pro-am didn't see the antics of comedian Bill Murray, or the preying-mantis green reading of Camillo Villegas, the best in woman's golf from Annika Sorenstam, or the constant jabbering of Fuzzy Zoeller. What they did see, however, was the steady shot-making from a few guys who have made a bundle of money mastering every shot in golf.

Many new golf fans might prefer to see the young ball-crushers who turn long par 5s into short par 4s. But there's still plenty of golf purists who appreciate the guys who have longevity in the profession by playing consistent and steady golf.

"The real fan knows the players up and down, and not just the guys who drive it through tree trunks," Haas said.

Even if some fans don't appreciate those who paved the way for golf's young millionaires and phenom power hitters, the veterans are by no means offended.

"We had our time. We had our day," said O'Meara, whose had a second home in Utah for the past 10 years.

The veterans say there's nothing wrong with the thrill behind the new power style of golf. It's simply the way the game has progressed because of conditioning and advancements in equipment.

"The kids have come up under that light. The amateur players and the college players, they all hit it far now," O'Meara said.

Still, there's a place where golf played the way Reid, O'Meara and Haas can do it is still showcased. Fans of the Champions Tour have aged and grown along with the players who compete each week on the senior tour. Haas, who never finished as a top-10 money winner on the PGA Tour, has blossomed to a new level and has been the top Champions Tour player for the past two years.

"For some reason, my game has aged well," he said.

Success on the PGA Tour doesn't always translate into success on the Champions Tour. Those who can maintain that desire and passion for competition seem to play best as they grow older.

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"That's why Hale Irwin has been so good," Haas said. "I think he has kept his competitive spirit and passion as well as anybody in Champions Tour history."

O'Meara, who many thought would take the Champions Tour by storm, has played in 11 events this year and has yet to cash a first-place check.

The Champions Challenge, in its 10th year, concludes today with the main event — a two-man scramble that begins at 9 a.m. Miller and son Andy, who posted a record score of 18-under par last year, are the defending champions. Jason Zuback and Bobby Wilson, the long-driving champions who won the event in 2005, are also in the field.


E-mail: jimr@desnews.com

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