Dates: Friday, July 6th through Sunday, July 8th
Site: Egypt Valley Golf Club (Ridge and Valley Courses), Ada, Michigan
Course Architect: Arthur Hills (1990)
Par: 72
Yardage: 6,960
Hole-by-Hole: 1 - Par 4 411 Yds 10 - Par 4 423 Yds
2 - Par 4 400 Yds 11 - Par 4 423 Yds
3 - Par 5 560 Yds 12 - Par 3 184 Yds
4 - Par 4 389 Yds 13 - Par 5 526 Yds
5 - Par 4 434 Yds 14 - Par 4 369 Yds
6 - Par 3 208 Yds 15 - Par 4 423 Yds
7 - Par 5 534 Yds 16 - Par 3 162 Yds
8 - Par 3 153 Yds 17 - Par 5 518 Yds
9 - Par 4 426 Yds 18 - Par 4 417 Yds
------------- -------------
36 3,515 Yds 36 3,445 Yds
Annual: 16th
Defending Champion: Larry Nelson
Runner-Up: Dave Stockton
Tournament Record: 198 (Larry Nelson, 2000)
36-Hole Record: 132 (Jim Colbert, 1993; Bruce Crampton, 1992)
Course Record: 63 (Larry Nelson, 2000)
18-Hole Record: 63 (Miller Barber, 1987; Butch Baird, George Archer,
Chi Chi Rodriguez, 1993; Bruce Crampton, 1992)
Total Purse: $1,400,000
Shares: 1st Place - $210,000; 2nd Place - 123,200; 3rd Place - 104,400
2000 Finish
-----------
Player Score Player Score
------ ----- ------ -----
Larry Nelson 198 Jesse Patino 208
Dave Stockton 201 Ed Dougherty 208
Al Geiberger 205 George Archer 208
Jim Thorpe 205 Mike Hill 208
Gary McCord 208 Two players at 209
Past Farmers Charity Classic Winners and Runners-up
---------------------------------------------------
2000 -- Larry Nelson (198) -- Dave Stockton
1999 -- Christy O'Connor, Jr. (205) -- Jim Thorpe, George Archer, John Jacobs
1998 -- George Archer (199) -- Jim Dent
1997 -- Gil Morgan (207) -- Bob Duval
1996 -- Dave Stockton (206) -- Bob Murphy
1995 -- Jimmy Powell (201) -- Babe Hiskey
1994 -- #Tony Jacklin (136) -- Dave Stockton
1993 -- *George Archer (199) -- Jim Colbert, Chi Chi Rodriguez
1992 -- Gibby Gilbert (202) -- T.Aaron, D.Hendrickson, H.Henning, D.Stockton
1991 -- *Harold Henning (202) -- Gibby Gilbert
1990 -- #Don Massengale (134) -- Terry Dill, Dave Hill, Larry Laoretti
1989 -- John Paul Cain (203) -- Dave Hill, Charles Sifford
1988 -- Orville Moody (203) -- Chick Evans, Gary Player, Chi Chi Rodriguez
1987 -- Billy Casper (200) -- Miller Barber
1986 -- *Jim Ferree (204) -- Gene Littler, Chi Chi Rodriguez
* - Won in Playoff.
# - Rain Shortened.
Note: Formerly called Greater Grand Rapids Open (1986-90), First of America
Classic (1991-98), Foremost Insurance Championship (1999-2000).
Top Contenders in the Field
---------------------------
Larry Nelson - Defending champion, three-time winner this year
Jose M. Canizares - 8th on money list with a win and two runner-up finishes
Jim Dent - Struggling this year without a top-10 in 17 events
Ed Dougherty - 16th on money list, 1 win and five top-10 finishes
Allen Doyle - Finished 4th at US Senior Open, 16 top-10's in 19 events
Stewart Ginn - Has a second and a third this year, 24th on money list
Mike McCullough - Two-time winner this year, 6th on money list
Dana Quigley - Contended last week at Senior Open, two seconds in 2001
John Schroeder - 29th on money list with one win and 2 top-five's
Jay Sigel - Play has steadily improved after returning from layoff
Jim Thorpe - Two-time runner-up this year, second at Senior PGA
Lee Trevino - Only one top-10 finish in 13 events this year
Golftoday Network Selections
-------------------------
Pick to Win - Allen Doyle
Darkhorse - Jay Sigel
Last week's Pick to Win (Hale Irwin) - Finished tied for 11th
Last week's Darkhorse (Allen Doyle) - Finished tied for 4th
NOTES:
Larry Nelson led wire-to-wire and won for the second consecutive week as
he defeated Dave Stockton by three shots to capture last year's event. Nelson,
who closed with a course-record 63, set a new tournament record of 198,
breaking the previous mark of 199 set by George Archer (twice), Jim Colbert
and Chi Chi Rodriguez. Nelson, locked in a tight battle with Stockton on
Sunday, posted a six-under 30 on the closing nine to seal the win and for the
first time in his career, won two straight events. Stockton, a winner of this
event in 1996, is the all-time money winner in tournament history with
$425,577 in earnings. Stockton has recorded seven top-10 finishes in 10
starts, including a pair of runner-up finishes. Archer, the only two-time
winner of this tournament, is second in earnings. After a run where 10 of the
first 12 events were decided either in a playoff or by one stroke, the last
three events were relative runaways. Archer won by five strokes in 1998,
Christy O'Connor, Jr. by four in '99 and Nelson by three last year. Since
the start of the tournament in 1986, the player who has led or shared the lead
after 36 holes has gone on to win nine of 15 times. The 36-hole leaders/co-
leaders who failed to come through were Orville Moody (T6/1989), Rocky
Thompson (T5/1991), Bruce Crampton (T6/1992), Colbert (T2/1993), Bobby Stroble
(T5/1996) and Bruce Summerhays (T3/1998). John Bland was tied for the second-
round lead with eventual winner Christy O'Connor, Jr. in 1999. In the 15-year
history of the tournament, the only first-round leader to hang on to triumph
was Nelson in 2000. This is the seventh year that Egypt Valley Country Club
has hosted this tournament. The event was previously held at The Highlands for
four years and at Elks Country Club for four years (both in Grand Rapids,
Michigan). Stockton and Gil Morgan are the only players who have won two
different Senior Tour events in Michigan. Stockton won the 1994 Ford Senior
Players Championship and the 1996 First of America Classic while Morgan won in
Grand Rapids in 1997 and then at the 1999 Ford Senior Players Championship.
Four players recorded their first Senior Tour victory in Grand Rapids. Jim
Ferree (1986), John Paul Cain (1989), Don Massengale (1990) and Tony Jacklin
(1994) won in western Michigan, and all went on to win again on the Senior
Tour. Cain's win was significant because he became the second of seven players
to Monday qualify and win the event. Larry Mowry was the first in 1987. Since
the event moved to Egypt Valley Country Club in 1994, there have been four
aces made, the last coming in 1999 by Stroble, who became the second player to
ace the sixth hole (Agim Bardha, 1995). In 1995, Dick Lotz made a hole-in-one
on the eighth hole and, in 1997, Charlie Owens had an ace at the 12th hole.
The only other hole-in-one in the Grand Rapids event came at The Highlands in
1992, when Isao Aoki made an ace in his Senior Tour debut. The purse was
increased by $300,000 from last year. Seven of the top-10 money leaders are
scheduled to compete this week. This event serves as the final tune-up
for the Senior Tour's final major, the Ford Senior Players Championship in
Dearborn, Michigan where Ray Floyd is the defending champion.
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