Justin Leonard turned 50 on June 15, 2022. Courtesy: PGA Tour
The 42-player field is set for the PGA Tour Champions season-opener: the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualālai on the Big Island.
The seniors tournament runs Jan. 19-21 at Hualālai Golf Course.
“Each year the field at Hualālai is second to none, and that is no different in 2023,” said Tournament Manager Kelly Fliear. “This year, we welcome first-timers Justin Leonard and Thongchai Jaidee to Hualālai, in addition to bringing back several past champions and World Golf Hall of Fame members.”
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Leonard is the 1997 Open Champion and reigning American Family Insurance Championship winner. He turned 50 on June 15, 2022, the cutoff age for the seniors tour. He made four starts last season, with two top-20 finishes.
Jaidee finished No. 7 in the final Charles Schwab Cup standings last season after notching 11 top-10s, including four top-3s in 21 starts.
The field also includes seven World Golf Hall of Fame members: Bernhard Langer, Mark O’Meara, Fred Couples, Vijay Singh, Ernie Els, Retief Goosen and Colin Montgomerie.
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Langer is a three-time winner of the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualālai (2009, 2014, 2017).
Additional past champions returning to Hualālai in 2023 are Darren Clarke (2021), Fred Funk (2008), Miguel Ángel Jiménez (2015, 2020, 2022), Jerry Kelly (2018) and Tom Lehman (2019).
In all, the season-opening field includes 15 PGA Tour major winners, 24 PGA Tour Champions major winners, 32 PGA Tour winners (260 wins) and 40 PGA Tour Champions winners (237 wins).
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All three rounds of the 2023 Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualālai will be televised live on the GOLF Channel. For more information about the tournament and ticket information, visit www.mecgolf.com.
Complete Tournament Field:
Steven Alker
Michael Allen
Stephen Ames
Doug Barron
Cameron Beckman
Paul Broadhurst
Olin Browne
Alex Cejka
K.J. Choi
Darren Clarke (2021 champion)
Fred Couples
Stephen Dodd
Joe Durant
David Duval
Ernie Els
Steve Flesch
David Frost
Fred Funk (2008 champion)
Retief Goosen
Jay Haas
Thongchai Jaidee
Lee Janzen
Miguel Ángel Jiménez (2015, 2020, 2022 champion) Jerry Kelly (2018 champion)
Bernhard Langer (2009, 2014, 2017 champion) Tom Lehman (2019 champion)
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