TOURNAMENT OVERVIEW
JANUARY 20-22, 2022
Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai
PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS, 2022 The New Season
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PGA TOUR ESSENTIAL GUIDE DECEMBER 2021 – MAY 2022
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Yardage
7,107; par 72
Tournament Record 191, Loren Roberts (2006)
Tournament 18-hole Record 61, Loren Roberts (2006)
Media Coverage Golf Channel
More Information
www.pgatour.com/champions/ tournaments/mitsubishi-electricchampionship-at-hualalai.html
Course Insight
Designed by Jack Nicklaus, Hualalai lies upon dramatic natural topography and winds through lava outcrops to provide a unique test even for the best players. “The inspiration came from the lava…to use those natural ups and downs, always keeping in mind that the ocean is the greatest influence here,” Nicklaus said. The course begins in a lush kipuka (oasis) and then flows down to a dramatic finish near the ocean, with the par-3 17th set on the seaside, making it the most scenic hole.
Darren Clarke won his second consecutive start, shooting a final-round 64 for a 21-under 195 total, two shots better than Retief Goosen. Northern Ireland’s Clarke, 52, claimed his first PGA TOUR Champions victory at the TimberTech Championship in his last start of 2020 before a two-and-a-half month break. “I sort of broke through in Boca [at the TimberTech] and I liked the feeling of that,” Clarke said. “I worked and practiced nearly every day in the break.” Clarke charged to the finish with a 6-under 30 on the back nine, making birdies on Nos. 10-11, 13-14 and 16-17, plus a key par save on the 15th. Goosen also had a 64 in the final round, but was two behind after starting 62-71. Clarke shot 63-68 in the opening rounds to tie for the 36hole lead with Jerry Kelly, who finished third after a closing 68.
CHARITY BENEFIT Since the inception of the Mitsubishi Electric Championship in 1997, more than $1 million has been donated to various island charities, including the Rotary Club of Kona, Daniel R. Sayre Foundation and Big Island Junior Golf programs.
IMAGES: GETTY IMAGES; PGA TOUR
— David Barrett, Tournament Editor
Location
HUALALAI GOLF COURSE KA’UPULEHU-KONA, HAWAII
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HOW DARREN CLARKE WON
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he PGA TOUR Champions season for 2022 includes 28 tournaments and concludes with the Charles Schwab Cup Championship in Phoenix, Arizona. The schedule features one new tournament, the ClubCorp Classic in Irving, Texas, and the return of three events that were not held in 2021. Players will compete for more than $62 million in prize money, the highest in PGA TOUR Champions’ 42-year history. The ClubCorp Classic (April 22-24) debuts with a unique format that will match PGA TOUR Champions players with 50 of the biggest names in sports and entertainment, as well as a group of amateur golfers, all in separate competitions, but playing together. The three returning tournaments mentioned above are the Hoag Classic (March 4-6) in California; the Trophy Hassan II (March 18-20) in Morocco; and the Rapiscan Systems Classic (April 1-3) in Mississippi. The season kicks off with the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai in Hawaii, then the Chubb Classic in Florida, which returns to a February date after being played in April in 2021. The Cologuard Classic in Tucson is next, followed by the three returning tournaments in succession, and then the ClubCorp Classic, the Insperity Invitational in Texas and the Mitsubishi Electric Classic in Georgia. The first portion of the schedule culminates in May with the first two of the season’s five major championships: the Regions Tradition in Alabama (Greystone Golf & Country Club) and the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship in Michigan (Harbor Shores). Sites for this year’s other PGA TOUR Champions majors: U.S. Senior Open (June 23-26), Saucon Valley (Bethlehem, Pennsylvania); Bridgestone SENIOR PLAYERS Championship (July 7-10), Firestone Country Club (Akron, Ohio); and The Senior Open Presented by Rolex (July 21-24), Gleneagles Hotel, Kings Course, (Auchterarder, Scotland).
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