Fred Funk and Jeff Sluman won the Champions Division of the Big Cedar Lodge Legends of Golf presented by Bass Pro over Jay Haas and Peter Jacobsen by a single shot.
Two rounds of the Big Cedar Lodge Legends of Golf were played on the par-3 Top of the Rock golf course designed by Jack Nicklaus.
Funk/Sluman fired a final round six-under-par 48 on the par-54 short course. Haas/Jacobsen made seven birdies on Sunday, but three bogeys on their card left them at four-under-par 50 for the day and one stroke behind the winners.
The Legends of Golf is the tournament that launched the Champions Tour back in 1978. That inaugural event was won by Gardner Dickinson and Sam Snead.
Today the tournament has two divisions with Jim Colbert and Jim Thorpe winning the Legends Division for players over 65 years old.
This was the first time a par-3 golf course has been used for a sanctioned tournament on the Champions Tour.
It demonstrated to golf fans that a competitive event does not always need to be held on a regulation 6,000-yard-plus golf course.
In the past, Phil Mickelson and the Ford Motor Company hosted a two-day exhibition at Treetops in Gaylord, Michigan on their par-3 course. It was a made for television event that featured four of the top names in golf.
Augusta National annually hosts their par-3 tournament on Wednesday afternoon preceding the Masters, but it is not a sanctioned event.
Pine Valley and Bandon Dunes both have short courses that provide a challenge to even the best golfers. The par-3 makes a wonderful venue for a quick round or an “emergency nine” to settle a questionable wager.
Par-3 golf courses are perfect for beginners or juniors to learn the game and not become frustrated by regulation golf courses that demand longer shots.
The Big Cedar Lodge Legends of Golf also featured Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Lee Trevino in action throughout the week.
Bass Pro and its owner John Morris brought the Legends of Golf to Branson, Missouri and helped save one of the unique events in golf. Hopefully the Legends of Golf will find a permanent home at Big Cedar Lodge.