DULUTH, Ga. (April 18, 2023) – Six PGA TOUR Champions legends who have reached one of professional golf’s most remarkable accomplishments – a round below 60 – will tee off at TPC Sugarloaf when the Mitsubishi Electric Classic returns May 1-7.
This extraordinary group possesses a combined 13 PGA TOUR Champions victories and 46 PGA TOUR wins between them. They will vie for the $2 million prize purse alongside 72 other PGA TOUR Champions professionals who are competing to increase their standing in the season-long Charles Schwab Cup points list.
“We’re thrilled to add these golf legends to this year’s Mitsubishi Electric Classic field. They have certainly achieved our sport’s most difficult feat and it’s an honor to welcome such distinguished athletes to Duluth,” said tournament director Ashley Hamilton. “With a field of this caliber who’s to say a round below 60 can’t happen at TPC Sugarloaf this May?”
The six members of golf’s most exclusive club include:
- Stuart Appleby, who famously ended a four-year winless streak on the PGA TOUR with a 59 at the 2010 Greenbrier Classic and was named that year’s Comeback Player of the Year as a result. Appleby made five Presidents’ Cup appearances and topped off his nine PGA TOUR victories with three successive wins at the Mercedes Championships.
- Notah Begay III, who became the third player to shoot below 60 on a U.S. professional tournament. He shot 59 in the second round of the Dominion Open after making two eagles and nine birdies on the last 11 holes. Begay’s PGA TOUR career which included 4 victories and 14 top-ten finishes was extended after making his PGA TOUR Champions debut last season.
- David Duval, who became only the third golfer in PGA TOUR history to score a 59 during the 1999 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, capped off his historic day with an eagle on the 18th hole. In the process, he also became the first golfer to score a 59 during a tournament’s final round. Duval made his PGA TOUR Champions debut last season, extending an impressive career that includes capturing the 2001 Open Championship and 1999 PLAYERS Championship.
- Jim Furyk, who is the only member of this group that has scored below 60 twice. The first time was at the 2013 BMW Championship and again at the 2016 Travelers Championship with an astonishing 58 during the final round. He has won three times on the PGA TOUR Champions circuit, including his debut at the Ally Championship and the 2021 U.S. Senior Open Championship, on his way to becoming the tour’s 2021-2022 Rookie of the Year. He has 17 PGA TOUR victories to his name, including the 2003 U.S. Open Championship.
- Paul Goydos, who, along with Stuart Appleby, became the first pair of golfers to score 59s in the same year. Goydos shot 59 during the opening round of the 2010 John Deere Classic. Since joining the PGA TOUR Champions in 2014, he has 52 top-10 finishes and five victories, including the 2016 Charles Schwab Cup Championship.
- Kevin Sutherland, who became the first person on the PGA TOUR Champions to shoot a 59 during the second round of the 2014 Dick’s Sporting Goods Open. Sutherland has racked up five victories since joining PGA TOUR Champions in 2014, including the 2020 Charles Schwab Cup Championship.
The remaining field of competitors will be released in the coming weeks.
To purchase tickets, please visit: www.mitsubishielectricclassic.com/tickets
For more information, visit: www.mitsubishielectricclassic.com
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About Mitsubishi Electric Classic
The Mitsubishi Electric Classic returns to the metro Atlanta area May 1-7, 2023, and looks forward to welcoming golf legends on PGA TOUR Champions. The Mitsubishi Electric Classic proudly stands as a premier golf tournament on the PGA TOUR Champions, but this event is much more than a golf tournament. The event, which will benefit local charities through the Gwinnett Championship Foundation Inc., has raised over $3.6 million since the first tournament in 2013. Follow the Mitsubishi Electric Classic online at mitsubishielectricclassic.com, on Facebook, on Twitter (@MEClassicGolf) and on Instagram (@mitsubishielectricclassic).
About PGA TOUR Champions
PGA TOUR Champions is a membership organization of professional golfers age 50 and older, including 34 members of the World Golf Hall of Fame. The Tour’s mission is to provide financial opportunities for its players, entertain and inspire its fans, deliver substantial value to its partners, create outlets for volunteers to give back and generate significant charitable and economic impact in tournament communities. Follow PGA TOUR Champions online at PGATOUR.com, on Facebook, on Twitter (@ChampionsTour), on Instagram (@pgatourchampions) and on TikTok (pgatourchampions).
All events are televised in the United States, with most receiving complete coverage on Golf Channel, the exclusive cable-television partner of PGA TOUR Champions. Tournament programming is available via 20-plus TV linear partners in 170- plus countries and territories, with 25 channels carrying long-form and/or highlights coverage, and 170-plus hours of live coverage distributed in 130-plus countries and territories. Programming is also available via the OTT platform GOLFTV powered by PGA TOUR in every market outside of the United States (240-plus countries and territories), excluding China, Korea and Russia, with live coverage distributed in 130-plus countries and territories.
Media Contact:
Sydney Lowe
slowe@gwinnettsportscommission.com
770-814-6058