Categorized | Golf, Sports

Mitsubishi Electric Championship to feature 16 players with 43 career wins

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The Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai begins later this month, featuring legends in the game of golf such as Tom Watson, Fred Couples, Ben Crenshaw and defending champion Bernhard Langer.

And while these players will be admiring the beauty of Hualalai, they also have another reason to be optimistic: They – along with 12 other players in the field – have recorded a win in Hawaii at some point during their esteemed PGA TOUR and Champions Tour careers.

For years, both the PGA TOUR and Champions Tour have featured events in various locations on Hawaii’s famous islands, and those events have been kind to 16 players in the field at this year’s Mitsubishi Electric Championship over the years.

Those 16 players account for 34 official victories at PGA TOUR and Champions Tour events held in Hawaii, as well as nine additional unofficial Skins Games wins for a total of 43 victories.

No player has been more comfortable in Hawaii than Hale Irwin, who notched one win at the 1981 Sony Open during his PGA TOUR career, and has followed with eight wins in Hawaii during his Champions Tour career, including the 1997 and 2007 Mitsubishi Electric Championships.

Six of those victories in Hawaii were at the Turtle Bay Championship, the record for the most victories in a single event on the Champions Tour. Five of those Turtle Bay Championship titles were consecutive victories from 2000-05.

“It’s hard to put your finger on it,” said Irwin, when questioned about his great success in Hawaii. “Other than there’s something about the air, the people, in the land. It’s sort of like coming home. It’s always a treat.”

Irwin’s affinity for Hawaii doesn’t end with his playing career: He also has several course design and renovation projects underway on the islands.

But Irwin isn’t the only legend of the game to find success in Hawaii, as John Cook has three Hawaiian titles, including two Mitsubishi Electric Championships (2011, ’13) and the 1992 Sony Open in Hawaii on the PGA TOUR.

Defending champion Bernhard Langer also won the event in 2009, and will look to increase his Hawaii wins to three when he tees it up at Hualalai to open the 2015 Champions Tour season.

The following players in the field at the 2015 Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai are listed with their career PGA TOUR and Champions Tour wins in Hawaii:

JOHN COOK
1992 Sony Open in Hawaii (PGA TOUR)
2011, ‘13 Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai

FRED COUPLES
1993, ‘94 Lincoln-Mercury Kapalua International (PGATOUR)

BEN CRENSHAW
1976 Sony Open in Hawaii (PGA TOUR)

BRAD FAXON
2001 Sony Open in Hawaii (PGA TOUR)

FRED FUNK
2007 Turtle Bay Championship
2008 Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai

PAUL GOYDOS
2007 Sony Open in Hawaii (PGA TOUR)
2014 Pacific Links Hawaii Championship

HALE IRWIN
1981 Sony Open in Hawaii (PGA TOUR)
1997, 2000, ’01, ’02, ’03, ’05 Turtle Bay Championship
1997, 2007 Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai

PETER JACOBSEN
1989 Lincoln-Mercury Kapalua International (PGA TOUR)

BERNHARD LANGER
2009, ’14 Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai

DAVIS LOVE III
1992, ’97 Lincoln-Mercury Kapalua International (PGA TOUR)

MARK O’MEARA
1985 Lincoln-Mercury Kapalua International (PGA TOUR)
1985 Sony Open in Hawaii (PGA TOUR)

COREY PAVIN
1986, ’87 Sony Open in Hawaii (PGA TOUR)

LOREN ROBERTS
2006 Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai
2006 Turtle Bay Championship

JEFF SLUMAN
1999 Sony Open in Hawaii (PGA TOUR)

TOM WATSON
2010 Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai

MARK WIEBE
2013 Pacific Links Hawaii Championship

The Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai offers fans the chance to see the best players on the Champions Tour with a strong field of qualifiers, featuring official event champions from the 2013 and 2014 seasons, winners of majors since 2010 and eight additional invited players each with 15 or more career victories, including one major.

The 2015 Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai will be held Jan. 21-25. Bernhard Langer is the defending champion.

— Find out more:
www.pgatour.com
www.pgatour.com/mec
www.MitsubishiElectric-USA.com

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