Mitsubishi Electric Classic Preview 2021

Mitsubishi Electric Classic Preview 2021

Mitsubishi Electric Classic
For a complete list of Mitsubishi Electric Classic Winners follow the list:

• Dates: May 14-16, 2021
• Golf Course: TPC Sugarloaf
• Location: Duluth, Georgia
• Par: 72; 
• Yardage: 7,179
• Designed by: Greg Norman (1997)
• Reigning Champion: Scott McCarron (from 2019)
• Purse: $1,800,000 (Winner: $270,000)
• Golf Channel Coverage: Friday, 1:30-3:00 p.m. ET; Saturday & Sunday, 3:00-6:00 p.m. ET
• Quick Links: Tournament Field | Tee Times
• Social Media: Twitter (@MEClassicGolf), Instagram (@mitsubishielectricclassic), Facebook (@mitsubishielectricclassic)

Field Overview (as of 5/12/21) 

PGA TOUR Champions heads to the Atlanta area this week for the Mitsubishi Electric Classic, marking the third consecutive week of competition. After no tournament was held in 2020, the Mitsubishi Electric Classic returns to TPC Sugarloaf in Duluth, Georgia for the eighth time in 2021.

All seven past champions, dating back to the first event in 2013, are in the field this week, including defending champion (2019) Scott McCarron and Charles Schwab Cup leader Bernhard Langer (2013). The other past champions in the field are Steve Flesch (2018), Stephen Ames (2017), Woody Austin (2016), Olin Browne (2015) and Miguel Angel Jimenez (2014).

• 6 members of the World Golf Hall of Fame
  • (Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, Bernhard Langer, Colin Montgomerie, Jose Maria Olazabal, Vijay Singh)
• 56 PGA TOUR winners with 302 total career victories
• 49 PGA TOUR Champions winners with 226 total career victories
• 21 with a PGA TOUR Champions major title
• 16 with a PGA TOUR major title

2019 Recap

Scott McCarron went wire-to-wire in his two-stroke victory at the 2019 Mitsubishi Electric Classic at TPC Sugarloaf. McCarron birdied Nos. 13 and 15 en route to a final-round 71 and a 7-under 209 total. Jerry Kelly, Joe Durant, Kirk Triplett and Kent Jones shared runner-up honors at 5-under. In 2019, the tournament was played on Pines (front nine) and Meadows (back nine); this year, the tournament returns to its normal rotation: Stables (front) and Meadows (back).

Cejka Breaks Through
In his third start on PGA TOUR Champions, Alex Cejka won last week’s Regions Tradition, defeating Steve Stricker in a playoff. Cejka started the week as first alternate before posting rounds of 68-69-66-67 en route to an 18-under total, becoming the second German player to win on PGA TOUR Champions. It was his first victory since the 2015 Puerto Rico Open, and with his win, Cejka becomes fully exempt on PGA TOUR Champions through the 2022 season.

Since turning 50 on December 2, 2020, Cejka has made three starts on the Korn Ferry Tour and three on PGA TOUR Champions. In each of his first two starts on PGA TOUR Champions, Cejka had to advance through Monday qualifying to earn a spot in the field. During his Champions Tour debut at the Cologuard Classic in February, he was T15 entering the final round before finishing T38 after shooting 78 on Sunday. In his next start at the Chubb Classic in April, Cejka finished T2, one stroke behind Stricker, after three rounds in the 60s.

Langer Looks to Continue Success at Sugarloaf

Charles Schwab Cup leader Bernhard Langer will make his eighth appearance at the Mitsubishi Electric Classic this week. The 2013 champion owns four runner-up finishes at the event (2014, 2015, 2017, 2018) and has never finished outside of the top 15 in seven appearances.

Langer has finished in the top 15 in each of his last 12 starts, dating back to September, and is coming off three straight top-10s. In 20 events during the 2020-21 season, Langer has 15 top-10 finishes, including a victory at the 2020 Cologuard Classic.

Charles Schwab Cup Update

With his win at the Regions Tradition, Alex Cejka moved to No. 31 in the Charles Schwab Cup standings, while Bernhard Langer finished T6 last week and regained the top spot in the standings for the 11th week of the combined 2020-21 season. With a first-place check of $270,000 this week, second-ranked Ernie Els and third-ranked Kevin Sutherland could pass Langer with a victory.

Rank	Player	Money	Season Summary
1	Bernhard Langer	$1,806,205	1 win, 15 top-10s
2	Ernie Els	$1,696,331	2 wins, 11 top-10s
3	Kevin Sutherland	$1,665,507	2 wins, 12 top-10s
4	Jerry Kelly	$1,411,096	1 win, 8 top-10s
5	Scott Parel	$1,331,605	1 win, 7 top-10s

Smoltz Back in Action

Baseball Hall of Famer John Smoltz, playing on a sponsor exemption this week, is making his third start of the 2020-21 season and second career appearance at the Mitsubishi Electric Classic. He finished T61 in his tournament debut at TPC Sugarloaf in 2019. This season, Smoltz teed it up at the 2020 Cologuard Classic (71st) and 2021 Cologuard Classic (T67). This week marks Smoltz’s seventh start on PGA TOUR Champions, dating back to his debut at the 2018 U.S. Senior Open.

Former MLB pitcher Shigetoshi Hasegawa is also a sponsor exemption in this week’s field. He is making his third appearance on PGA TOUR Champions, previously playing at the 2019 Mitsubishi Electric Classic (T72) and 2019 Mastercard Japan Championship (66th).

Eighteen Players to Make Tournament Debuts

World Golf Hall of Fame member Ernie Els and 2003 U.S. Open champion Jim Furyk are among the 18 players making their Mitsubishi Electric Classic debut this week.

Els, making his 19th start on PGA TOUR Champions, has two wins (2020 Hoag Classic, 2020 SAS Championship) among 11 top-10s this season. Last week, Els finished T4 at the Regions Tradition to move up to No. 2 in the Charles Schwab Cup standings. On Friday, players and fans are encouraged to wear blue to support the Els for Autism Foundation’s “Blue Out” at the Mitsubishi Electric Classic.

Furyk, making his 10th start on PGA TOUR Champions, won each of his first two starts (2020 The Ally Challenge, 2020 PURE Insurance Championship). Furyk has six top-10s and has never finished outside of the top 20 in nine tournaments on the Champions Tour. He enters the week with 21 consecutive rounds of par or better, including 14 rounds in the 60s during that span.

The other players making their Mitsubishi Electric Classic debut (in alphabetical order) are: Doug Barron, Cameron Beckman, Rich Beem, Shane Bertsch, Robin Byrd, Alex Cejka, Matt Gogel, Tim Herron, Thongchai Jaidee, Robert Karlsson, Frank Lickliter II, Rod Pampling, Jerry Pate, Dicky Pride, Brett Quigley and Sonny Skinner.

Atlanta Winners Return

Before hosting its first PGA TOUR Champions event in 2013, the Atlanta area was home to the AT&T Classic from 1967 to 2008 in addition to hosting the TOUR Championship annually since 2004. This week’s field includes six players who have won PGA TOUR-sanctioned events in Atlanta, including two who won at TPC Sugarloaf.

• Jim Furyk (2010 TOUR Championship at East Lake)
• Retief Goosen (2002 BellSouth Classic at TPC Sugarloaf and 2004 TOUR Championship at East Lake)
• David Toms (2001 PGA Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club)
• Scott McCarron* (1997 BellSouth Classic and 2001 BellSouth Classic at TPC Sugarloaf)
• John Daly (1994 BellSouth Classic at Atlanta Country Club)
• Vijay Singh (2002 TOUR Championship at East Lake)

*-Earned his third win at TPC Sugarloaf at the 2019 Mitsubishi Electric Classic.

Past Champions in the Field

The 81-player field includes all seven past champions as they look to become the tournament’s first repeat champion.

2020	No tournament
2019	Scott McCarron
2018	Steve Flesch *
2017	Stephen Ames
2016	Woody Austin *
2015	Olin Browne
2014	Miguel Angel Jimenez
2013	Bernhard Langer

The Mitsubishi Electric Classic Preview 2021 is via PGA TOUR Champions