Kinko's Classic of Austin

Courtesy of Austin American-Statesman

Meanwhile, Jack Nicklaus enjoyed much the same popularity as fans breathlessly followed every move of the man many consider the best golfer ever.

Palmer and Nicklaus, along with Lee Trevino and Gary Player, are the big-name drawing cards of the inaugural three-round Kinkos Classic, which starts today at The Hills near Lakeway. Local stars Tom Kite and Ben Crenshaw also will attract a large following.

This year's inaugural Kinkos Classic is being held at the Nicklaus-designed Hills Country Club.

But it's likely a player lesser-known to the masses will be cashing the $240,000 first-prize check Sunday. Perhaps it'll be Hale Irwin, last year's player of the year. Or Austin resident Tom Jenkins, who won last week's Bruno's Memorial Classic. Or Dana Quigley, the Champions Tour's leading money winner. This unpredictable tour has had 10 winners in 10 events this year.

The Kinkos field is unusually strong. Twenty-five of the top 30 from last year's money list are scheduled to compete with more legendary names such as Palmer and Nicklaus, who play only a handful of events each year.

The Champions Tour hasn't seen this kind of diversity since the MasterCard Championship in Kona, Hawaii, in early February. However, that field was star-studded by design. Invitations were extended only to winners of tournaments in the past two years, victors of major championships over the past five years along with a handful of golfers such as Palmer and Nicklaus, who received sponsor exemptions.

"The field is terrific, partially due to what Austin means to the Champions Tour," said PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem. "And also because of Ben Crenshaw and Tom Kite and other local players who have been talking up this tournament. That obviously helps."

Palmer is in town because Austin spawned the Seniors Tour in 1978, when the city played host to the Legends of Golf, the first tournament geared exclusively for retired PGA Tour members.

"I always enjoyed playing in the Legends," said Palmer, who has played in two tournaments this season. His top finish, a tie for 36th, came in the MasterCard championship.

"And Austin is a good place for golf. . . . From what I hear from Ben (Crenshaw) and Tom (Kite), this is a good golf course."

And that's primarily why Nicklaus is here as well. He designed The Hills, which opened in 1981. Since then, he's played the course only three to four times, which made his practice rounds on Wednesday and Thursday that much more important.

"It's fun for me to go back and play some of my courses," said Nicklaus, who has participated in three tournaments this season. His best finish was a tie for 11th in the MasterCard.

By Sunday afternoon, golfers such as Irwin, Jenkins or maybe even Bruce Lietzke, a Dallas resident, could be in the best position to win this tournament. No one has dominated the tour this year.

Irwin led until the final round of last week's event in Birmingham, Ala. But he shot a final-round 73, opening the way for Jenkins, whose home course was The Hills before he moved to Barton Creek.

Irwin hasn't won this season, but he's on the verge, which should make him the pretournament favorite. He's posted two top-three finishes in the past three tournaments. And he's third on this year's money list with $584,155. In 2002, he set a Champions earnings record by topping $3 million.

"I just need to be more consistent," Irwin said. "That is my focus now. It's been a good year for me so far, not a great year."