Defending champion Colin Montgomerie and three-time Senior Major winner Bernhard Langer will headline a strong challenge by European Senior Tour members at the US Senior PGA Championship presented by KitchenAid.
Marking the start of the European Senior Tour season, Montgomerie will defend the title for the second year running in his bid to became just the second player in history to win the event three times in a row.
Langer, who is a two-time Senior Open Championship and 2010 US Senior Open champion winner, needs a US Senior PGA Championship to complete a Senior Major Grand Slam.
The German goes into this weekend’s event on the back of a superb six-shot victory in the PGA TOUR Champions Regions’ Tradition - his 27th career win on the TOUR Champions circuit.
Montgomerie, also the twice defending John Jacobs Trophy winner, won the 2014 edition at Harbor Shores, Michigan, where this year’s event is being held.
He secured his third Senior Major title in last year’s edition at French Lick, Indiana, as he beat fellow Senior Tour member Esteban Toledo, - who is also in this week’s field. Montgomerie carded a final round 70 to seal a four-stroke victory and claim a top prize of almost €440,000.
Less than a month after turning 50, two-time Major champion John Daly will make his Senior Major debut at Harbor Shores in search of his first win on the senior circuit.
Also returning to the Jack Nicklaus-designed course are 2012 winner Roger Chapman, one of seven Englishmen set to tee off, and 2013 champion Kohki Idoki.
They are joined by Masters Tournament Champions Bernhard Langer, Sandy Lyle and Ian Woosnam in the 156-man field which has been finalised following the completion of this weekend’s PGA Tour Champions’ Regions Tradition event.
A winner of both the Senior Open Championship and the US Senior Open, Langer is still in search of a maiden US Senior PGA Championship victory, but has finished an impressive joint third and sixth in the last two editions.
Making his Senior Major debut is the 2015 Senior Tour Rookie of the Year, Paul Broadhurst. The 50 year old won the Prostate Cancer UK Scottish Senior Open, his first Senior Tour event, and will be aiming to carry last year’s impressive form into the new season.
The 2013 Senior Tour Number One, and former Rookie of the Year, Paul Wesselingh will look to add to his eight Senior Tour titles when the new season starts later this week.
