PALM BEACH, FL — This week, tournament host Jim Furyk turned 50 six years ago and won his first two starts on the Champions Tour.
Zach Johnson turned 50 earlier this year, won his first start at the Champions League and is currently on his way to six wins this season.
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There is a long history of PGA Tour winners, peaking in years past, running into their 50s and regularly collecting trophies in the 50-and-over circuit.
Next up, perhaps: Ryan Palmer, who turned 50 three weeks ago and makes his Champions League debut Friday in the Furyk & Friends tournament at the Hammock Beach Ocean Course in Palm Coast.
“It feels great to come out here and move in,” said Palmer, whose four career PGA Tour wins spanned the span of 2004 to 2019.
Ryan Palmer in June, one of several starts on the PGA and Korn Ferry Tours before his debut this week on the PGA Champions Tour.
One of them, in 2008, came a few miles from Hammock Beach Resort, to the Conservatory, the sister course of this week’s host. They are similar to what the forecasts say about the coming days, because the late-season tournament in ’08 was hit by rain, especially on Sunday, when thunder cleared the course of the spectators and pushed the delays of the final groups into the twilight.
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Palmer was part of a seven-way tie before making a birdie on the 18th by a small but happy contingency — he was “surrounded” by little more than tournament volunteers, media and the players’ family. And since it is not easy to win in the great confederations of the Tour, so he remembers things of greater importance.
“Yeah, it was about 400 feet,” he said. So I said to myself, “This is a silver putt that you’ve been hitting on the practice greens all year.” I worked.”
He’s leaning heavily on that putter — as well as other short clubs in his bag — in the new stages, where the native Texan’s above-average tee length will go a long way on shorter courses in senior golf.
“I know what I need,” he said. “I play a lot with my wedge, I dial in my wedges to hit them a little closer. And I’m definitely putting. I’m putting the competition every week.”
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Two more tournaments remain on the regular-season schedule, before the Charles Schwab Cup playoffs in three weeks. Palmer was able to mathematically make plays that included a total of 72 salary caps for the season. But they will need at least one win and another decent finish over the next two weeks.
If that does not happen, he will be content with these two weeks to sneak up on the summit to what is ahead, for it is the first full season of the following year.
“For me, it’s just going out and shooting some rounds. I just want to do something good in these two weeks and get ready for next year,” he said.
Over PGA Tour Champions history, many newcomers have reached age 50 with varying degrees of competitive rust, depending on how many tournament opportunities they found in their late-40s. Palmer, with his official earnings at $34 million, didn’t have that worry. He has retained full PGA Tour status through the 2025 season and has made more than a dozen starts this year between the PGA and Korn Ferry Tours.
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While he hopes for more to come, Palmer is just as proud of his accomplishments as he is of others.
“I’m grateful for my life, I was able to play as long as I did this,” he said. “This year … there have been 16 events. Not very good golf, but I was able to keep playing. Everything is ready. Another thing is whether it works well for practice.
“I’ve said many times how proud I am of myself and my life – so I’ve done it. I’ve never cut deals, I’ve never pursued weapons.
Looking around at others in his age bracket, and seeing some physical issues here and there, Palmer also realizes that not all of his luck is entirely of his own making.
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“I’m very grateful and happy I was able to stay healthy,” he said. “She was the key.”
Ken Willis is a rare native who has been with the Daytona Beach News-Journal since he was a teenager in the 1980s.
This article first appeared in The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Ryan Palmer makes his PGA Tour Champions debut at Furyk & Friends