Regions Tradition Golf Tournament: A Major on the Champions Tour

Jack Niklaus hits a shot during first round of the Champions Tour Jeld-Wen Tradition at the Reserve Vineyards and Golf Club on August 28, 2003
Jack Nicklaus (pictured at the 2003 Tradition) was a 4-time winner of this senior major. Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images
by Brent Kelley
Brent Kelley is an award-winning sports journalist and golf expert with over 30 years in print and online journalism.
Updated May 24, 2019

The Regions Tradition is a golf tournament "traditionally" known more simply as The Tradition, although it has had several title sponsors in its history (Regions, a financial services institution, became title sponsor beginning in 2011). The Tradition is one of the five major championships of senior golf, being designated as a major in 1989 when it debuted. The Tradition has been played in May for much of its history.

2019 Regions Tradition

Steve Stricker won going away, claiming a six-stroke victory. The key for Stricker was a 64 in the second round. He finished with a 68 and totaled 18-under 270. Billy Andrade, Paul Goydos and David Toms were the distant runners-up. It was Stricker's fourth overall Champions Tour win, but his first in a senior major.

2018 Tournament
Miguel Angel Jimenez claimed his first major championship in senior golf, winning by three strokes. Jimenez finished at 19-under 269, three better than runners-up Joe Durant, Gene Sauers and Steve Stricker. It was Jimenez's fifth overall Champions Tour win.

2017 Tournament
Bernhard Langer won the tournament for the second consecutive year, and tied the Champions Tour record for most wins in senior majors in the process. It was the eighth career victory in a senior major for Langer, tying Jack Nicklaus for the record. It was also Langer's 31st Champions Tour win, second-best. Langer finished at 20-under 268, five better than runners-up Scott McCarron and Scott Parel.

Tournament Records at The Tradition

  • Scoring, 72 holes: 265 - Doug Tewell, 2001
  • Scoring, 18 holes: 62 - Brad Bryant, 2009; Tom Watson, 2003; Doug Tewell, 2001
  • Victories: 4 - Jack Nicklaus

Regions Tradition Golf Courses

The Regions Tradition is currently played at Greystone Golf Club in Birmingham, Ala., a course to which this major moved in 2016.

The Tradition tournament has been sited at several other courses in its history. From its founding in 1989 through 2001 it was played at the Cochise Course at Desert Mountain in Scottsdale, Ariz. In 2002 it stayed in the Scottsdale area but moved to Superstition Mountain Golf & Country Club.

From 2003-2010 The Tradition was played in Oregon, first at The Reserve Vineyards & Golf Club (Aloha, Ore.), then at Crosswater Club at Sunriver (Sunriver, Ore.). It then moved to Alabama, first to Shoal Creek in Birmingham.

And beginning in 2011, Shoal Creek became the host course.

Regions Tradition Facts, Figures and Trivia

  • The Tradition was first played in 1989, and immediately was designated as a major championship. At the time, it joined the previously existing Senior PGA Championship, U.S. Senior Open and Senior Players Championship as the fourth senior major. (The Senior British Open later joined to make five senior majors.)
  • Don Bies won that inaugural Tradition, but Jack Nicklaus won the second and third times the tournament was played. In 1992, Nicklaus came close to making it three in a row, but missed a putt on the final hole to fall out of a potential playoff with Lee Trevino.
  • Nicklaus went on to win twice more (1995-96), making it four victories total for the Golden Bear. Nicklaus is the only golfer to win The Tradition more than twice.
  • Nicklaus' win at the 1990 Tradition was his first victory on the Champions Tour.
  • Bernhard Langer won back-to-back in 2016-17, and the second was his eighth career win in a senior tour major. That tied Langer with Nicklaus for most in Champions Tour history.
  • Three golfers share the 18-hole scoring record of 62, and their three record rounds were played on three different courses. Doug Tewell first established the record in 2001 at the Cochise Course; Tom Watson tied it in 2003 at The Reserve; and Brad Bryant added his name to the record in 2009 at Crosswater Club at Sunriver.
  • In 1997, Isao Aoki set the tournament record for most birdies with 27. Despite that, he finished six shots behind the winner, Gil Morgan.
  • The Tradition is not recognized as a major by the European Senior Tour.

Winners of the Regions Tradition Tournament

Here are the yearly winners of The Tradition, with past title sponsors noted. (p-playoff; w-shorted by weather)

Regions Tradition
2019 - Steve Stricker, 270
2018 - Miguel Angel Jimenez, 269
2017 - Bernhard Langer, 268
2016 - Bernhard Langer, 271
2015 - Jeff Maggert, 274
2014 - Kenny Perry, 281
2013 - David Frost, 272
2012 - Tom Lehman, 274
2011 - Tom Lehman-p, 275

Jeld-Wen Tradition
2010 - Fred Funk, 276
2009 - Mike Reid-p, 272
2008 - Fred Funk, 269
2007 - Mark McNulty, 272
2006 - Eduardo Romero-p, 273
2005 - Loren Roberts-p, 273
2004 - Craig Stadler, 275
2003 - Tom Watson, 273

The Countrywide Tradition
2002 - Jim Thorpe-p, 277
2001 - Doug Tewell, 265
2000 - Tom Kite-p, 280

The Tradition Presented by Countrywide
1999 - Graham Marsh-w, 136
1998 - Gil Morgan, 276
1997 - Gil Morgan, 266

The Tradition
1996 - Jack Nicklaus, 272
1995 - Jack Nicklaus-p, 276
1994 - Raymond Floyd-p, 271
1993 - Tom Shaw, 269
1992 - Lee Trevino, 274

The Tradition at Desert Mountain
1991 - Jack Nicklaus, 277
1990 - Jack Nicklaus-w, 206
1989 - Don Bies, 275