Every year Hollis Cavner, executive director of the 3M Championship golf tournament, tries to come up with something new. This time he might have outdone himself.
Cavner has added three former women golf stars to the tournament's Greats of Golf competition. Annika Sorenstam, Nancy Lopez and Pat Bradley will make up one of the three teams in the competition, which will take place during the Champions Tour event at the TPC Twin Cities in Blaine.
Tournament week is July 29-Aug. 4, with championship play beginning Aug. 2.
"We think it will be special," Cavner said Monday. "Our goal here is to grow the game."
The Legends of Golf portion of the week will come on Saturday of that week, when the three teams will tee off following the final group in the tour main event. The trio of women — who won a combined 151 LPGA events, including 19 majors — will go against two other teams. One will be made up of Johnny Miller, Dave Stockton and a third player yet to be named. The final team is made up of Lee Trevino, David Graham and Bill Rogers. Arnold Palmer, Billy Casper and Don January will be team captains.
"We think Saturday will be a special deal," Cavner said.
The rest of the week?
Cavner said the tournament will draw 28 of the top 30 senior golfers on the Champions Tour, though defending champion Bernhard Langer will miss the tournament because of a previous business commitment in Europe.
