Bates trades pranks for perk of 3M exemption

Ben Bates earned a reputation as quite the prankster over the years while competing on the Nationwide Tour.

One of his better gags involved taking fellow golfer Josh Broadaway to the drive-through zoo in Springfield, Mo. They had fast food in the car, so Bates rolled down Broadaway's window and locked it, giving a nearby 12-foot ostrich an opportunity to dine at the startled Broadaway's expense.

But this week, no matter what temptations Bates might feel playing alongside his contemporaries at the 3M Championship, he plans to be all business.

Bates is making his Champions Tour debut at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine, in the 3M field via the coveted sponsor's exemption from tournament director Hollis Cavner.

"Hollis is great friends with some of my great friends and they did a little work for [us] to meet," Bates said. "It's kind of a favor for a favor for some mutual friends. Hopefully I won't embarrass them and I'll play well. I'm looking forward to it."

After turning 50 in June, Bates unsuccessfully tried qualifying for the Dick's Sporting Goods Open in Endicott, N.Y., and for the Montreal Championship in Quebec earlier this summer.

That came on the heels of 409 starts on the Nationwide Tour over two separate stints -- from 1990-97 and 2001-07.

"It's a bit of a Catch-22, I guess you could say," Bates said. "I'm proud of everything I've done to this point of my career, but I wish those records were on the PGA Tour."

His success there hasn't been as memorable.

Bates was a card-carrying member of the PGA Tour from 1998-2001, but he had only 13 top-25 finishes in 122 starts. His best finish was a tie for eighth.

Bates hit golf balls on the practice range Tuesday next to Tommy Armour III, who finished 13th on last year's Champions Tour money list and thus is fully exempt on tour.

But to him, there is no bad way to get into a tournament.

Aside from playing in a field of recognizable names -- Armour, J.L. Lewis, Hal Sutton and Russ Cochran were among the players in the field for Bates' best career finish on the PGA Tour (the 1998 Buick Challenge) -- he is ready for some competitive balance as well.

"The best part about this week is hopefully I won't be 50 yards behind anybody," he said.

Playing on the Nationwide Tour hasn't been all that bad, however.

In his time there, he witnessed raw talents such as Rickie Fowler and Dustin Johnson -- now PGA Tour staples -- grind their way to the top.

Two amateurs -- former University of Georgia teammates Harris English and Russell Henley -- have won on the Nationwide Tour this year. Another, LSU graduate John Peterson, was runner-up when English won.

Bates didn't go quite that far, but he did defend the strong play of his former circuit.

"I don't think people have a clue," he said of the competition level.

"It's a brutal, real tough way to make a living out there on the Nationwide Tour.

"It's not as much money, but I promise you the competition out there is just as tough as the PGA Tour. That is a fact. It's extraordinary the level of talent that's out there."

The Champions Tour is a bit more his style.