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Steve Stricker and others to watch in PGA Champions Tour event

The Principal Charity Classic kicks off Friday as some of golf’s best in PGA Tour Champions converge on Des Moines for three days of competition.

This year’s field includes nine former champions at the Wakonda Club, including defending champion Jerry Kelly and three-time winner Jay Haas. Five World Golf Hall of Famers and several fan favorites also highlight the golfers competing this year in Des Moines.

From Fred Couples to Steve Sticker, here are some of the golfers to keep an eye on at the Principal Charity Classic this weekend.

Stephen Ames won the PCC in 2021 and he's back this year to try to re-capture the crown.

Stephen Ames won the PCC in 2021 and he’s back this year to try to re-capture the crown.

Stephen Ames

Ames won the Principal Charity Classic in 2021 and finished in a four-way tie for 12th in 2022. He is currently fourth on the PGA Tour Champions leaderboard, but the third-highest-ranked player heading into the tournament, with Steve Alker not competing in Des Moines.

Friday tee time: 11:30 am (No. 1 tee)

Notah Begay III

This is Begay’s first appearance in the Principal Charity Classic. One of the only Native American golfers to have played in the PGA Tour, the 50-year-old professional returned to play with the PGA Tour Champions. He is a top-100 player in the Schwab Cup rankings.

Friday tee time: 11:30 am (No. 10 tee)

Fred Couples

A World Golf Hall of Famer and former World No. 1 will make another appearance in Des Moines. A fixture in pro golf for over four decades, Couples has finished in the top-10 twice this season — eighth in the Chubb Classic and tenth in the Galleri Classic.

Friday tee time: 11:20 am (No. 1 tee)

Ernie Els

Ernie Els, a World Golf Hall of Famer, will be competing at the PCC this weekend in Des Moines.

Ernie Els, a World Golf Hall of Famer, will be competing at the PCC this weekend in Des Moines.

Another World Golf Hall of Famer and former World No. 1 with four major championships and more than 70 career victories under his belt. He doesn’t seem to be slowing down, as Els is sixth in the Schwab Cup rankings.

Friday tee time: 11:10 am (No. 1 tee)

Judd Gibb

Iowa golf fans, this is the player to root for this weekend. The Fort Dodge native was a four-year letter winner at Iowa State and a five-time Iowa PGA Player of the Year.

Friday tee time: 9:50 am (No. 1 tee)

Miguel Angel Jimenez

Ever the fan favorite, Jiménez returns to Des Moines as the fifth-best player in the PGA Tour Champions leaderboard. He finished in the top-35 in last year’s event.

Friday tee time: 11:10 am (No. 1 tee)

Jerry Kelly

Kelly returns to the Wakonda Club as the reigning Principal Charity Classic champion, after beating Kirk Triplett in a playoff last season. He is currently 12th on the PGA Tour Champions leaderboard.

Friday tee time: 11:30 am (No. 1 tee)

Steve Stricker

Stricker is on an absolute roll right now. He sits at No. 1 in the Schwab Cup rankings after a 2023 season that includes three wins and three runner-up finishes. Stricker has already won over $2 million this season with wins in the Mitsubishi Electric Championship, Regions Tradition and the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship.

Friday tee time: 11:20 am (No. 1 tee)

David Toms

Tom is No. 2 in the rankings behind Stricker. He won the Cologuard Classic and the Galleri Classic and has collected winnings of over $1 million this season alone.

Friday tee time: 11:20 am (No. 1 tee)

Kirk Triplett

Kirk Triplett was the runner-up in last year's PCC.  He's back in Des Moines this year to try to claim the title.

Kirk Triplett was the runner-up in last year’s PCC. He’s back in Des Moines this year to try to claim the title.

Triplett may sit at No. 53 in the Schwab Cup rankings, but he isn’t a player to count out. He finished in the top-10 in the Mitsubishi Electric Classic and was the runner-up in the Principal Charity Classic last year. Only Kelly and the playoff stood between Triplett and a win.

Friday tee time: 10:50 am (No. 10 tee)

Full field at the 2023 Principal Charity Classic

  • Robert Allenby

  • Stephen Ames

  • Billy Andrade

  • Stuart Appleby

  • Woody Austin

  • Notah Begay III

  • Shane Bertsch

  • Chris Blanks

  • Jason Bohn

  • Paul Broadhurst

  • Mark Calcavecchia

  • Alex Cejka

  • Russ Cochran

  • Brian Cooper

  • Fred Couples

  • Marco Dawson

  • Glen Day

  • Chris DiMarco

  • Ken Duke

  • Scott Dunlap

  • Joe Durant

  • David Duval

  • Ernie Els

  • Bob Estes

  • Steve Flesch

  • David Frost

  • Fred Funk

  • Jim Furyk

  • Brian Gay

  • Paul Goydos

  • Richard Green

  • Jay Haas

  • Mark Hensby

  • Tim Herron

  • John Huston

  • Thongchai Jaidee

  • Lee Janzen

  • Miguel Angel Jimenez

  • Robert Karlsson

  • Jerry Kelly

  • Rob Labritz

  • Bernhard Langer

  • Tom Lehman

  • Jeff Maggert

  • Billy Mayfair

  • Scott McCarron

  • David McKenzie

  • Rocco Mediate

  • Colin Montgomery

  • Timothy O’Neal

  • Rod Pampling

  • Scott Parel

  • Tom Pernice Jr.

  • Kenny Perry

  • Tim Petrovic

  • Dicky Pride

  • Brett Quigley

  • Fran Quinn

  • John Senden

  • Wes Short Jr.

  • Vijay Singh

  • Jeff Sluman

  • Paul Stankowski

  • Steve Stricker

  • Kevin Sutherland

  • Ken Tanigawa

  • Mario Tiziani

  • Esteban Toledo

  • David Toms

  • Kirk Triplett

  • Scott Verplank

  • Duffy Waldorf

  • Mike Weir

  • Willie Wood

  • YE Yang

Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at [email protected] or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.

This article originally appeared on the Des Moines Register: Steve Stricker, Jerry Kelly and others to watch at the Principal Charity Classic