Shoal Creek Gets Champions Tour Major Tradition

When it was revealed last week that Jeld-Wen would be stepping down as title sponsor of the Champions Tour's The Tradition - one of their five major championships - speculation ran rampant (well, rampant relative to other Champ Tour news) about the future of the event. In Alabama this morning, the Champions Tour announced the tournament's fate.

Shoal Creek in Birmingham will host the newly minted Regions Tradition from May 2-8 and become the first major on the 50+ circuit's schedule. The Regions Charity Classic will also come off of the schedule in the transaction.

In 1990, Shoal Creek was host of the PGA Championship. Media investigations caught onto the lack of African-American members at the club and prodded then president Hall Thompson about it. Infamously, he said to the Birmingham Post Herald, "This is our home, and we pick and choose who we want. We have the right to associate or not associate with whomever we choose."

Days before the championship, an honorary membership was extended to an African-American, Louie J. Willie, and the tournament went on as scheduled. In the process, though, the club became a major venue pariah and led to the formation of rules dictating venue selection for the major American tours.

Several courses, including Aronimink, opted to retain their membership policies rather than pursue pro events under these guidelines. It took them until the 2003 Senior PGA to get back into the major's game. They now are the temporary host to the AT&T National with hardly an evil stare cast at their past practices.

Shoal Creek clearly hopes for the same thing. It hosted the 2008 US Junior Amateur. Former Secretary of State Condi Rice is now a member there. The once-maligned club now appears ready to again be in the conversation of host sites for high profile tournaments.