ACE GROUP CLASSIC NOTEBOOK: Glasson in danger of losing exempt status

NAPLES — Despite winning seven tournaments during his days on the PGA Tour and having more than $7 million in career earnings, Bill Glasson is still fighting for a spot on the Champions Tour.

Because of a lack of career earnings — Glasson made most of his money in the “Pre-Tiger Woods era” when purses were smaller — he is in danger of losing his exempt status for Champions events, and he’s not exactly happy about it.

Glasson played well at the ACE Group Classic, tying for third and winning $95,466.

“I know what I have to do,” Glasson said of his need to win a tournament by May to hold onto his exempt status. “... I’m glad I got a sniff of it early in the year by playing well and knowing what I need to do to win.”

Glasson couched his comments on the tour’s system of granting exemptions by saying he couldn’t really speak his mind for fear of being fined, but did say he thinks the system needs to be revisited. His career victories gave him a two-year window, and it ends after his 52nd birthday on April 29.

“I fall in a really weird scenario where we made most of our career money before Tiger’s influence and the system wasn’t designed for us,” Glasson said. “... I think it’s up to the tour to make it equitable but I know what I have to go to keep my spot.

“I have to play great and if I don’t I’ll have to go through qualifying just like everyone else. If it does come down to that, I’ll be the first seven-time winner who has to go through qualifying to earn a spot.”

Cook, Forsman enjoy time with ‘Disco Dave’: While playing in the Pro-am on Wednesday and serving as an honorary observer on Friday, Marco Island’s “Disco” Dave Bierbrauer had the time of his life.

But Dan Forsman, the pro who played with Bierbauer on Wednesday, and John Cook, whom Bierbrauer walked with Friday, both said they were honored to spend time with Bierbrauer, who is battling lung cancer.

“He’s an incredible fellow,” Forsman said. “… He looks great and he just told me to just enjoy every day and live for the moment, and I think that’s something we can all do more of.”

Cook added that Bierbrauer’s fighting spirit and energy impressed him the most.

“It’s great to seem him out on the course, especially with what he’s going through,” Cook said. “I’m glad that we can help them take their mind off things, even if it’s just for a few hours while we’re out here on the course.”

Goodes solid finish earns him another tournament: Mike Goodes had to play his way into the ACE Group Classic by qualifying on Tuesday, but he won’t have to worry about qualifying for the Champions Tour’s next event.

Goodes finished the ACE at 14-under and in a tie for third place with Glasson and Tom Lehman. The top-10 finish automatically earned him a spot in Toshiba Classic next month.

“I’m very pleased with the way I played,” Goodes said. “A couple missed putts and it could have gone either way. I’ve been playing good. I played good in the qualifier and I played good last week it just comes down to doing it at the right time.”

Despite punching his ticket for the Toshiba, and earning a $95,466.67 paycheck in the process, Goodes said he doesn’t plan on taking much time to reflect on his success.

“I’m a gym rat,” he said. “I like to practice and I love to play, it’s still my hobby and I do it a lot so that’s what I look forward to doing every day when I wake up in the morning.”

Rave review: Frequently over the years, Champions Tour golfers have talked highly of the conditions of the host courses. That’s certainly been the case this week.

On Friday, Lehman took a moment before his press conference to discuss about it.

“First of all, I want to talk about the golf course,” the 2011 Champions Tour Player of the Year said. “The golf course is in tremendous condition. The greens are just beautiful. It’s really fun putting when they’re that fast and that true. So my hat’s off to the superintendent for getting them that way.”

Lehman was far from alone, and the golfers will get a good chance to get reacquainted with the Talon Course, co-designed by Jack Nicklaus and his son Jack II.

The tournament’s contract with title sponsor the ACE Group and with TwinEagles both run through 2014.

First-year tournament director Lesley Baker did not release a final attendance figure but said crowds were very good.

“Pretty impressed with the whole week, how smoothly everything went,” she said. “We’ve been here before (from 2002-06) but a lot of new people involved on our end and the TwinEagles staff. It went very well.”

From the beginning: Chris Higgs, Octagon’s managing director of golf and outdoor events division, was in Naples at the very start. Higgs helped coordinate with everything from tour officials to volunteers as the tournament manager for the 1988 Aetna Challenge, Naples’ inaugural Champions Tour event at the Club Pelican Bay.

Higgs knew the Naples event, played after one over in Miami, would be different when he saw the crowd for the qualifier on Monday.

“We’re going to need more parking and more buses,” Higgs remembered telling People and Properties, Inc.’s Peter Chapman, who ran the tournament.

Higgs said the crowd difference between Naples and Miami was 4 to 1 with similar fields for both tournaments. Higgs said the then-Senior PGA Tour players really saw it as a true second chance, since many of them had not played professionally for five to 10 years — most players then didn’t play the PGA Tour as long as they do now.

“You could see that in those events in the early to mid-80s,” he said.

Higgs was back this week in his current role with Octagon, which he joined in March 2009. He also was involved with the LPGA Tour’s Subaru Memorial when it was played in Naples from 1999-2001 when he was with Executive Sports.

89-year-old fan gets special seat: With a list of all the entrants in the ACE Group Classic in her hand, 89-year-old Peg Roskos waited patiently at the first tee on Sunday, checking off each group as it played through.

An avid fan of the Champions Tour, Roskos was more than content to peek around other patrons just to get a glimpse of her favorite players. That was until Tom Purtzer’s group came through.

“He told the volunteers to move me inside the ropes so I could get a better view,” said Roskos, a resident of Prompton, Pa., who is in town to visit family. “That was amazing, they were right in front of me, it was a great view.”

Roskos, who said she watches golf at home every chance she can get, said now she has a new favorite player.

“I’ve been a golf fan for years so I remember them all,” Roskos said. “But now Tom Purtzer has to be my favorite, for what he did for me today.”

New blood: Brad Bryant, 57, has played in the ACE Group Classic seven times now, with his best finish at tie for second in 2008. It’s possible there could be two Bryants in the field next year. His brother Bart turns 50 in November.

Those who will turn 50 during this Champions Tour season are: Kirk Triplett (March 29), Andrew Magee (May 22), Duffy Waldorf (Aug. 20), Gene Sauers (Aug. 22) and Rick Fehr (Aug. 28).

Steve Elkington (Dec. 8) and Naples homeowner Rocco Mediate (Dec. 17) also will be eligible for next year’s tournament.

Locally speaking: Calusa Pines Golf Club member Jeff Sluman tied for eighth at 10 under. Loren Roberts, also a Calusa Pines member and two-time champion, tied for 12th.

Grey Oaks’ Chip Beck tied for 28th, and Bonita Springs resident Peter Jacobsen tied for 36th. Fuzzy Zoeller, a Naples National member, tied for 41st. and Bonita Springs resident Bobby Clampett, who won a playoff in the qualifier, struggled to a 5-over 77 and was 46th.

Calusa Pines member Gary Hallberg bounced back from a first-round 78 to tie for 50th, along with fellow Calusa Pines member John Harris. Tiburón member Wayne Levi was 57th.

Chip shots: Loren Roberts, a Calusa Pines member, shot a 5-under 67, his 21st round of par or better in Naples for the 2006 and 2009 champion. No golfer has won the Champions Tour event three times. Lee Trevino (1990-91), Mike Hill (1993-94), Hale Irwin (1997, 2002), Gil Morgan (1998, 2001) and Roberts are the five to win twice. Roberts tied for 12th, Morgan tied for 28th, and Irwin struggled to a 77 and tied for 62nd. Trevino and Hill didn’t play. ... 2000 champion Lanny Wadkins, who was in the field on a sponsor exemption, withdrew prior to the round with food poisoning. He was scheduled to play with his brother, Bobby, who won here in 2007. ... 2010 champion Fred Couples, who got into the PGA Tour’s Northern Trust Open on a sponsor exemption, missed the cut there by a shot. So did Mediate.