Golfers to keep an eye on at PGA Tour Champions 2023 Principal Charity Classic

DES MOINES — The Principal Charity Classic tees off Friday as some of golf’s best on the PGA Tour Champions converge 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 tee sheet.

From Fred Couples to Steve Sticker, here are some of the golfers to keep an eye on at the 2023 Principal Charity Classic.

Stephen Ames

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

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 playing with the Champions circuit. He is a top-100 player in the Schwab Cup rankings.

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 10th in the Galleri Classic.

Ernie Els

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.

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.

Miguel Angel Jimenez

Ever the fan favorite, Jimenez 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.

Jerry Kelly

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

Jerry Kelly celebrates on the 18th green after winning the 2022 Principal Charity Classic at Wakonda Club in Des Moines, Iowa. (Photo: Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)

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 as well as two majors, the Regions Tradition and the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship.

David Toms

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

Kirk Triplett

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 this event last year. Only Kelly and the playoff stood between Triplett and a win.

Full field at the 2023 Principal Charity Classic

Robert Allenby
Stephen Ames
Billy Andrade
Stuart Appleby
Woody Austin
Notah Begay III
Shane Bertsch
Kris 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 Montgomerie
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
Y.E. Yang

Wakonda Club is a par-72 golf course that will play 6,851 yards this week. The first place prize is $300,000.