Glad to see so many readers respond to Chris Baldwin’s rant against the Champions Tour. I thought I was going to be the only one baffled by his reasoning.

Nobody’s claiming the quality of the Champions Tour matches up with the regular Tour. Just take the Champions Tour for what it is - a fascinating human-interest story that unfolds each week with golf as the backdrop. That alone makes it well worth saving. In fact, if we’re going to start eliminating second-tier leagues, the Champions Tour should be far down the list (somewhere after arenafootball2 and the East Coast Hockey League).

Head to any regular Tour event and you’ll be lucky to get within 150 yards of the average pro. At a Champions Tour event, Gary Player may come right up to you and share the recipe for his newest nutrition shake.

Is the Champions Tour perfect? No. But it’s the next best thing to spring training for golf fans. I’m certainly not watching every event, but there’s clearly a place for it - and all the Mark Johnsons in the world - in the professional golf universe.

Checkout:
http://www.travelgolf.com/departments/blogs/carey/archives/2005/03/24/25/in-defense-of-the-champions-tour/