Associated Press
Wednesday, April 12

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. -- The PGA Seniors' Championship is making its last stand at PGA National Golf Club.

	Allen Doyle won his first career major at last year's PGA Seniors' Championship.

The tournament, a fixture at PGA National since 1982, will go on the road starting with the 2001 event at the Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, N.J.

"It's too bad that this has happened," said Allen Doyle, who will begin his title defense Thursday in the $1.8 million event. "There isn't a lot of history on the Senior Tour, but there is for this tournament, especially on this golf course."

Jim Awtrey, chief executive officer of the PGA of America, said the decision to move the tournament was based on attendance.

"We just haven't been able to draw the galleries that we feel a major championship deserves," Awtrey said.

According to Awtrey, 12,000 was the largest one-day attendance at PGA National, compared to 25,000 for practice rounds last summer at the U.S. Senior Open in Des Moines, Iowa.

The tournament will be played in late May next year, and will be shifted to June after that.

"It will never come back here in June," Awtrey said. "There aren't enough people here in April, and once you get anchored on the calendar, it's tough to move it around."

Last year, Doyle finished with an 8-under 64 for a two-stroke victory over Vicente Fernandez.

The field will include senior newcomers Tom Watson, Tom Kite, Lanny Wadkins and Andy North, all major championship winners on the PGA Tour.

Hale Irwin, the winner from 1996-98, also is entered along with past champions Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Lee Trevino and Raymond Floyd.