By Greg Robertson
ESPN Golf Online
Sunday, November 5

Details
When	Thursday-Sunday
Course	TPC of Myrtle Beach, Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Par/Yardage	Par 72; 6,840 yards
Purse	$2.1 million (Winner: $315,000)
1999 champion	Gary McCord
Tournament record	16-under 272 (Gil Morgan, 1997)
Television	Thursday-Friday: 3-5 p.m. ET (ESPN) Saturday-Sunday: 5-7 p.m. ET (ESPN)

The tournament

	Hole by hole
	Hole	Par	Yards
	1	4	387
	2	5	547
	3	4	425
	4	4	430
	5	3	158
	6	5	522
	7	3	187
	8	4	370
	9	4	445
	Out	36	3471
	10	4	377
	11	4	415
	12	4	333
	13	3	205
	14	5	502
	15	4	427
	16	4	390
	17	3	182
	18	5	538
	In	36	3369
	Total	72	6840

The grand finale of the 2000 Senior Tour season takes place this week at a new venue just a hop, skip and a jump away from the previous site.

The TPC of Myrtle Beach hosts the Senior Tour Championship for the first time, although it has been on the schedule in the past. Last year's tournament was slated for the new course, but Hurricane Floyd took care of that debut. Water damage from the September storm was severe enough to move the tournament back to the Dunes Club, which had hosted the event since 1994.

Many things will be decided at the Senior Tour Championship, but two things are already certain: Larry Nelson will win the money title, and the 1999 winner will not defend his title.

Nelson brings a $317,000 lead over Bruce Fleisher into the tournament. And although Fleisher hasn't mathematically been eliminated with a $365,000 first prize on the line, the chances of Nelson finishing at the back of the pack are slim. He has 22 top-10 finishes this year, and has finished out of the top 10 just twice since May.

As for the 1999 champion, Gary McCord is not around to defend his title. Despite planning every event in the closing weeks trying to qualify, McCord finished 33rd on the money list, two spots short of the cutoff.

Also coming up short was Graham Marsh, who sat on the bubble for several weeks before losing out Sunday when Stewart Ginn rocketed past him with a third-place finish in Los Angeles. Marsh was a mere $941 behind No. 31 David Lundstrom.

Although Nelson will win the money title, Fleisher could still challenge for player of the year with a win at Myrtle Beach. Nelson has six wins this season, and Fleisher has four. Since neither won a major, a victory in an important event like the Tour Championship could sway some votes.

Rookie of the year is another battle that could be won at Myrtle Beach. Doug Tewell and Tom Kite have had similar seasons. Tewell, eighth on the money list, is about $250,000 ahead in earnings over Kite, 11th on the money list. But Kite has played seven less tournaments. Tewell has three wins, including a major, while Kite has two wins, including a major.

Weather should be a huge factor at this week's event. If it's windy and wet, the already long TPC of Myrtle Beach will play even longer. That could be an advantage to the longer players like Gil Morgan. If the weather holds, steady players like Nelson, Fleisher, Jim Thorpe, Hale Irwin and Morgan should assume familiar spots on the leaderboard.

Designed by Tom Fazio and Lanny Wadkins, the course should play tough down the stretch. The final four holes are all challenging and completely different from each other. No. 15 is a long, narrow par-4. No. 16 is a short par-4 where short irons will be the key. No. 17 is a treacherous par-3, while No. 18 is a monster par-5.

Expect to see plenty of putts during the tournament thanks to some humongous greens -- some up to 50 yards deep. Putting balls in the proper position and correct side of ridges will be key.

This is the final official event of the 2000 Senior Tour season, although there are a handful of Silly Season tournaments on the calendar. The 2001 season begins Jan. 18 with the MasterCard Championship, with the first full-field event the Royal Caribbean Classic set for Feb. 2-4.