NAPLES, Florida – No other sport has the really cool stories found in golf, and the journey that George McNeill starts next week is what dreams are made of.
The Naples-native started playing at age 3 and he turned to professional golf as a career in 1998. After a stellar amateur career that includes being selected All-America at Florida State in 1997, there were a few bumps along the way, but a commitment to compete as a Tour-level player brought sacrifices and infinite hours spent on the practice range.
The popular Southwest Florida player knew he was good but did not know how good until earning his stripes as a card-carrying member of the PGA Tour in 2007. That was a breakout year since he captured his first career Tour victory at the Frys.com Open benefiting Shriners Hospitals for Children at age 32. McNeill opened with rounds of 66-64-67 and held a five-stroke cushion entering the final round before closing the deal with a 5-under-par 67 to win by four strokes over D.J. Trahan.
The thrill of victory comes with financial rewards and McNeill banked a check for $720,000 enroute to making the cut in 18 of 30 events for total of $1.5 million. In 2009, McNeill also had a big year registering 15 cuts made out of 26 events pocketing $1.4 million. He finished tied for first in two tournaments but lost in both playoffs.
McNeill captured his second and last win in the 2012 Puerto Rico Open posting a 16-under par total to edge Ryo Ishikawa by two strokes, while cashing the first-place check of $630,000. He finished 2012 with 18 cuts made of 25 events and $1.1 million in earnings.
McNeill’s completed Tour numbers show 324 events with 176 cuts made for official career earnings at just over $12 million. These are good numbers by any standard, but the newly minted 50-year old is now entering a new and exciting phase of his pro golf career. On October 2, he turned 50 and by virtue of his above-average Tour career he is eligible to compete in limited Champions Tour tournaments going forward, including the Chubb Classic at Tiburon GC February 13-15.
“I’ve been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time,” said McNeill in a telephone interview. “Playing on the Champions Tour is the opportunity of a lifetime and a privilege I have earned through my two Tour victories. I’m both anxious and excited about competing.”
Six past champions and several major champions will compete for part of the total purse of $1.8 million in the 2026 Chubb Classic taking place Feb. 13-15 at Tiburón Golf Club in Naples. McNeill joins the elite 78-player field competing in the 54-hole championship on the Black Course at Tiburón Golf Club. Golf Channel will televise all three rounds of play live.
“Most of these guys on Champions Tour, I have played with at some point in my career,” added McNeill, who has his sights set on getting into the Senior PGA Championship at Concession GC in Bradenton, Florida April 16-19. “I’m the new guy and a rookie again, and I’m ready as I’ll ever be with my game. Obviously, as the season moves forward, the better I play, then the more events I will be eligible to play.”
Bernhard Langer is the most successful player in PGA Tour Champions history, securing a record 46 wins and continuing to win into his late 60s. Other legends of the game competing are defending champion Justin Leonard, Lee Janzen, Kenny Perry, Darren Clarke, Angel Cabrera, Mark Calcavecchia, David Toms, Olin Browne, Alex Cejka, K.J. Choi, Jerry Kelly, Jeff Maggert, Scott McCarron and Rocco Mediate.
McNeill hopes to follow the dream of several journeyman pros before him who found unprecedented success, fame and fortune on the senior tour. The names of Dana Quigley, Bruce Fleisher, Allen Doyle, Jim Thorpe, Larry Laoretti and most recently Jason Caron don’t fall trippingly off the tongue but all of them turned 50 and made millions playing golf on the Champions Tour.
If you’re an avid male golfer or even casual observer of the game, isn’t this what dreams are made of?
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