SAS Championship As Good As Advertised

This is my first visit to the SAS Championship at Prestonwood Country Club in Cary and it's as good as I've been told.

It's not a major championship -- the Champions Tour already has too many of those -- but it feels like a big event. The course is strong enough to challenge the players, there's plenty of room for people to move around and the whole thing feels right.

Part of the charm of the Champions Tour is that it's a smaller version of the PGA Tour, allowing fans to get closer to the players. There's a comfort level that's hard to come by at big tour events. At the SAS Championship, everything feels relaxed and comfortable.

It's too bad football season smothers golf because this time of year is ideal golf time. The SAS Championship had a terrific field this week and good-sized galleries. It was hot Friday and Saturday but it finally felt like fall on Sunday.

And if you were at the SAS Championship, it was a nice place to be.