The 50-and-over folks, many of whom were yesteryear's stars on the PGA Tour, are entering the demanding stretch of their schedule – three major championships in five weeks – but do recognize some of the cool stops on the Champions Tour.

One of them is the increasingly popular Boeing Classic, which will enter its fourth year.

Anyway, the official "Media Day" for the 54-hole tournament was held Monday. Here is a quick-hit information chart about the event, plus some pre-tournament notes and observations.

BOEING CLASSIC
When: Aug. 18-24 (the tournament is Aug. 22-24).

Where: TPC Snoqualmie Ridge (7,264 yards, par 72).

Defending champion: Denis Watson (9-under 279, defeated six other men in largest sudden-death playoff in professional golf history).

Schedule: The NFL's "Rumble at the Ridge" starts at 8:30 a.m. on Aug. 18 (Monday), followed by Champions Tour practice rounds. … Champions Tour practice rounds continue on Aug. 19 (Tuesday) at 9 a.m., followed by a golf clinic. … The two-day Seahawks Pro-Am tournaments (Aug. 20-21) have the same 7:45 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. shotgun sessions. … Tee times for the tournament (Aug. 22-24) begin daily at 10 a.m., with action concluding at 6 p.m.

Tickets: Adult daily passes are $20, with children 13-and-under and senior citizens paying $14. A tournament pass costs $40 for adults, and $20 for children/senior citizens.

Website: www.BoeingClassic.com.

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• Defending champion wearing a brace: Watson was in town Monday, riding in a cart with tournament director Chuck Nelson, the former University of Washington kicker, around the course and offering tips to some of the media hacks (myself, not included).

In May, Watson was playing in the FedEx Kinko's Classic in Austin (which he won). He was walking down the stairs from the 14th hole, and fell, injuring his right knee. Doctors discovered he tore cartilage and tweaked his MCL. As of this time, Watson is trying to rest and rehabilitate the knee instead of opting for surgery, and plans on defending his title at the Boeing Classic.

Watson has won four tournament in his one-plus seasons on the Champions Tour.

• Some of the headliners who have committed to playing in the Boeing Classic include a class of high-profile rookies: Jeff Sluman, John Cook, Bernhard Langer, Sandy Lyle and Nick Price.

Nelson said tournament officials are still in talks with getting commitments from Mark O'Meara, Hale Irwin and Fred Funk. Currently, 13 of the top 20 golfers in the Charles Schwab Cup points standings are slated to play.

Also, Jeff Coston, the teaching professional at Semiahmoo Golf Resort near Blaine, has been granted one of the five sponsor's exemptions.

Nelson said 30-40 players will take the scheduled charter flight from Redmond, Ore. after the completion of the Jeld-Win Tradition at Crosswater Golf Course in Sunriver, Ore. to Seattle for the Boeing Classic.

• In April, Brightstar Golf Group LLC, based out of Carlsbad, Calif., acquired TPC Snoqualmie Ridge as one of its properties, and named Olympia native Ryan Whitney as its general manager.

Whitney had been with Scott Oki Golf since 2005, and was the GM at Washington National Golf Club in Auburn.

• Kind of a neat deal for the folks who shell out a lot of dough to play in the pro-am tournament. This year, the winning team earns tickets for the 2009 Super Bowl.

• The 2009 Champions Tour schedule will be out the week of July 21, including the date of the Boeing Classic.