In his first event as a fully exempt player on the Champions Tour, the Chubb Classic, Roger Rowland will tee off from the first hole at 12:35 in the company of David Branshaw and Michael Muehr. The 54-hole event with a purse of $1.6 million is being played at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples. There will be coverage on Golf Channel from noon to 3 p. m., so maybe Roger can become a TV star with a birdie or two in that time period. 

    There are four former Gators in the field of 80 - Marc Calcavecchia, Scott Dunlap, Chris DiMarco and Brian Gay, who turned 50 in December and is making his debut with the senior group after a highly successful career on the PGA Tour. The way he's been playing, Gay will no doubt still make it back to battle the younger guys on occasion. 

    The defending champ in the Chubb is Steve Stricker, who took home a cool $240,000 last year. Also in the field are Marco Dawson, who was the touring pro for Frank Stronach's now defunct Adena Springs course in Ocala, and Tom Lehman, architect for the Ocala Preserve course (formerly Trilogy) on highway 27.  

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