Kenny Perry won the Champions Tour’s Charles Schwab Cup last year and was the circuit’s only player in action last week when he tied for 28th in the U.S. Open at Pinehurst, N.C.

At 53 he was the oldest player to make the cut at the Open, but he wasn’t so good in his return to the 50-and-over set on Friday. He opened with a bogey, added two more (one on a par-5) and settled for a 1-under-par 71 in the Encompass Championship at North Shore Country Club in Glenview. After finishing tied for third last year, he’s far down the leaderboard after Day 1.

Perry has been asked about the Open frequently since arriving here.

“In most U.S. Opens I feel pretty stressed out,’’ he said. “You’ve got 25-yard fairways, six-inch rough. Last week you just had the scrub off the fairways and you could actually play out of it. I was excited. I didn’t feel claustrophobic out there and just had a wonderful week.’’

Along the way he holed a 4-iron from 220 yards, a swing that Perry called “the shot of my life.’’

Perry’s start Friday was in keeping with his slower start on the Champions Tour this season. He has but one victory and stands fourth in the Schwab Cup point race. Front-runner Tom Lehman thinks Perry is adjusting to playing on both the PGA and Champions circuits.

“You learn quickly that it’s tough to accomplish much on either tour if you do that,’’ said Lehman. “You’re in no-man’s land. Guys figure out that you’re better off committing to one tour or the other, and Kenny’s done that. He’s committed out here, and he’s playing great. I’m not surprised ever when anybody from (the Champions Tour) steps over to the other (PGA) tour and plays well. I expect it.

Here and there

Most of the 81 touring pros were under par, but not defending champion Craig Stadler. He shot a 1-over-73. Last year his winning score was 13-under for the 54 holes.

Bernhard Langer, winner of the Schwab Cup five times in seven years and the current leader in the point standings for 2014, didn’t start so well, either. He shot 71 in his return to the tour after going on a fishing trip to Alaska with his two sons and brother last week.

The locals had a good day. Hinsdale’s Jeff Sluman, who tied for third last year, shot 67 and Lake Forest’s Chip Beck, who plays the circuit on only a limited basis, had 70.

The Encompass wasn’t the only big game in town on Friday. The Western Golf Assn. wrapped up its Western Junior Championship at Flossmoor Country Club with Northbrook’s Nick Hardy, a University of Illinois recruit, finishing in a tie for second behind champion KK Limbhasut, a native of Thailand who now lives in Loma Linda, Calif..

The first day of Chicago’s only pro tour stop of the year certainly had its share of twists on Friday. So many, in fact, that Tom Lehman’s 7-under-par 65 was almost an after-thought. Here’s a sampling:

In the middle of the first round Tiger Woods announced on his Facebook page that he’s ready to compete again. He sent word from Florida that he’ll play in next week’s Quicken Loans National – an event that raises money for his charitable foundation.

Meanwhile, back at North Shore Country Club in Glenview, retired Bear Brian Urlacher drew more gallery attention than most of the Champions Tour players did in the $1.8 million Encompass Championship. He’s again paired with Hinsdale’s Jeff Sluman in the two-day two-man pro-amateur portion of the event that concludes on Saturday.

Another long-time Bear, center Patrick Mannelly, made his own retirement announcement from football before teeing off in the pro-am..

Tom Kite, the 1992 U.S. Open champion, criticized the U.S. Golf Assn. for the way it conducts its U.S. Opens, the most recent of which concluded on Sunday at Pinehurst, N.C.

“Since (USGA executive director) Mike Davis started setting up the courses the U.S. Open has had lower scoring than ever before…..At Pinehurst there was no rough at all. A lot of guys can drive the ball very poorly and still have good tournaments. The guys who grew up in the old style, when the rough was very penal, don’t like what’s happened with the U.S. Open.’’

And then there was Roger Chapman, the English golfer who shot a 6-under-par 66 but was more emotionally involved in his country’s dismal showing in the World Cup soccer tournament than he was in his own great round.

“`The press will crucify them,’’ said Chapman. “We invented the bloody game. I can’t remember England being out of the World Cup after two games.’’

Soccer has been the subject of choice between Chapman and his new caddie, Angel Monguzzi since they formed their working relationship.

“He’s an Argentinian guy who caddied for Vicente Fernandez for a long time,’’ said Chapman. “He just seemed to be saying the right things at the right time. We were talking about football and the World Cup, so we had a bit of giggle at England yesterday.’’

That was in the aftermath of a 2-1 loss to Uruguay in England’s first World Cup game. Chapman didn’t find it so funny after another 2-1 loss to Italy while he was on the course Friday. Chapman — winner of two major titles on the Champions Tour last year — is convinced something is wrong soccer-wise, and he blames it on the structure of the English Premier League.

“There needs to be a radical change in the Premier League,’’ he said. “They say the Premier League is the best league in the world. It probably is for the amount of foreigners playing. They’ve got world class players, but we should limit them to three-four per game and let our youngsters in our country know what it’s like.’’

And that’s not all from Chapman.

“(The Engligh soccer players) also get paid too much,’’ he said. “The passion doesn’t seem to be there. It looks as though they want to just go on holiday basically.’’

BENTON HARBOR, MI. – The rap on Colin Montgomerie was that he couldn’t win the big ones. That changed on Sunday at Harbor Shores.

Montgomerie finally won a major title and finally won on American soil. In his Hall of Fame career he had done neither until his four-stroke romp in the 75th Senior PGA Championship.

Playing his entire career on the European PGA Tour Montgomerie accumulated three runner-up finishes in the U.S. Open and one each in the British Open and PGA Championship. Winning a major on the Champions Tour isn’t quite the same as winning one of those, but for Montgomerie – the winner of 40 other tournaments world-wide — it’ll do.

“I’ve been coming here for 22 years for major championship golf, trying to win,’’ said Montgomerie. “It’s a relief that it’s happened. It might have a senior connotation, but it is a major championship and it’s great to be part of history.’’

Tom Watson, who has won his share of majors – eight as a PGA Tour player and five more on the Champions circuit — was Montgomerie’s closest pursuer. Both shot 65s in the final round, Watson doing it thanks to putting four twos on his scorecard. He came within one shot of shooting his age and described his effort as “one of the best rounds from tee to green that I’ve played in years.’’

“But,’’ said Watson, “it wasn’t good enough to beat Colin. He never had any luck playing the regular tour, but he came close a lot of times.’’

Watson won’t be a challenger in Montgomerie’s next tournament appearance, the Encompass Championship at North Shore Country Club next month. Busy with duties as the U.S. Ryder Cup captain, Watson ruled out his appearance in Chicago’s only pro tour stop of 2014 after Sunday’s round.

BENTON HARBOR, MI. – Scotland’s Colin Montgomerie is in the World Golf Hall of Fame, but he has yet to win a tournament in the United States. That could change Sunday when he takes a one-shot lead over Germany’s Bernhard Langer into the final round of the 75th PGA Championship at Harbor Shores.

Montgomerie and Langer will be playing together for the fourth straight day in the climax to the second major tourney of the season on the Champions Tour.

The difference in their status after 54 holes came off Montgomerie’s 30-foot downhill putt on the final hole of Saturday’s round. It gave Montgomerie a 68 and three-round total of 7-under-par 206. Langer shot 69.

Montgomerie was a Ryder Cup star for Europe and a runner-up in three U.S. Opens, one British Open and one PGA Championship. This year he opted to join the 50-and-over circuit rather than play the European PGA Tour, his home circuit throughout his pro career.

“I came here to enjoy myself,’’ said Montgomerie. “The last five years on the European Tour weren’t as enjoyable as it is here. I’m on the Champions Tour now and loving it.’’

That’ll be underscored next month when he comes back from Scotland for his next tournament — the Encompass Championship at North Shore Country Club in Glenview.

“I hear that course is lovely,’’ said Montgomerie, “and Mike Galeski, the tournament director, runs a great show. He was with Callaway when I was with them, so I look forward to playing in his tournament.’’

Montgomerie isn’t as excited about going head-to-head with the slow-moving Langer in the final round of the Senior PGA.

“I’ve known Bernhard for 30 yards, and I’ll enjoy it,’’ said Montgomerie, “but playing with Bernhard is different. You have to adjust your own pace. There’s no sense rushing with Bernhard.’’

Illinois saw its five-year reign as men’s Big Ten golf champion come to an end two weeks ago, but the Illini still have a longer run going. They qualified for the NCAA finals for the seventh straight time on Saturday by winning the Central Regional at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove.

Coach Mike Small’s team was a Cinderella story at last year’s NCAA finals, finishing fifth in the stroke play portion and second to Alabama in the match play conclusion. Small has even higher hopes for this year’s finals, at Prairie Dunes in Kansas from May 27-June 1. The event will have live TV coverage for the first time, on The Golf Channel.

The Illini, with only one senior in its top five and junior Alex Burge in the lineup for the first time this season, posted a 16-over-par 880 total to win the three-day, 13-team competition at Rich Harvest by two strokes over Alabama-Birmingham. Five teams qualified for Prairie Dunes, and Illinois also had the tourney medalist in junior Brian Campbell. The Big Ten player-of-the-year posted 5-under-par 211 for the 54 holes and was three swings better than Anthony Paolucci of Southern California, the only other player to break par.

“Our focus was on winning, not just getting into the top five,’’ said Campbell. “Winning is what it’s all about, and we’ll bring that same attitude to the NCAAs. We’re still viewed as underdogs. We’re not given a lot of credit, which I love. Then we just come out and show what we’ve got.’’

Jonathan Hauter was the only senior in the Illini lineup at Rich Harvest. Burge earned his spot by beating sophomore David Kim in a playoff after the second-place finish in the Big Ten tourney. Sophomores Charlie Danielson and Thomas Detry rounded out the team.

“We’re a self-made team — normal guys with great personalities – and our coach molds us into great players with strong minds,’’ said Campbell. The only player missing from last year’s Cinderella team was Thomas Pieters, who left school early to play on the European PGA Tour.

“We don’t have the horse (Pieters) that we had last year, but we’re more consistent,’’ said Small. “This team had a better season than last year’s team.’’

Last year’s team was the first Illini squad to win an NCAA regional, accomplishing the feat as the No. 7 seed, before its exhilarating finish in the finals. Illinois was seeded second and ranked No. 9 nationally going into the Rich Harvest event.

OLD HICKORY, Tenn. – It took eight tries, but the LPGA Legends Tour finally witnessed a breakthrough in its premier team event on Sunday.

The Legends’ U.S.-born players had won the ISPS Handa Cup six straight times and retained it last year after the matches ended in a 24-24 tie at Reunion Resort in Orlando, Fla. Now the cherished Cup is finally in the hands of the World team, consisting of Legends players who were born internationally. And they were in the mood to celebrate (see picture, below).

They took a 14-10 lead into Sunday’s 12 singles matches at Hermitage Golf Club on the outskirts of Nashville en route to a 27-21 victory. They even threatened to make this staging a runaway after Beth Daniel of the U.S. outlasted England’s Laura Davies in what turned out to be the best match of the day.

Daniel won the first match before the World team took charge. A repeat of last year’s tie was assured with five matches still on the course, but it took a 30-foot birdie putt by Australian Jan Stephenson in the next-to-the-last match of the day to assure the World team its long-awaited victory.

“It took a few years for the World team to practice and get better and better and better,’’ said captain Pia Nilsson of Sweden. “We were a team this week, and the passion was so strong. This is just going to make this competition even better, to grow in the future.’’

JoAnne Carner, the first U.S. captain to lose, took the defeat in stride.

“Sometimes you hate to lose, but the way the World team played this week I have no repercussions whatsoever,’’ she said. “They just outplayed us.’’

Nilsson declared Davies her first player out in singles for good reason. She was devastating in Saturday’s best ball and alternate shot matches, going 6-under-par and 5-under-par with partner Trish Johnson to win both. Carner countered with Daniel, who proved every bit up to Davies’ challenge.

Davies made birdies on the second, third and fourth holes but lost the lead at the turn, as Daniel played her front side in 4-under. She was 2-up, and 6-under for the day, going to No. 18 – a 334-yard par-4. The long-hitting Davies then drove the green, leaving her an eagle putt to potentially even the stroke play match.

“Laura would have carried that drive 300 yards,’’ marveled Daniel, “and that wasn’t even downwind.’’ The big drive came off a crosswind, uphill tee shot.

Davies missed her eagle putt, finishing the match at 5-under. Daniel salvaged par for the win to complete the match that took only 3 hours 9 minutes.

“It was like a boxing match out there – really good golf shots and a lot of fun,’’ said Daniel. Though she had a 12-5-2 Handa Cup record prior to Sunday, Daniel doesn’t compete as much as Davies these days. Carner still wanted her out first for the U.S.

“I felt a lot of responsibility,’’ admitted Daniel. “Coming here, I didn’t feel my game was that good but I kind of found it on Saturday when I played really well. JoAnne had the confidence to put me out first. She just said `you’re playing awesome,’’ and I felt honored she picked me. I’m just happy to have found my game for two days. I’m always grateful when that happens.’’

The momentum from Daniel’s big win disappeared quickly, though. Rosie Jones lost her first Handa Cup match in five years, falling to Trish Johnson in the second match. Johnson was just as hot as Daniel, also going 6-under.

The tension started building after Mieko Nomura’s rout of Pat Bradley gave the World a 24-14 advantage, meaning one more point would seal the win. Never was the tension greater than when Nancy Scranton and Liselotte Neumann hit the 18th green.

Scranton hit a great approach to four feet and needed the birdie putt to win the match. She lipped it out. Then Neumann needed to hole a par putt from the same distance to clinch the Cup for the World team. She missed, too. That gave Scranton the win and Cindy Figg-Currier won the next match for the U.S. to make it 24-20.

The last two matches on the course were all even at that point, but Stephenson’s uphill, breaking putt on the 18th ended the suspense against Sherri Turner and Gail Graham and Betsy King tied in the meaningless final match. That left the U.S. squad (pictured above) a loser for the first time.

No site has been announced for next year’s Handa Cup, though Hermitage owner Mike Eller said “We love company…We hope we can do it again.’’

And the players certainly seemed receptive to returning to the course that hosted the LPGA’s Sara Lee Classic from 1988-2002. Next event on the Legends’ schedule also has a Handa connection. The ISPS Handa Open Championship will be held Nov. 8-10 at Innisbrook Resort near Tampa, Fla.

HERE ARE SUNDAY’S SINGLES RESULTS.

Beth Daniel, U.S., def. Laura Davies; Trish Johnson, World, def. Rosie Jones; Cindy Rarick, U.S., def. Jenny Lidback; Helen Alfredsson, World, def. Barb Mucha; Alison Nicholas, World, def. Nancy Lopez; Lorie Kane, World, def. Christa Johnson; Mieko Nomura, World, def. Pat Bradley; Laurie Rinker, U.S., def. Jane Crafter; Nancy Scranton, U.S., def. Liselotte Neumann; Cindy Figg-Currier, U.S., def. Alicia Dibos; Jan Stephenson, U.S., def. Sherri Turner; Gail Graham, World, and Betsy King, U.S., tied.

OLD HICKORY – Some golf history could be made on Sunday at the LPGA Legends Tour’s ISPS Handa Cup.

The World team was winless in the first seven stagings of the team competition that matches LPGA players 45 and over from the U.S. against their Legends counterparts who were born internationally. The U.S. won the first six meetings and last year’s ended in a 24-24 tie at the Reunion Resort in Orlando, Fla.

This eighth staging, at Hermitage Golf Club on the outskirts of Nashville, could have a much different result based on what transpired in Saturday’s 12 team matches. The World team opened a 14-10 lead and just needs to protect it in Sunday’s 12 singles matches. Each match is worth two points.

Saturday’s opening day of the competition saw the World team play the U.S. to a 6-6 standoff in the morning best ball matches and then dominate in the afternoon alternate shot battles.

The U.S. won only one match in the afternoon, that one coming from the team of Rosie Jones and Beth Daniel. Jones-Daniel also won in the morning, as Jones continued her reign as the dominant individual in the team competition. The two wins on Saturday gave Jones a lifetime 17-3-2 record in Handa Cup matches. No other player on either team has won more than 13 times.

“I’ve just had good partners,’’ said Jones. “Team events make me knuckle down. I try to putt well in all of them and try to not make any mistakes.’’

Jones has won with a variety of partners over the years and believes her last loss was five years ago. Her partners prior to Daniel were usually Patty Sheehan or Sherri Steinhauer.

“Both couldn’t be here this year,’’ said Jones, “but they can put me with anybody who can tolerate my short drives. Beth Daniel this week is hitting the ball really good. She’s 30 yards closer (to the green) than I normally would be, so it’s easier for me to hit wedges in.’’

Daniel is no slouch in Handa Cup play, either. She has a 12-5-2 record. Like Jones, she’s not used to seeing her U.S. team trail in the competition.

“I was kind of surprised,’’ said Jones. “But we have 24 points out there. That’s what we’ve got to bank on.’’

The U.S. will get a dose of reality in the first singles match, at 9 a.m. on Sunday when Daniel faces long-hitting Laura Davies. Davies sparked the World team on Saturday while playing with Trish Johnson. The duo from England was 5-under-par in best ball and a staggering 6-under in alternate shot en route to winning both times.

Their morning match was the first of the competition and opponents Pat Bradley and Betsy King took charge for the U.S. early with birdies on the first three holes. Davies-Johnson rallied back, however, and got the win when Davies rolled in a 20-foot downhill birdie putt on the final hole.

After Saturday’s matches were over World team captain Pia Nilsson quickly made Davies the first player to go off in singles on Sunday. Daniel will be a tough opponent. Jones will try to keep her winning streak going in the second singles match against Johnson, Davies’ partner on Saturday.

Davies is the only player on the World team to win a title in the Sara Lee Classic, an LPGA stop at Hermitage from 1988-2002. Davies won that event in 1994. The only other players in this Handa Cup to win the Sara Lee Classic didn’t do so well on Saturday. Nancy Lopez (1991) and Barb Mucha (1998) were paired in both the best ball and alternate shot formats and were losers in both.

SATURDAY’S RESULTS

Morning best ball: Laura Davies-Trish Johnson, World, def. Pat Bradley-Betsy King; Lorie Kane-Alicia Dibos, World, def. Nancy Lopez-Barb Mucha; Sherri Turner-Laurie Rinker, U.S., def. Liselotte Neumann-Jane Crafter; Cindy Figg-Currier-Christa Johnson, U.S., def. Gail Graham-Jenny Lidback; Helen Alfredsson-Jan Stephenson, World, def. Nancy Scranton-Cindy Rarick; Beth Daniel-Rose Jones, U.S., def. Alison Nicholas-Mieko Nomura.

Afternoon alternate shot: Davies-Johnson, World, def. Turner-Rinker; Neumann-Dibos, World, def. Bradley-King; Figg-Currier-Christa Johnson, U.S., tied with Kane-Graham; Alfredsson-Nicholas def. Lopez-Mucha; Daniel-Jones def. Crafter-Nomura; Scranton-Rarick tied with Lidback-Stephenson.

SUNDAY’S SINGLES MATCHES

9 a.m. – Daniel vs. Davies; 9:10 – Jones vs. Trish Johnson; 9:20 – Rarick vs. Lidback; 9:30 – Mucha vs. Alfredsson; 9:40 – Lopez vs. Nicholas; 9:50 – Christa Johnson vs. Kane; 10 a.m. – Bradley vs. Nomura; 10:10 – Rinker vs. Crafter; 10:20 – Scranton vs. Neumann; 10:30 – Figg-Currier vs. Dibos; 10:40 – Turner vs. Stephenson; 10:50 – King vs. Graham.

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OLD HICKORY, Tenn. – The ISPS Handa Cup is one of the premier events on the LPGA’s Legends Tour and its eighth staging at Hermitage Golf Club on the outskirts of Nashville figures to be something special.

In fact, it could result in a breakthrough for the World team. It has never won the Handa Cup, but last year’s match ended in a 24-24 tie at Reunion Resort in Orlando, Fla. Because ties go to the defending champion the U.S. was able to retain the cup for another year. This time the U.S. might not be so fortunate.

Both captains – JoAnne Carner for the U.S. and Sweden’s Pia Nilsson for the World – return from last year but with different approaches for organizing their teams.

Carner paired the same players for both the morning best ball matches on Hermitage’s front nine and the afternoon alternate shot matches on the back side. Nilsson will change up her teams after the morning session.

The U.S. team features a pairing of former champions of the Sara Lee Classic, the LPGA Tour stop at the Hermitage from 1988-2002. Nancy Lopez, who won the Sara Lee title in 1991, will play with Barb Mucha, the winner in 1998.

Most interesting of the matches, though, could involve best friends Cindy Rarick of the U.S. and Jan Stephenson of the World team. They’ll meet in both best ball and alternate shot, though Australian Stephenson will have different partners. She’s paired with Sweden’s Helen Alfredsson in the best ball and with Peru’s Jenny Lidback in alternate shot. Rarick will play both with Nancy Scranton.

The competition concludes with 12 singles matches on Sunday, so Rarick and Stephenson could be matched up a third time.

Hottest Legends’ competitor going into the competition is the World team’s Lorie Kane, the Canadian golfer who won the first Legends Tour Championship two weeks ago at the brutal Pete Dye Course in French Lick, Ind. The U.S. team, however, has the most successful all-time Handa Cup player in Rosie Jones who has a 15-3-2 record in the competition.

For all the Legends’ competitors the return to the General’s Retreat course at Hermitage, a 36-hole facility, is a sentimental homecoming. It was one of the most popular stops for the LPGA players during Sara Lee’s run as sponsor, and Thursday’s kickoff party and Friday’s pro-am reflected their affection for the layout designed by Gary Rogers Baird.

Most notable during the Handa Cup festivities was the arrival of Midori Miyazaki, the executive director for international affairs for sponsor International Sports Promotion Society. She arrived via a flight from London on Thursday afternoon, was a speaker at the kickoff party, played in the pro-am on Friday and then caught an evening flight back to London. Trips to France and Cambodia are on her calendar over the next week.

She maintains a whirlwind schedule, but the ISPS Handa Cup was a must stop.

“We’re happy to be involved in this fantastic event,’’ she declared to loud cheers at the kickoff/pairings party. ISPS also has connections with the PGA of Australia, the European Senior Tour and the Asian Tour.

Miyazaki describes herself as a “terrible’’ golfer. She’s not, but her appearance spoke volumes about the Handa Cup’s importance to both ISPS and the stars of the LPGA’s 45-and-over circuit.

ISPS was created by Dr. Haruhisa Handa, an international businessman and philanthropist. His humanitarian efforts include founding the Japanese Blind Golf Assn., and the Handa Cup is named in his honor.

HERE ARE THE PAIRINGS

MORNING BEST BALL MATCHES

9 a.m. — Pat Bradley-Betsy King, U.S., vs. Laura Davies-Trish Johnson, England.

9:12 — Nancy Lopez-Barb Mucha, U.S., vs. Lorie Kane, Canada, and Alicia Dibos, Peru.

9:24 — Sherri Turner-Laurie Rinker, U.S., vs. Liselotte Neumann, Sweden, and Jane Crafter, Australia.

9:36 — Cindy Figg-Currier-Chris Johnson, U.S., vs. Gail Graham, Canada, and Jenny Lidback, Peru.

9:48 — Nancy Scranton-Cindy Rarick, U.S., vs. Helen Alfredsson, Sweden, and Jan Stephenson, Australia.

10 a.m. — Beth Daniel-Rosie Jones, U.S., vs. Mieko Nomura, Japan, and Alison Nicholas, England.

AFTERNOON ALTERNATE SHOT MATCHES

1 p.m. –Turner-Rinker, U.S., vs. Davies-Trish Johnson.

1:12 — Bradley-King, U.S., vs. Neumann-Dibos.

1:24 — Figg-Currier-Johnson, U.S., vs. Kane-Graham.

1:36 — Lopez-Mucha, U.S., vs. Nicholas-Alfredsson.

1:48 — Daniel-Jones, U.S., vs. Crafter-Nomura.

2 p.m. — Scranton-Rarick, U.S., vs. Lidback-Stephenson.