Tom Watson has finished in the top 30 in each of his last three PGA TOUR major championships, including a runner-up finish in last year's British Open.

The Champions Tour is idle this week and will return for the Senior Open Championship at Carnoustie Golf Club on July 19-25.

• Eight players who have made an appearance on the Champions Tour in 2010 will tee it up in the Open Championship at St. Andrews: Mark Calcavecchia, Tom Lehman, Sandy Lyle, Mark O'Meara, Tom Pernice Jr., Loren Roberts, Peter Senior and Tom Watson. World Golf Hall of Fame member Sir Nick Faldo is also scheduled to compete at St. Andrews. Faldo, who celebrates his 53rd birthday on championship Sunday, has yet to make a Champions Tour start this year.

• Two-time British Open champion Greg Norman withdrew from this week's championship and was replaced in the field by young compatriot Jason Day. Norman has not played a tournament since shoulder surgery last September.

• Arnold Palmer and Watson will be joined by Padraig Harrington on Tuesday, July 13 when the trio will be awarded Honorary Degrees by the University of St. Andrews in recognition of their achievements and outstanding contributions to the game of golf. The University of St. Andrews will broadcast the ceremony live via their website (www.st-andrews.ac.uk/golfgraduation) at 8:00 p.m. ET. Coincidently, Watson and Harrington will play together, along with young Japanese star Ryo Ishikawa, in the first two rounds at this week's Open Championship.

• Watson has made the cut in each of his last three major championship appearances on the PGA TOUR (2009 British Open/2nd, 2010 Masters/T18, 2010 U.S. Open/T29).

• Lehman warmed up for the Open Championship with a tie for 38th at The Barclays Scottish Open. Fred Funk missed the cut.

• Tom Pernice Jr. finished T12 at the John Deere Classic before heading to St. Andrews. Michael Allen finished T68 in Silvis, Illinois.

• At the halfway point of the season the scoring average for Rounds 2 and 3 are identical: 71.22. Round 1 scoring average is 71.64.

• Lonnie Nielson will be out of action for the remainder of the season when he undergoes knee surgery in Buffalo on July 21. Nielson said his right knee has troubled him since he was in college when he injured it while playing basketball.

• Jim Rutledge, the top Canadian finisher (T38) at the inaugural Montreal Championship, cruised to victory in the Canadian PGA Senior Championship in Milton, Ontario the following week. Rutledge shot 17-under 199 to win by 10 strokes, helped by a course-record 62 in the second round of the 54-hole event.

• Bob Tway has the only ace on the Champions Tour this season (Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf, second round, No. 15, 8-iron, 157 yards). This represents the fewest aces at this point in the season since 1998, when there was also one after 13 events (by Don January).

• Bob Gilder was not eligible for the year's first event in Hawaii, the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai, but Gilder continues to play every event for which he's been eligible. That string is now at 157 consecutive events.

• 24 -- Number of Champions Tour players who have played at least one event on the PGA TOUR this season. Fourteen of the 24 players have played more than one event.

• The leading ten players in the Charles Schwab Cup standings have a combined career total of 130 victories on the Champions Tour (37) and PGA TOUR (93).

• According to the European Senior Tour, Ian Baker-Finch will make his over-50 debut at the Handa Australian Senior Open, November 19-21, at Royal Perth GC. The event will be co-sanctioned by the European Senior Tour.

ON THIS DATE

• 7/12/75 -- Tom Watson wins the first of five British Open crowns when he defeats Jack Newton in a playoff at Carnoustie.

• 7/13/68 -- Gary Player claims his second British Open title when he prevails over Bob Charles and Jack Nicklaus at Carnoustie.

• 7/13/63 -- Bob Charles defeats Phil Rodgers in a 36-hole playoff to win the British Open.

• 7/15/72 -- Lee Trevino successfully defends his British Open title, beating Jack Nicklaus by one stroke at Muirfield.

• 7/17/94 -- Nick Price plays the final three holes eagle-birdie-par to make up a two-stroke deficit to Jesper Parnevik and claims the British Open at Turnberry.

• 7/17/83 -- One year after winning the British Open at Royal Troon, Tom Watson wins his fifth title in that event when he beats Hale Irwin and Andy Bean by one stroke at Royal Birkdale.

• 7/18/82 -- Tom Watson makes it four wins in the British Open when he defeats Nick Price and Peter Oosterhuis by one stroke at Royal Troon in Scotland.

Resource: http://www.pgatour.com