Justin Leonard, Notah Begay take step back from broadcasting to embark on full Champions schedule

Justin Leonard and Notah Begay III developed a close friendship off the course as NBC Sports/Golf Channel analysts.

This week, their on-course rivalry will resume when the 50-year-olds make their Chubb Classic debuts as two of the more notable members of the 2023 PGA Champions Tour rookie class.

Leonard, the 1997 Open champion, and Begay, a four-time winner on the Tour, each got a taste of the senior circuit last year with Leonard competing in four events and Begay two.

This year, both are targeting a full schedule and getting reacquainted with the rhythms of the game.

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For Leonard, who scored a top-10 finish at January’s season-opening Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai in Hawaii, that means remembering to take a break. He estimated that he took only a handful of days off between his final announcing commitment at the Presidents Cup last September and Hualalai.

“Every time I was going to take a day off I thought, I took six years off. I need to practice,” said Leonard, who last played a full PGA Tour season in 2015. “So I kind of overdid it. So you know, the last three weeks I've been at home I didn't touch a club for a week, which felt great.”

Leonard said the mental side of his return to competitive play is a bit more challenging than the physical. After six years of analyzing other players’ games, he now has to break down his own and make adjustments in real time.

“Some things have come back naturally, and then others it's like 'Oh, yeah, I forgot about that',” he said.

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Overall, Leonard said he feels pretty good about his game after his strong start at Hualalai. Begay, however, said he isn’t sure what to expect since the Chubb will be his first event this season.

“Anytime you're a rookie in anything, you're trying to just get a sense of what's happening out there,” Begay said. “I got a sense of the competition, and now I'm just trying to get used to the golf courses. It's a new golf course for me basically every week.

“First event of the year, so I don't have a whole lot of expectations, which means I'll probably play well.”

Begay said one thing he learned from his pair of Champions Tour appearances last season is that the shorter 54-hole format isn’t as forgiving for slow starters.

“You've got to get off to a quick start; 72 holes you can sort of work your way back from the middle of the pack but not in these events because the players continue to shoot low scores deep into the tournament,” he said. “If you get off to a slow start, you really have to come up with a big round to contend for the event.”

As far as their TV commitments, Leonard said he’ll probably only be at one event later this year while Begay will be on the air for next week’s Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens. Both said they appreciated the network's willingness to work around their Champions tournament schedules.

“Last year was hard trying to do both and find time to practice and play and all those things and still keep one eye on what's going on on the regular tour,” Leonard said. “Since October it's been nice to narrow my focus on one person's game rather than 150 guys.”

Begay said he and Leonard have compared notes about their respective returns to competitive play. They also did get out on the course together from time to time when they were broadcasting and well, the rust was apparent.

“We were both not very good at the time so we needed some work,” he said. “Hopefully we’re a little bit sharper now.”

Chubb Classic Friday tee times

at Tiburon Golf Club at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort (Black Course)

8:10 a.m. — Ken Duke Stuart, FL; Corey Pavin Dallas, TX; Rocco Mediate Greensburg, PA

8:21 a.m. — Woody Austin Derby, KS; Bob Estes Austin, TX; Mark Hensby San Antonio, TX

8:32 a.m. — Duffy Waldorf Las Vegas, NV; Billy Andrade Bristol, RI; Wes Short, Jr. Austin, TX

8:43 a.m. — Paul Stankowski Flower Mound, TX; Scott McCarron Mooresville, NC; Paul Goydos Long Beach, CA

8:54 a.m. — Scott Verplank Edmond, OK; Scott Dunlap Sarasota, FL; Glen Day Alotian, AR

9:05 a.m. — Robert Allenby Melbourne, Australia; Brandt Jobe Oklahoma City, OK; John Huston Clearwater, FL

9:16 a.m. — Tom Pernice Jr. Scottsdale, AZ; Stuart Appleby Cohuna, Australia; Jeff Maggert Houston, TX

9:27 a.m. — Paul Broadhurst Nuneaton, England; Steve Flesch Union, KY; Scott Parel Augusta, GA

9:38 a.m. — Bernhard Langer Munich, Germany; Jim Furyk Jacksonville, FL; Steven Alker Hamilton, New Zealand

9:49 a.m. — Darren Clarke The Abaco Club at Winding Bay, Bahamas; Padraig Harrington Ireland; Retief Goosen South Africa

10:00 a.m. — Fred Couples Newport Beach, CA; Jerry Kelly Madison, WI; Steve Stricker Madison, WI

10:11 a.m. — Ernie Els South Africa; David Toms Shreveport, LA; Justin Leonard Jupiter, FL

10:22 a.m. — Brett Quigley Barrington, RI; Mike Weir Brights Grv, ON, Canada; Dicky Pride Tuscaloosa, AL

10:33 a.m. — Kevin Sutherland Sacramento, CA; Shane Bertsch Denver, CO; Joe Durant Pensacola Beach, FL

10:44 a.m. — Alex Cejka Germany; Doug Barron Memphis, TN; Sandy Lyle Perthshire, Scotland

10:55 a.m. — Brian Gay Windermere, FL; Rod Pampling Brisbane, Australia; K.J. Choi Dallas, TX

11:06 a.m. — Notah Begay III Albuquerque, NM; Marco Dawson Merritt Island, FL; Robert Karlsson Katrineholm, Sweden

11:17 a.m. — Jeff Sluman Hinsdale, IL; Brad Faxon Barrington, RI; Jay Haas Greenville, SC

11:28 a.m. — Gene Sauers Savannah, GA; Tim Herron Minneapolis, MN; Chris DiMarco Denver, CO

11:39 a.m. — John Senden Brisbane, Australia; Tom Lehman Scottsdale, AZ; Y.E. Yang South Korea

11:50 a.m. — Olin Browne Tequesta, FL; Kirk Triplett Scottsdale, AZ; Lee Janzen Orlando, FL

12:01 p.m. — Tim Petrovic Austin, TX; Fred Funk Driftwood, TX; Billy Mayfair Edmond, OK

12:12 p.m. — Michael Allen Scottsdale, AZ; Matt Gogel Mission Hills, KS; Gary Hallberg Denver, CO

12:23 p.m. — Timothy O'Neal Savannah, GA; David McKenzie Melbourne, Australia; Rob Labritz Pound Ridge, NY

12:34 p.m. — Mario Tiziani Shorewood, MN; Brian Cooper Pittsburgh, PA; Richard Green Australia, Australia

12:45 p.m. — David Johnson Berthoud, CO; Michael Muehr Washington, DC; Alan Morin Royal Palm Beach, FL

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: 2023 Chubb Classic: Justin Leonard, Notah Begay ready for Champions Tour