Dan Forsman wins Mitsubishi Electric Championship by two over Jay Don Blake

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Dan Forsman, a five-time winner on the PGA Tour, finished with a 15-under 201 total at Hualalai Resort and earned $307,000 in the 41-man event.

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Associated Press 

Series: Champions Tour

KAUPULEHU-KONA, Hawaii -- Dan Forsman never flinched in the final round of the season-opening Mitsubishi Electric Championship.

Forsman closed with a 3-under 69 in windy conditions Sunday for his third Champions Tour title. He beat Jay Don Blake by two shots. Defending champion John Cook and Michael Allen shared third, another shot back.

The 53-year-old Forsman, a five-time winner on the PGA Tour, finished with a 15-under 201 total at Hualalai Resort and earned $307,000 in the 41-man event.

He opened with rounds of 67 and 65 to take a two-stroke lead into the final round. He never lost it, earning his first win in 20 months.

“On the 18th green I couldn’t even speak,” Forsman said. “I am really humbled to top this field of guys I’ve admired and competed with all my professional life. The chance to be on top of a distinguished group of players like this is something I’ll always cherish. You’ve got to be blessed to have opportunities like this and I feel like I am.”

Blake birdied the final hole for a 67. He finished last season with a victory in the Charles Schwab Championship.

A warm wind that gusted up to 25 mph kept scores relatively high on one of the senior tour’s easiest layouts. It was the first time since 2000 that the winner did not have a sub-200 score at Hualalai.

Forsman protected his lead with three birdies in the first 11 holes. His first bogey since Friday and only his second of the week still left him with a two-shot edge after 12 holes, and he held off Blake with a birdie and five pars on the closing holes.

Forsman struggled with a painful left hip last year, and had just one top-10 finish. He dropped to 45th on the money list after finishing in the top 10 in his first two seasons on the 50-and-over tour.

“I sat home over the holidays and kept thinking, `What will it take to get through the door,”’ Forsman said. “I kept thinking, `I’ve got to do the little things that all add up.”’

Gary Hallberg (68) and Jeff Sluman (71) tied for fifth, four shots behind Forsman.

Mark Calcavecchia, Jay Haas, Brad Bryant and 62-year-old Tom Watson tied for seventh at 10 under. It was Watson’s ninth top-10 finish in 12 starts at Hualalai.

Calcavecchia has seven consecutive top-10 finishes on the tour, dating to his win last year at the Boeing Classic. He matched Hallberg for the low round Sunday with a 66.

Ravens Invest In Gameday Experience

Posted Jan 10, 2014

Garrett DowningBaltimoreRavens.com Staff Writer@Ravens All Garrett Downing Articles



The team is in the midst of a $35 million improvement for M&T Bank Stadium.



Ravens Owner Steve Bisciotti and team President Dick Cass know that fans pay a premium to attend NFL games each year. With the cost of tickets, parking and food, attending a game at M&T Bank Stadium can be an expensive venture.

That’s why the Ravens have been aggressively reinvesting money from ticket sales revenue into the gameday experience.

“We are very much aware of how expensive it is to go to an NFL game, and we’re trying to take that into account,” Cass said. “The money we generate from our increased ticket sales, we’ve plowed right back into the stadium to try to make the gameday experience better.”

The Ravens have increased ticket prices just once in the last four years, compared to many teams that increase prices every two seasons. The organization has also committed $35 million to a significant stadium improvement project.

M&T Bank Stadium went through the first phase of upgrades last season, which included extensive improvements to the lower concourse, concession stands and video boards. The second phase of the project will take place this offseason and focus on the stadium’s upper concourse.

“We’re aware we have to keep doing that,” Cass said. “We’re aware we’ve got to keep the gameday experience a good one in our stadium – not only on the field, but off the field – and we’re committed to doing that.”

The Ravens have expanded their fan base in recent years by being one of the most successful teams in the NFL. They are one of just four teams to have won multiple Super Bowls since 2000, and made the playoffs for five straight seasons before missing out this year.

“They are buying a good product,” Bisciotti said. “And our metro area is growing in population, and we’re converting fans by having a good team. So, I certainly would be concerned if we miss the playoffs for six-straight years. I bet you’d see a softness in our demand.

“I really like working with these guys, and I believe that we’re going to continue to produce that kind of product. Dick and I have talked a lot about slowing down the tradition of raising the prices every two years, because we know that it gets very expensive. But, so does gas, and it doesn’t stop people from driving.”

The Ravens are considered one of the most stable and consistent organizations on and off the field in professional sports. They have sold out every game in team history and made the playoffs in six out of the 10 seasons since Bisciotti bought the franchise in 2004.

M&T Bank Stadium has also been one of the toughest places for opponents to play. The Ravens have a 93-55 overall record at M&T Bank Stadium, and the team has lost just nine games in Baltimore in Head Coach John Harbaugh’s six seasons.

Continuing that kind of success is the focus heading into future seasons, as Bisciotti sees strong performance as the best way to keep the fans coming back each year.

“I can’t worry about [fans] not buying; I can only worry about creating a product that makes them want to buy,” Bisciotti said. “I’m building pride in our organization, stability in our organization, success, and then I believe that demand will stay up. So, I’m sensitive to it, but there is only one way I can attack it.”