Rain may have spoiled some of the Sanford International Pro-Am events on Wednesday and Thursday, but the official start to the tournament on Friday looks perfect.

Friday's conditions are calling for multiple birdies and more as players from the PGA Champions Tour take the course for the official start of the Sanford International. Now that the rain has moved away from town, Sioux Falls will be graced with a forecast of sunshine all weekend long.

The Sanford International officially begins on Friday morning and legendary golfer Jack Niklaus will be on hand for the opening ceremonies. It will also be a great day to skip work and watch some of the greatest golfers play their opening round. Some of the highlighted groups on Friday include:

Friday – 12:00 p.m. CT (No. 1 tee)

  • Vijay Singh (9) – Two wins on PGA TOUR Champions this year, including his first senior major at the Constellation SENIOR PLAYERS Championship.
  • Darren Clarke (93) – Making his fourth start on PGA TOUR Champions; his best finish was T24 in his debut at the Boeing Classic.
  • Jeff Sluman (36) – Six career wins on PGA TOUR Champions; two top-10s this season and is coming off a T13 finish at The Ally Challenge.

Friday – 12:20 p.m. CT (No. 1 tee)

  • Tom Lehman (15) – Eight top-10s this year, including his 11th career victory (Principal Charity Classic); leads the Tour in Greens in Regulation (78.97%).
  • Jerry Kelly (3) – Ten top-10s this year, including a win at the season-opening Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai; has the best scoring average on Tour (68.98).
  • Colin Montgomerie (22) – World Golf Hall of Famer with six career wins on PGA TOUR Champions.

Friday – 12:30 p.m. CT (No. 1 tee)

  • David Toms (5) – Seven top-five finishes this season, including a win at the U.S. Senior Open and a T5 finish last week at The Ally Challenge.
  • Steve Stricker (11) – Two wins and six top-five finishes this season; first start on PGA TOUR Champions since the American Family Insurance Championship in June.
  • Scott McCarron (2) – Two wins and 11 top-10 finishes this season; second on Tour in birdies per round (4.20).

Tickets are still available and can be purchased online at Sanford International's website. Parking is available at the Empire Mall and at Sherman Park. Shuttles will be running every 10-15 minutes.

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