The SAS Championship, presented by Forbes, will return to Cary Sept. 26-28 at Prestonwood Country Club and is expected to draw a large crowd of fans in support of some of golf’s all-time greats and World Golf Hall of Fame members.

The tournament is a stop on the Champions Tour, which operates under the PGA Tour, and consists of professional golfers age 50 and older. Mark Wiebe, last year’s SAS Championship winner, said a return to Cary will bring back many fond memories of his first major win on the Champions Tour.

“It was my first win on the Champions Tour and my first tournament,” Wiebe said. “And all that stuff that goes along with it will be a great experience. And obviously I would love to play well and see if I can be in the running again.”

Defending the title may be a tall task for Wiebe, as several World Golf Hall of Fame members join the field for the tournament. According to the tournament press release, Hall of Fame members Bernhard Langer, a two-time Masters winner, Nick Price, the 1994 British Open and PGA Championship winner, and Larry Nelson, a two-time PGA Championship winner and the 1983 U.S. Open champion, all confirmed they will compete in the SAS Championship. These three golf greats join a field that already boasts two World Golf Hall of Famers in Curtis Strange and Hale Irwin.

“One of the most exciting things about the Champions Tour is that you have multiple Hall of Famers playing every week and on a very high level,” said SAS Tournament Director Jeff Kleiber in a press release.

“Despite all their accomplishments, these guys are some of the most gracious and fan-friendly athletes in the world of professional sports and the SAS Championship is the perfect venue to see them up close and personal.”

Though there is a tremendous amount of respect among players on the tour, the large amount of money to be won makes the competition more intense than friendly, Wiebe said. The SAS Championship boasts a purse of $2 million, according to the PGA Tour Web site.

“It’s very competitive,” Wiebe said. “Everyone wants to do well.”

Wiebe said a large part of his success last year dealt with his confidence from playing solid golf prior to the SAS Championship. He said Tom Jenkins and R.W. Eaks may be considered favorites in the event after their play in the Greater Hickory Classic in Conover this past weekend. Still, the depth of talent in the field makes it tough to predict which golf great could emerge as the winner.

“There are some great names and players on this tour that have been around for some time and guys that I’ve known since the [PGA] Tour days,” Wiebe said.

Though Wiebe is uncertain if he can defend his championship, he is certain that the course and event will be just as magical as he remembers it from a year ago.

“The course was great; it was in great shape and the greens were really good. I think I was excited and there were so many things that went into that,” said Wiebe. “I had a lot of adrenaline just from being excited to play and, like I said, I was really playing some nice golf.”

For schedules and event details visit saschampionship.com.