"But we play on the Champions Tour" - Stephen Ames' comeback to fan asking why he flies commercial airlines after golf bag mishap

Stephen Ames defended his title at the 2024 Boeing Classic, held at The Club at Snoqualmie Ridge in Snoqualmie, Washington State. The tournament concluded on Aug. 11, 2024.

Ames will next participate in Canyon Meadows Golf & Country Club in Calgary, Alberta, Canada from Aug. 16 to 18, 2024. Ames recently took to X to raise an issue with his golf bag which had gone missing during a flight with WestJet. Ahead of his next tournament, Ames said:

"Hey @WestJet, I enjoyed taking a day off but I’m going to need my golf bag ASAP. It says you’re still “looking for it” and I can tell you, it’s still sitting in Seattle. Can you please get it on a plane to Calgary!?"

In response to the post on X, a fan asked why Ames was flying commercial. Replying to him Ames' made a tongue-in-cheek remark and wrote on X:

"Cause I don’t know if you knew this but we play on the Champions Tour"

While PGA Tour offers golfers, financial rewards and perks, the same doesn't come in the Champions Tour. The players on the PGA Tour can afford private flights, the same thing can't be said about the Champions Tour golfers.

WestJet Airlines has responded to Ames in a separate post on X and wrote:

"@StephenAmesPGA Hi Stephen, thank you for reaching out. We apologize for the delay. Our Central Baggage team have been in touch with your team and look forward to reuniting with you with your golf bag very soon! Wishing you luck in your upcoming tournaments!"

Ames has won nine tournaments on the Champions Tour. However, as per the PGA Tour's website, he has earned $10,681,374 in 214 tournaments. He has had 29 top-5 finishes and 65 top-10 finishes after he joined the tour in 2014.

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A look at Stephen Ames' performance in 2024

Stephen Ames has had a great 2024 season on the Champions Tour. In 17 starts, he has had three wins and 12 top-10 finishes this year. He is currently positioned second in the Charles Schwab Cup standings.

Ames won the Chubb Classic by three strokes over Rocco Mediate. He also won the Mitsubishi Electric Classic for the third time by four strokes over Doug Barron and Paul Broadhurst. Ames recently won the Boeing Classic for the second time by one stroke over Steven Alker, Ernie Els, and Robert Karlsson.

Ames' other notable finishes include a second finish at the Principal Charity Classic, a fourth finish at both the Hoag Classic and the US Senior Open, and a T4 finish at the American Family Insurance Championship.

Let's take a look at Stephen Ames' performance in the 2024 season:

2024 PGA TOUR Champions Tournaments

• Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai: T8 (70-67-67, 204, -12)
• Chubb Classic: 1 (67-64, 131, -13)
• Trophy Hassan II: T16 (73-73-73, 219, E)
• Cologuard Classic: T7 (70-64-70, 204, -9)
• Hoag Classic: 4 (67-68-67, 202, -11)
• The Galleri Classic: T50 (70-76-72, 218, +2)
• Mitsubishi Electric Classic: 1 (71-64-67, 202, -14)
• Insperity Invitational: T10 (70-70, 140, -4)
• Regions Tradition: 13 (70-72-71-67, 280, -8)
• KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship: T29 (77-68-69-68, 282, -2)
• Principal Charity Classic: 2 (64-67-66, 197, -19)
• American Family Insurance Championship: T4 (73-68-67, 208, -8)
• DICK'S Open: T6 (64-69-71, 204, -12)
• U.S. Senior Open Championship: T8 (65-68-73-68, 274, -6)
• Kaulig Companies Championship: T26 (73-72-68-70, 283, +3)
• Senior Open pres. by Rolex: 4 (68-72-74-71, 285, -3)
• Boeing Classic: 1 (71-67-67, 205, -11)