The stars will be out for golf championship

A star-studded array of the world's best senior golfers will descend upon Nashawtuc Country Club in Concord for this week's PGA Champions Tour Bank of America Championship. The field includes six World Golf Hall of Fame members and 17 of the Top 20 money winners on the Champions Tour this season.

While most of the attention will be focused on defending champion Jay Haas, who is riding the wave of two straight wins - the Senior PGA Championship and Principal Charity Classic - Acton native Kirk Hanefeld is lurking in the background, hoping to make a splash.

The longtime successful New England club pro, who plays out of the International in Bolton, was granted a sponsor's exemption after finishing tied for fifth in the Principal Charity Classic, to raise his season's earnings to $85,644.

That's pocket change compared to the $1,346,200 Haas has already made. And Haas is off to one of the fastest starts in Champions Tour history. He's teed it up in 11 tournaments and has won twice, finished second twice, third twice, and finished in the Top 10 two other times.

Haas will be "a force to contend with," said tournament director Tracy West. "Right now he's playing as good as anyone on the Champions Tour. But this is a very talented field and could be one of our most competitive tournaments ever."

Two-time champion Hale Irwin (1997 and 1998), who ranks first on the Champions Tour all-time money list with nearly $25 million in earnings, threw his hat into the ring early last week, strengthening the field even more. Irwin has won more money ($644,332) in this tournament than any other golfer, and should he win it this week, he'll become just the second man to win three times, joining Chi Chi Rodriguez, who ruled the roost in 1986, '87, and '88.

On the Champions Tour, Irwin's career is a lot of "mosts" - most victories (45), most consecutive years winning at least one tournament (11), and most consecutive years winning multiple tournaments (12). He has also won seven majors - the Senior PGA in 1996, 1997, 1998 and 2004; US Senior Open in 1998 and 2000; and the Senior Players Championship in 1999.

He, along with Isao Aoki, Tom Kite, Gary Player, Nick Price, and Curtis Strange, are all members of the World Golf Hall of Fame, and it's rare to have that many in a single tournament. Another World Golf Hall-of-Famer - Ray Floyd - was in the field, but withdrew recently due to continuing knee problems.

The field is flush with the top money winners on the tour. In addition to Haas, there's Scott Hoch, , Denis Watson, Loren Roberts, John Cook, Mark Wiebe, Price, and Andy Bean, who rank 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10. Bernhard Langer, who is No. 2, is the lone golfer ranked in the Top 10 not in the field.

Seventy-eight players make up the field, seven to be decided Tuesday at a qualifier at Renaissance Golf Club in Haverhill.

The tournament is a 54-hole affair with a $1.65 million purse. The winner's share is $247,500. It's the longest-running (28 years) 54-hole on the Champions Tour and has donated nearly $5 million to local charities, including Emerson Hospital, Boys and Girls Club of Assabet Valley, and First Tee of Massachusetts.

The schedule: Tomorrow - Bank of America Pro-Am, 1 p.m.

Tuesday - Practice rounds, tournament qualifier, Boston Tee Pro-Am Draw, 6:30 p.m., Westin Hotel, Waltham.

Wednesday - Championship Pro-Am, 8 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.; Legends Meet & Greet, 9 a.m.; Craig Stadler charity dinner, 6:30 p.m.

Thursday - Championship Pro-Am, 8 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.; Champions Tour pro golf clinic, 3 p.m.

Friday - Championship Round 1, 8 a.m.; Bank of America Kids Clinic, 4 p.m.

Saturday - Championship Round 2, 9:30 a.m.

Sunday - Championship Round 3, 9:30 a.m.; Toast the Champion Party; 2009 US Open ticket giveaway.

Six individuals and Woburn's 4 x 400 boys relay team won titles at last weekend's All-State Track & Field Championships in Fall River. Winners included Kristen Judge of Tewksbury (high jump), Emily Jones of Bromfield (2-mile), Kirsten Kasper of North Andover (mile), Shannon Conway of North Reading (400 meters), and Davis VanOpdorp of Winchester (300 hurdles).

Bromfield just missed winning the girls overall title, losing to Newton South by a point, 28-27. Jones's win was the most lopsided of the day. She won by more than 21 seconds.

Undefeated and top-ranked Concord-Carlisle (23-0) put the clamps on previously unbeaten Andover, 5-0, to win the Division 1 North Sectional tennis championship. Singles winners were Alex Steinroder, Ari Zyskind, and Justin Lee, while tandems Nathaniel Hack and Sawyer Lawson, and George King and Sam Megowan also prevailed. . . . The Division 1 North girls title went to Acton-Boxborough, which beat Lincoln-Sudbury, 3-2. Amy Li and Kiersten Boyer won at singles, and Brianne Dickie and Laura Donovan in doubles. . . . Winchester's boys and girls repeated as Division 2 North Sectional champs, the girls beating Lynnfield and the boys Weston, both by 4-1 scores. The titles were clinched on doubles victories by John Battinelli and Natty Goehring, and Melissa Lin and Leslie Signor. Salem (N.H.) baseball coach Dan Keleher is the Class L Coach of the Year.

Sports Notebook ideas or information may be sent to vellante@globe.com.