PALMER PLAYS, ELKINGTON AND McCARRON WIN AT PORTLAND

PORTLAND, Oregon (AP) -- As Arnold Palmer slowly walked up the 18th fairway Tuesday at Portland Golf Club, an Umpqua Bank Challenge official stood on the green and told fans this might the last Northwest tournament for the 81-year-old golf legend.
Palmer wasn't sure about that, saying at his age, there's "a little bit of everything in my mind."
What is certain, though, is that the Challenge will be back.
After an eight-year absence, Peter Jacobsen's 36-hole charity tournament successfully resumed on a smaller scale. Steve Elkington and Scott McCarron romped to the title, shooting a better-ball score of 24-under par 120 to win by six strokes from Jay Haas and John Cook.
Six two-man teams, including 10 players from the Champions Tour, participated in the Umpqua Bank Challenge, formerly known as the Fred Meyer Challenge. Elkington and McCarron split a first-place prize of $100,000 from the overall $530,000 tournament purse.
Jacobsen said the event, nicknamed Peter's Party, will return to Portland Golf Club next year with the intention of landing a few more prominent US PGA Tour names in 2012.
"I'd like to get this as big as we can," Jacobsen said. "When we ended the Challenge (in 2002), it was 24 players. I'd like to get back to 24 players, but that's going to take more corporate support, and more revenue from the community.
"But I think we're off to a really good start."
Although attendance totals were unavailable, several thousand spectators were on hand for Tuesday's final round. Jacobsen said he was pleased with the tournament's crowds, quality of field and, eventually, revenue that will benefit the Children's Hospital at Legacy Emanuel and the "I Have a Dream" Foundation-Oregon.
"When you're gone from this market like we were for eight years, the most important thing was simply getting back on the schedule," Jacobsen said. "Coming back, we knew there were going to be some starts and stops. But I think we hit all the expectations. We wanted to have fun, great crowds and a great turnout."
Most of the eyes following the Challenge were on Palmer, who rarely participates in tournament competition. In fact, Palmer said "playing 36 holes the last two days is the most I've played in a year. Kind of got me a little excited. I may go home and practise."
Palmer teamed with Jacobsen, and played in the same foursome with Fuzzy Zoeller and Ben Crenshaw. There was as much frivolity as there was golf in the quartet, as Zoeller needled Palmer throughout the round.
Zoeller got it going on the first hole, after Palmer drove his ball under a tree. Palmer finally turned to the crowd and said, "Why do I bring him along?"
"Playing with Fuzzy is a lot of fun. We kid a lot. Sometimes we get serious, but I don't remember when," Palmer said.
McCarron joked that he was there to defend his title. McCarron teamed with Brian Henninger to win the Fred Meyer Challenge at The Reserve Vineyards  Golf Club in 2002, the last time the tournament was staged.
"The only thing we've been winning is scratch off tickets at the grocery store of late, so we'll take this little bit of momentum and see if we can parlay it to something good on the (US PGA) Tour," Elkington said.
As he was presented with the traditional jean jacket given to the tournament champions, Elkington said this year's Challenge was the best ever.
"I thought (Sunday's) clinic was spectacular and Peter's company has gotten better. It only makes sense that this event is better," Elkington said. "They're so inclusive. I don't see any way this tournament isn't going to get bigger."