Happy birthday to Stephen Ames. And this is not just any birthday. Today, the Calgarian turns the big Five-Oh. So is the four-time winner on the PGA Tour happy about his big day? "Hell no. Its 50! Who wants to get there?" Ames chuckled in mock protest. "Actually, Im OK with it - its just a number." But its a big number, one that makes him eligible for the Champions Tour, that career mulligan circuit for the older set. He will make his official debut as an Old Guy on May 22 at the Senior PGA Championship, one of that tours five majors. "I look at it as being fortunate," Ames said, "because I have another place to play. Someone referred to it the other day as the back nine of my career. For me, it means I have 15 more years of golf and having fun with it and not having to worry about a job or a pay cheque coming in. Im pretty much set - its nice." Ames is ready to compete on the Champions Tour and thinks he can play well. Compared to many of the older guys, hes in great shape. His back problems that troubled him years ago havent been an issue for some time and in preparation for his move to the 50-and-over tour, hes lost 11 pounds. "Ive been working out hard," he said, "doing some hard cardio. Its not about weights for me, its cardio and all of a sudden the weight started dropping off. I was a size 35 pant and now Im slipping into 32s." Ames, who is being inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame later this year, has also been working hard on his game, adding some distance to his drives and concentrating on his scoring clubs. Those will come in handy on a tour where the courses are 7,000 yards as opposed to the 7,500 hes been playing. "I expect to play well," he stated. "The only difference is that instead of hitting 3-irons into greens, Ill be hitting 9-irons." After years of working with Sean Foley, Ames parted ways with the guy he brought to the PGA Tour last year. The two remain friendly but Ames found it hard to get time on Foleys busy schedule. So hes been seeing Calgary swing coach Paul Horton, and is happy with the new relationship. "The changes Im making, Im understanding them and Im starting to hit it further, which is a bit scary," he said. "The hard thing were struggling with right now is keeping it on the golf course. Thats just because Im not quite secure with it yet. But overall, Im definitely seeing the difference. Im not as short as the numbers are saying right now." In addition to less mileage on the scorecard, Ames is also looking forward to the more relaxed atmosphere on the Champions Tour, which he says will fit his personality. Its definitely a fan-friendly circuit and the out-going Ames believes hell enjoy that part of it, something thats been missing from the current PGA Tour. "Im going to get to be me a little more," he said. "The guys out here [on the PGA Tour] as so serious and stern-faced and there are no smiles... Im still enjoying it out here but its tougher and so thats why Im really looking forward to the Champions Tour." Ames will spend this year going back and forth between the two tours, playing 20 on the PGA Tour and filling in the rest of the season on the Champions Tour. For the first time in his career, hell also get a home game, teeing it up in the Shaw Charity Classic, the stop in Calgary. Sleeping in his own bed while playing a tournament is something hes never done, but hes looking forward to helping the tournament become even more successful than its maiden run last year. As he did on the PGA Tour, Ames will take to the Champions Tour in his own way. On the course, he should be a contender with that silky smooth swing of his. Off it, he will be the same guy too -- he never worries much about what others think and hes not afraid to say whats on his mind. Thats refreshing. Stephen Ames leads a stress-free life and thats a good way to be. 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And how many NFL hopefuls have spent their spring working at childrens hospitals, first in the emergency room and later in the NICU, often handling babies that fit comfortably in his massive hands? How many players who heard their names called over the three days of the draft have just one more year of medical school before they can call themselves a doctor? Duvernay-Tardif plans to fit that in during summers, when he is able to take a break from football. But for now, his focus has shifted entirely to the Chiefs. He planned to be in Kansas City this week for rookie orientation, with a three-day rookie minicamp starting May 24. "Thing is that a year ago, my dream was to play in the CFL," said Duvernay-Tardif, who played so well at the East-West Shrine Game that several teams — including the Chiefs — took notice. "At that point, I was like, Oh, damn! I think the NFL is the place for me to play," he said. "Everything went well after that. I was training in the States. I had two visits and hosted my own Pro Day in Montreal and a few teams showed up. Everything went really well for me." Lets be clear about one thing: Theres a good chance that Duvernay-Tardif is a better doctor than he is a football player at this point. The competition in the Canadian Innteruniversity Sport system — which has produced 10 draft picks total — is not exactly the same as the Southeastern Conference.dddddddddddd McGill is not Alabama, having produced one other draft choice — a long-snapper taken by Jacksonville in 2001. Some of the rules of the Canadian game are also a bit different. Then throw in the fact that Doc Larry will be going against players bigger, faster and stronger than ever before, and chances are hell be in for a rude baptism when he finally straps on a Chiefs helmet. "Competition (in Canada) is really a step backward," said Pat Sperduto, the teams area scout, "(but) football is blocking and tackling. Nothing changes there. Its still the same there. You just watch him, you realize that this kid has physical talent." For one thing, he has prototypical size at 6-foot-5, 315 pounds. He also has what Sperduto called a "nasty" streak on the field, which is a bit hard to reconcile with the affable med student who has been spending his time working with sick children. "The potential that he has ahead of him is really good," general manager John Dorsey said. "Now hes going to have to learn, but what he demonstrated at the East-West Game, he actually played at a very high level. He did very well. When you have a player like that — hes got so much more room to grow." The Chiefs lost three players who started along the offensive line on the first day of free agency, and while Kansas City made a few moves to counter the departures, there is still a pressing need for offensive line depth. Duvernay-Tardif could provide some of it. "I think when you play football, you have to play 100 per cent," Duvernay-Tardif said. 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