At the Open Championship in Turnberry last summer the drama and nostalgia of seeing golfing legend Tom Watson competing for the title over four days culminated on the Sunday last day with the golfing icon capturing the imagination of all golf fans - even if he was supposedly past his peak for the main tour – given he is an active member of the Champions Tour. But for four days in July Watson returned to Turnberry, mostly out of nostalgia and as a last goodbye to the venue where he won the second of his Claret jugs in 1977, ending up as a serious contender.
In the end it became a trip back in time as he played in the last group on Sunday with his second last stroke on the 18th green depriving him of what should have been a sixth Open title. As Watson held back the emotions and congratulated the winner, Stewart Cink, viewers worldwide sighed with disappointment as the fairy tale was not to be in the end.
In not a dissimilar fashion the Handa Irish Seniors Open presented by Failte Ireland brought some of the great names of European golf’s golden era to Maynooth last weekend, many of whom have been travelling to Ireland in search of the fame and glory for the past twenty years. Although many of them have since achieved their fame and fortune they still play competitive golf at senior level despite accumulating their many titles.
Amongst those playing was 1991 US Masters winner, Ian Woosnam, perhaps better known to a younger generation for the European Ryder Cup victory at the K Club in 2006; two time Open major winner, Sandy Lyle; Scotland’s Sam Torrance, son of Bob coach to Padraig Harrington; the members of Spanish Armada including Ignacio Garrido, Juan Quiros, Jose Rivero, Antonio Garrido and Manuel Piñero. Missing however was the indefatigable Seve Ballesteros, who really put Spanish golf on the map after winning his first US Masters in 1980 and the second in 1983 in a country which only had a handful of golf courses at the time.
The Irish contingent at Carton House included Des Smyth, Eamonn Darcy, Liam Higgins, Denis O'Sullivan and Christy O' Connor Jnr. The pity was that the Irish field did not dominate a bit more on home soil with Darcy the best finish in a share of 20th.
But then again only Smyth, Heggarty and O’Sullivan are still playing competitively on the Tour this season week in and week out.
In looking over the horizon at the next generation of players that will keep the European Senior Tour alive and kicking for the next half decade, the field looks rather more sparse, at least in Irish terms, with the 1995 Ryder Cup winner, Philip Walton, the only name in sight – with the Dubliner only eligible in March 2012.
In the short term Englishman Barry Lane is the next name to become eligible this week and makes his debut at the Royal Porthcawl in Wales next weekend with Andrew Oldcorn the most recent addition to the Senior Tour.
Of the big names that joined over the past few years Torrance and Woosnam have been the most regular supporters with Bernhard Langer based mostly on the Champions Tour in the USA given that is where he has made his home for many years now.
Five time major winner, Sir Nick Faldo, plays selective tournaments and has chosen a broadcasting career predominantly in the US alongside his golf course design business which is as active as economic circumstances will currently allow at this time.
Greg Norman, Open winner in 1986 and 1993, plays events worldwide and more recently belied his age by being in the final pairing at the 2008 Open at Royal Birkdale where he lost on the day to sublime golf from Ireland’s Padraig Harrington. Having turned 50 in February 2005 the Australian has kept his distance from the senior golf circuit mostly due to his extensive other business interests and because of some back and knee injuries.
Obviously one of the most committed European Tour players, Seve Ballesteros, has been undergoing treatment for some time for illness which has unfortunately kept him away from the game in recent years. No player oozed as much passion for European golf than the Santander man and undoubtedly he would have done more on the European Senior Tour had circumstances and his health allowed it.
On the other side of the Atlantic the Champions Tour in the US is very vibrant and with some top names reaching eligibility soon such as Mark Calcavecchia who celebrated his 50th birthday last weekend. He will begins his Champions Tour career at the Dick's Sporting Goods Open on June 25th.
Calcavecchia bade farewell to the PGA TOUR at the Memorial Tournament after playing in 736 events since 198, winning 13 times, including the 1989 British Open. He is looking forward to it having watched what Fred Couples has done in his rookie year on the Champions Tour, and the manner in which he has done so. Other recent additions are 2010 US Ryder Cup Captain, Corey Pavin, and the 2006 US Ryder Cup Captain,Tom Lehman.
Most of the tournaments are played over three rounds (54 holes), which is one round less than regular professional stroke play tournaments on the PGA Tour. Because of this and having smaller fields, there are generally no "cuts" between any of the rounds. However, the five senior majors have a full 72 holes.
The European Senior Tour was founded in 1992 and in 2008 it had a total prize fund of €7,729,284, much less than the Champions Tour in relative terms with the highest profile seniors event in being Senior British Open Championship, which is co-sanctioned by the Champions Tour.
Perhaps the difference between two tours is best summarised by the career of Baltray’s Des Smyth who went to the PGA Seniors Qualifying School at the end of 2004 and then earned in excess of US$ 2.5M in his first two seasons on the Champions Tour - with two wins in 2005 at the SBC Classic and the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf. Those two tournaments alone US$614,000. He was runner up to Tom Watson at Royal Aberdeen in 2005 which was also a valuable pay day of €153,000.
In 2007 Smyth added another second place at the British Senior Open and the Wentworth Masters but the total earnings from both could not match the US prize money.
As Philip Walton looks on to the dwindling prize money in these challenging times both sides the ocean PGA Q School might seem to make more financial sense. In fact he should look, no further than the man he beat at Oak Hill in 1995, Jay Hass, who since joining the Champions Tour in 2006 has made nearly US$10M.
Roll on USPGA Seniors Q School !
