The Senior Open Championship

Official Programme: £5

SUNNINGDALE GOLF CLUB, 23-26 JULY, 2009

GREG BERNHARD TOM

BRUCE

IAN

ALSO FEATURING

SANDY LYLE . SIR NICK FALDO . SAM TORRANCE . GARY PLAYER . TOM LEHMAN . TOM KITE

The UK’s leading investment bank

www.jpmorgancazenove.com

S P O N S O R S ’ ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

CONTENTS

Presenting Sponsor

Welcome Messages 3

Welcome from MasterCard

5

Welcome from Sunningdale Golf Club

7

Welcome from The R&A

9

Welcome from the European Senior Tour

11

Welcome from the Champions Tour

Championship Patron

Features 13-15

Review of The 2008 Senior Open Championship

20-25

Preview of The 2009 Senior Open Championship

28-31

Bernhard Langer Q&A

34-35

Greg Norman

37-39

Gary Player

40-41

Sir Nick Faldo

42-43

Tom Watson

45-47

Ian Woosnam Q&A

Official Suppliers MoĂŤt & Chandon - Official Champagne Ping Collection - Official Merchandiser Canon - Official Office Equipment Mazda - Official Car Srixon - Official Golf Ball Titleist - Official Golf Ball Cleveland - Range Support

Information 17

MasterCard Editorial

26-27

Past Winners of The Senior Open Championship

49

Player Entries

50-67

Player Profiles

68

Map of the Old Course at Sunningdale Golf Club; Tented Village Map and Facilities

69

Hole by Hole Guide Introduction

70-78

Hole-by-Hole Guide for the Old Course at Sunningdale Golf Club

79

2008 European Senior Tour Schedule and Results; 2009 European Senior Tour Schedule and Results up to July 19; Current 2009 Order of Merit Top 20 Acknowledgements and Officials

80

Editor-in-Chief: Mike Gallemore Design Director: Alex Gallemore Editor: Richard Bevan Deputy Editor: Todd Staszko Design Manager: Mark Frain Production Manager: Robert Flinn Technical Manager: Mark Collinge Publisher: Mike Gallemore

Official Sponsors

mikeg@sportingpublications.com alexg@sportingpublications.com Tel: 01625 535081; Fax: 01625 537487 Advertising & Marketing Director: David Burke: davidb@wspdubai.com Mobile Tel: 0097150 5519363 Middle East Office: PO Box 24677, Dubai

The Senior Open Championship Committee would like to thank the following for their assistance in staging The Senior Open Championship presented by MasterCard: The Championship Committee and Staff of Sunningdale Golf Club.

Members of the Press, TV and Radio.

Getty Images.

Halcrow.

Carole Caldwell; Scorer Liaison and her team of Match Scorers.

Graham Wallage; Chief Marshal, his Deputy, James Drummomd and their team of Marshals.

Dr Tom Cutting.

Medic 1.

Event Medical.

Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead.

Championship Contractors including; Air 2 Events, Aggreko, De Boer, DPI, Garden Catering, Mecco, Power 4 Events, SGB and Spaceworks.

Printed by: Advent Colour, 19 East Portway, Andover, Hants. SP10 3LU Tel: 01264 359359 info@advent-colour.com Worldwide Sporting Publications Ltd 54 Alderley Road, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 1NY, England

WSP specifies that post-press changes may occur to any information given in this publication and takes no responsibility for goods or services advertised.

THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2009 - PAGE 1

Welcome from

MASTERCARD MasterCard is once again the title sponsor of The Senior Open Championship. We are delighted to be a part of this special event. With this year’s entries being the strongest ever; there are few tournaments with a more legendary field!

It is wonderful that The Championship has moved south this year to the beautiful venue of Sunningdale Golf Club enabling a new audience to experience it. I am certain that the many thousands of spectators here this week will enjoy watching some of the game’s most famous names competing, including MasterCard’s ambassador Tom Watson, Nick Faldo, Ian Woosnam, Sandy Lyle, Greg Norman, Bernhard Langer, Tom Kite, Mark O’Meara and Tom Lehman.

On behalf of MasterCard Worldwide I’d like to thank all the volunteers, event staff, media and other sponsors who have contributed so much to this Championship. I would also like to thank all the players who make this event so special and wish each of them the best of luck this week.

Welcome once again and I hope you have a ‘Priceless’ experience!

Walt Macnee, President, International Markets, MasterCard Worldwide

THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2009 - PAGE 3

www.moet.com

Scarlett Johansson

Welcome from

SUNNINGDALE GOLF CLUB

H. R. Holland Captain.

ON behalf of the Members of Sunningdale Golf Club I am delighted to welcome players, sponsors and spectators to The 2009 Senior Open Championship. We are honoured to be hosting the Championship, the first occasion this event has been held at an inland course.

The Championship has grown rapidly in stature in recent years and such is the longevity of the world’s finest golfers, it often requires a second glance at the starting sheet to differentiate between a regular Tour event and a Senior fixture.

Greg Norman’s heroics in The Open Championship last year and top 20 finishes in this year’s Masters Tournament by Sandy Lyle and Kenny Perry (sadly not quite a Senior yet) only serve to confirm that golf is a game at which you don’t grow old or lose your drive.

Sunningdale has a proud history of staging prestigious amateur and professional tournaments. The International Final Qualifying, Europe for The Open Championship has been held on the Old and New courses since 2004. The Walker Cup was held on the Old Course in 1987. The European Open was played at Sunningdale from 1982 to 1986 and in 1988, 1990 and 1992. In 1997, 2001, 2004 and 2008 we staged the Women’s British Open Championship.

The course record for the Old is 62, held by Sir Nick Faldo. Last year Ji-Yai Shin from Korea won the Women’s British Open Championship with a score of 270 over four rounds. How will the Seniors measure up? The last time The European Open was held at Sunningdale in 1992, the tournament was won by Sir Nick Faldo with a score of 262. Many of the players here this week competed in that tournament.

The organisation of an event such as this takes many months and I am indebted to the Club’s Championship Committee, the R&A and the European Senior Tour for the huge efforts they have made in the preparation for this Championship. I would also like to thank Stephen Toon, our Secretary, and Murray Long, the Courses Manager, and their magnificent teams for all their hard work.

I wish all who attend and play in the Championship an enjoyable and memorable few days.

THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2009 - PAGE 5

r ul e s of g ol f Scotland. 1754. A group of men who

understood the virtues of an exciting game called golf, and the conduct necessary to play it, established a set of rules. Little did they realise that the Rules of Golf would become a sacred and universal framework for playing the game fairly. For more than 250 years, The R&A has helped encourage and safeguard the rules of the game. Amended over time, the rules are in effect for every round – friendly or competitive. Sometimes challenged, but always adhered to. Respect the traditions of the game. Even if it means looking them up.

OYSTER PERPETUAL DAY-DATE II

Welcome from the

R&A

Michael Brown Chairman, Championship Committee R&A

IT gives us great pleasure to welcome everyone to Sunningdale for The Senior Open Championship presented by MasterCard.

For many years we have enjoyed a very strong relationship with Sunningdale, our venue for International Final Qualifying, Europe, where many great players have battled for a place in The Open Championship.

Now it is the turn of the Senior golfers to test their skills over the famous Old Course for The Senior Open Championship. It is the first time The Senior Open Championship has moved away from a links course and Sunningdale is the perfect venue for such a move with its proven record of hosting Major Championships. Our grateful thanks go to the Captain and Members of Sunningdale Golf Club for hosting us this week and their enthusiasm in embracing this Championship.

The support of the Presenting Sponsor, MasterCard, and Championship Patron Rolex and Official Sponsors J. P. Morgan Cazenove and Skandia are invaluable to the successful staging of this Championship.

Similarly, our partnership with The European Tour ensures the continued success of this proud Senior Major Championship.

This is undoubtedly the strongest field ever assembled for The Senior Open Championship and we are delighted to see so many Major Champions and former Ryder Cup Captains and players competing at Sunningdale. Each year the field gets stronger and the Championship grows in popularity as fans want to see some of golf’s most iconic names.

We hope you all enjoy what promises to be a fantastic week of golf.

THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2009 - PAGE 7

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Welcome from the

EUROPEAN SENIOR TOUR

Andy Stubbs Managing Director European Senior Tour

THE 2009 Senior Open Championship presented by MasterCard marks a number of firsts for us, including our inaugural visit to Sunningdale Golf Club, a wonderful venue steeped in heritage and tradition.

It is, of course, the first time our prestigious Championship has been played on an inland course, which will provide a different test for the all-time golfing greats we have in the field this week.

Among an array of Major Champions, we are privileged to have four of Europe’s “famous five” from the 1980s and 1990s together for the first time as Senior golfers, with the newly knighted Sir Nick Faldo returning to join Bernhard Langer, Sandy Lyle and Ian Woosnam, who made their Senior Open debuts last year.

We are also delighted to welcome former Open Champion Tom Lehman, who is playing his maiden Senior Open after turning 50 in March, as well as three-time winner Tom Watson and Greg Norman, who helped attract record galleries to Royal Troon last year, a week after his stunning exploits in The Open Championship.

A similar following is anticipated this week with a cast of international icons hoping to succeed Bruce Vaughan as defending Champion, following his superb victory 12 months ago.

This is the 23rd edition of The Senior Open Championship, which is jointly sanctioned by the European Senior Tour, The R&A and the US Champions Tour, and we are extremely proud to have assembled the strongest field in the history of the Championship, with many of the players having previously tasted success over Sunningdale’s Old Course.

We thank MasterCard, who are in their second year as Presenting Sponsor of The Senior Open Championship, for their continued involvement, having first been part of this Championship in 2000. Our appreciation also goes to Championship Patrons Rolex and Official sponsors Skandia and JP Morgan Cazenove.

Finally, we must thank all the volunteers, officials and members at Sunningdale Golf Club for hosting us this week and working so tirelessly to ensure this Championship is one to remember.

We hope you all enjoy this fantastic spectacle of golf.

THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2009 - PAGE 9

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Welcome from

THE CHAMPIONS TOUR

Michael D. Stevens President and COO Champions Tour

On behalf of the PGA Tour’s Champions Tour, welcome to The 2009 Senior Open Championship. Our members of the Champions Tour are excited to come to the London metropolitan area for the first time and compete at one of Great Britain’s finest inland courses, the Old Course at Sunningdale Golf Club.

Sunningdale has a rich history, having been the venue for numerous events on The European Tour as well as a number of prestigious amateur championships.

The Champions Tour is again delighted to join the European Senior Tour and The R&A for the seventh time in joint-sanctioning this prestigious official event. This year’s Senior Open Championship is the second of five Major Championships on our 2009 schedule and will have a significant bearing on the season-long Charles Schwab Cup competition.

Last year at Royal Troon, Bruce Vaughan won his first event on the Champions Tour, defeating John Cook in a play-off. It was the third play-off in the last four years, and we expect more exciting moments at this year’s Championship.

We appreciate the gracious hospitality of the English people, well demonstrated by the members and staff at Sunningdale. We also want to thank MasterCard for its sponsorship of this event. Both Sunningdale and MasterCard play a huge role in the success of this Championship.

We hope you enjoy watching our players this week and being a part of this unique experience. Thank you again for your support of the Champions Tour.

THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2009 - PAGE 11

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2008 SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP REVIEW

VAUGHAN THE COMEBACK KING

by Todd Staszko

B

RUCE Vaughan triumphed at The Senior Open Championship presented by MasterCard last year after a remarkable comeback which in turn signalled the end of two years of seemingly constant surgery.

The American had gone under the knife six times to rectify problems with his left knee and admitted to suffering at Royal Troon, but it didn’t deter him as he successfully hauled down John Cook’s three shot lead and then defeated him at the first extra

hole. Vaughan dealt Cook the killer blow as he sank a 20 foot birdie putt as the pair replayed the 18th and he picked up the cheque for €199,054 – the biggest of his career.

“The money is great, but until you win, you’re just another player. It’s all about winning. You only get a few of these,” said Vaughan, holding the trophy.

Vaughan, who had won two Nationwide Tour events in America and one event on the Sunshine Tour in South Africa prior to turning to Senior golf, ➥

Bruce Vaughan kisses the replica Auld Claret Jug after winning The Senior Open Championship at Royal Troon last year.

THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2009 - PAGE 13

2008 SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP REVIEW

led by one stroke from Cook and two from Bernhard Langer, Eduardo Romero and Tom Watson after opening rounds of 68 and 71.

Vaughan was playing solid golf but was concerned about how his knees would cope with the rugged Royal Troon terrain and he found himself in unfamiliar territory – leading a tournament at the half way stage. “I don’t know, I don’t remember whether I’ve ever been in this position before,” he said when asked when was the last time he’d held a lead in a tournament.

“I have had some good finishes but I have had some problems with my knee so I haven’t really been playing that well until last year.

It’s just good to be out here and competing with the guys in a world class field like this.”

ninth pegged him back but he came back with two late birdies which kept him in contention with Cook, who, playing alongside Vaughan, shot a 67 to leapfrog him and take a one stroke lead into the final round.

“I was playing good golf,” admitted Vaughan after his third round 69. “I was four under through eight holes and then I made a mistake on the ninth tee. I hit the wrong club off the tee and had to chip out and ended up making bogey. I missed a short one on the 10th and I hit a bad shot on 11 and made another bogey.

“At the 12th I hit a good shot but got the wrong yardage. I tried to chip it up, but I flew it clear over by 30 yards. My caddie and I looked at each other and he had the yardage book

‘THE MONEY IS GREAT, BUT UNTIL YOU WIN, YOU’RE JUST ANOTHER PLAYER. IT’S ALL ABOUT WINNING. YOU ONLY GET A FEW OF THESE.’ – BRUCE VAUGHAN With three time Senior Open winner Tom Watson and European legend Bernhard Langer breathing down his neck, Vaughan knew he had to carry his form into the weekend if he was to secure an unlikely victory.

Asked if he could handle the pressure Vaughan said he had no doubts. “I know I can play out here, it’s just a matter of executing it,” he said.

His confidence was justified as he took to the course for the third round in splendid form.

Vaughan sprinted ahead of the field with an eagle and two birdies over his opening eight holes. However, four bogeys in a row from the

PAGE 14 - THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2009

on hole 13 and not the 12th. But it’s kind of my fault, too. I had a similar shot from that spot yesterday. It was frustrating, but I hung in there and made a few putts coming in. To go around here under par means you must be playing some good golf.”

Having overturned Vaughan’s lead, it was Cook’s turn to exude confidence as he headed into the final 18 holes. “I’m very pleased to be where I’m at,” he said.

“I know there are a lot of tournament winners behind me and some very good players, and that’s what you want. I came over here to win this Championship and I have to

ABOVE, LEFT: Bernhard Langer tees off on the par 5 sixth hole on his way to a final round 71 to finish in fourth place behind Bruce Vaughan, John Cook and Eduardo Romero.

ABOVE: John Cook holds his putter to his head after seeing a crucial putt fail to drop. Cook saw his three shot lead over Vaughan in the final round disappear and finally had to settle for second place when Vaughan sank a 20 foot birdie putt at the first play-off hole.

be patient and hit quality golf shots tomorrow, and let it fall where it falls.”

Cook made a strong start to the final round and at one stage it appeared that he was cruising to victory after making birdies on holes three and four and then seven and eight to reach the turn at 10 under for a three-shot lead over Vaughan.

But coming down the final stretch both Cook and Vaughan struggled. Cook double bogeyed the 11th and then bogeyed the 12th and Vaughan also bogeyed the 12th and then the 14th. However, Vaughan picked up a stroke at the par five 16th to cut Cook’s lead to one.

Both players made par on the lengthy par three 17th which meant Cook would take his slender lead down the final hole. Vaughan made par but Cook, needing only a par for victory missed his putt and the pair headed back to the 18th tee for a play-off.

“In the play-off I hit three of my best shots of the week, right there on that hole,” smiled a proud Vaughan after sinking his birdie putt.

“Yesterday, I was so calm and today I was the same way. I didn’t start getting nervous until after I made bogey on the 12th, then I’m thinking to myself, ‘Now you’ve got yourself behind, you’ve really got to start playing well.’

“I did get nervous coming down the 18th

especially after John kind of opened the door for me a little bit.”

Cook’s loss brought back memories of his second place finish at The Open Championship at Muirfield in 1992 when Nick Faldo claimed his fifth Major.

“You have to step up and hit golf shots and unfortunately I hit a couple of poor tee shots,” said Cook, who went on to win the AT&T Championship on the Champions Tour in the US later in the season.

“Not poor, just off-line and the one on 11 cost me, obviously, and I hit one bad iron shot on hole 12, and that also cost me. Other than that, I hit some pretty good shots. I tried to convince myself I could do it but I couldn’t get it done. Bruce played his heart out. He battled yesterday and battled through the first nine today. You know, that’s just the way it is.”

For Vaughan the victory was sweet redemption after what seemed to be a losing battle with his knee. “In the Majors I have to walk every day, and the walking is what kills it,” he said. “The swing doesn’t bother it. It’s just the load-bearing of actually walking on it is what hurts my knee the most. It’s tolerable but sometimes it hurts. But I can live with the pain.

Some days it’s worse than the others and some days it’s fine. It feels great right now!” ■

‘IN THE MAJORS I HAVE TO WALK EVERY DAY, AND THE WALKING IS WHAT KILLS MY KNEE. THE SWING DOESN’T BOTHER IT. IT’S JUST THE LOAD-BEARING OF ACTUALLY WALKING ON IT IS WHAT HURTS MY KNEE THE MOST. IT FEELS GREAT NOW!’ – BRUCE VAUGHAN

THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP LEADERBOARD 2008 1 2 3 4 5 5 5

Bruce VAUGHAN John COOK Eduardo ROMERO Bernhard LANGER Gene JONES Greg NORMAN Tom WATSON

USA USA ARG GER USA AUS USA

-6 -6 -5 -4 -2 -2 -2

68 69 68 70 70 75 70

71 71 73 71 76 72 71

69 67 68 71 68 67 71

70 71 70 68 68 68 70

278 278 279 280 282 282 282

THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2009 - PAGE 15

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MASTERCARD

T

HE foundation of MasterCard Worldwide’s commitment to golf is its relationships with the R&A, The European Tour, the European Senior Tour, PGA TOUR, Champions Tour and The First Tee. These relationships deliver a global golf sponsorship platform for the organisation to engage with more than 104 million golf enthusiasts worldwide and bring them even closer to the great game.

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MasterCard Worldwide and Golf Golf is a global platform which allows MasterCard to engage with the hundreds of millions of golf enthusiasts worldwide. As the official payment system

of The European Tour, PGA TOUR and Champions Tour, MasterCard creates compelling experiences for customers and consumers wherever the game is played.

MasterCard is proud to sponsor an array of tournaments including The Arnold Palmer Invitational Presented By MasterCard in Orlando, The MasterCard Classic in Mexico City and The Senior Open Championship presented by MasterCard in Sunningdale, Berkshire. In addition, MasterCard enjoys relationships with Ian Poulter, Daniel Chopra, Camilo Villegas, Boo Weekley, Robert Karlsson, Danny Lee, Brandt Snedeker, Natalie Gulbis and golf legend, Tom Watson.

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Below: Three times Senior Open Champion, MasterCard Ambassador Tom Watson, with the replica Auld Claret Jug. Watson is bidding for his fourth Senior Open Championship title in seven years at Sunningdale this week.

THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2009 - PAGE 17

Year of Golf for Emirates begins in Dubai

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With Irish superstar-in-the-making Rory McIlroy winning the 2009 Dubai Desert Classic with a superb wire-to-wire victory the eyes of the sporting world were focused on the Emirates Golf Club for the four days of the Classic – a tournament of which Emirates has been the Official Airline since the event’s inception in 1989.

Emirates has a great affinity with golf and the Dubai Desert Classic teed off a busy year of golf sponsorship for Emirates with a portfolio that includes the BMW International Open, BMW Asian Open,

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2009 SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW

Ryder Cup victory in 1985. Eight of the 12 members of the European Ryder Cup Team of 1985 are in the field for The Senior Open Championship this week. José Rivero (top left), Bernhard Langer (second from left), Nick Faldo (third from left), Sam Torrance (fourth from left), Sandy Lyle (fourth from right), Manuel Piñero (bottom right), José Maria Cañizares (second from right) and Ian Woosnam (second from left). The remaining players are: Captain Tony Jacklin (top middle), Paul Way (third from right), Seve Ballesteros (second from right), Ken Brown (top right) and Howard Clark (bottom left).

Four of the 1985 USA Ryder Cup Team are in action this week – Craig Stadler (third from left), Peter Jacobsen (fourth from left), Mark O’Meara (sixth from left) and Tom Kite (far right). The other U S players pictured (from left to right) are: Captain Lee Trevino, Lanny Wadkins, Fuzzy Zoeller, Calvin Peete, Hubert Green, Andy North, Raymond Floyd, Hal Sutton and Curtis Strange.

PAGE 20 - THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2009

INTRODUCING THE STRONGEST FIELD IN SENIOR TOUR HISTORY The 2009 Senior Open Championship boasts a line up of 18 Major Champions, 32 former Ryder Cup players and numerous Tour winners

S

UNNINGDALE Golf Club has the honour of hosting the strongest field ever assembled in European Senior golf this week as 18 Major winners and 32 former Ryder Cup players – European and American – tee it up for the title of Senior Open Champion.

The players entries list reads like a Who’s Who of golf which harks back to the golden era of The Ryder Cup in the mid 1980s when the Americans finally met their match as the Europeans stepped up to the plate to turn the contest into the fascinating challenge it is today, watched by millions the world over.

With eight of the 12 European players of the memorable 1985 Ryder Cup team in the field and four of the Americans from that year, the stage is set for a fantastic reunion on one of the most famous golf courses in the world.

Americans Ben Crenshaw, Craig Stadler, Mark O’Meara, Peter Jacobsen, Andy Bean, Larry Mize, Tom Kite, and Tom Watson all played their part in the history of The Ryder Cup in the 1980s.

This week they’ll be once again teeing it up against each other and their European Ryder Cup counterparts, including the likes of Bernhard Langer, Sir Nick Faldo, Sam Torrance, Ian Woosnam, Sandy Lyle, Gordon Brand Jnr, Christy O’Connor Jnr (winner of the Senior Open Championship in 1999 and 2000), Eamonn Darcy, Des Smyth, Antonio Garrido, and Spaniards José Rivero, Manuel Piñero and José Maria Cañizares, in what will be a captivating week. Other past Ryder Cup players in this week’s field are Tom Lehman, Fred Funk, John Cook, Bob Gilder, Scott Simpson, Jay Haas, Jerry

Pate, Mark James, Costantino Rocca – Italy’s one and only Ryder Cup player – and Loren Roberts, winner of The Senior Open Championship at Turnberry in 2006 in a play-off with Eduardo Romero. With so many Ryder Cup stars from the past in the field this week there is almost the scope to pit an American side against a European side.

There are nine Ryder Cup Captains in action, each of whom also made their mark as a player.

Tom Lehman, who played in three Ryder Cups (1995, 1997, 1999), went head to head with Ian Woosnam (a player in eight Ryder Cups) as non-playing Captains in 2006 at The K Club, but it was the Welshman who prevailed, leading the Europeans to an 18½-9½ victory. Lehman

won The Open Championship in 1996 with a two stroke victory at Royal Lytham & St.Annes and will be looking to follow in the footsteps of Tom Watson, Bob Charles and Gary Player and become a winner of both The Open and The Senior Open Championships.

Watson, victorious Ryder Cup Captain in 1993 at The Belfry an eight time Major winner, knows what it takes to win a Senior Open Championship having won three times in five years. Among the other former Ryder Cup Captains in the field this week are Tom Kite and Ben Crenshaw, who followed each other in the Captaincy in 1997 and 1999 respectively but had very differing results.

Kite’s Team lost out to the European Team ➥

England’s Mark James poses with the trophy for this season’s Son Gual Senior Mallorca Open.

THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2009 - PAGE 21

2009 SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW

at Valderrama in 1997 before Crenshaw led his Americans to one of the most famous comebacks in Ryder Cup history at Brookline.

Kite and Crenshaw both won Major titles in their illustrious careers on the US PGA Tour. Kite won the 1992 US Open at Pebble Beach while Crenshaw is a two time Masters Tournament Champion.

England’s Mark James, the defeated Captain at Brookline, won 18 times on The European Tour and has continued his winning ways onto the European Senior Tour and the US Champions Tour since 2004.

He made his first title as a Senior a Major at the Ford Senior Players Championship and has gone on to win two additional US Champions Tour tiles and two European Senior Tour titles, including this year’s Son Gual Mallorca Senior Open.

While Crenshaw’s team beat James’ Europeans by a single point in 1999, the Europeans embarked upon a long period of dominance under the guidance of three influential and engaging Captains.

Sam Torrance avenged the defeat at Brookline PAGE 22 - THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2009

with a narrow 15½-12½ victory at The Belfry in 2002. Then it was Bernhard Langer’s turn to lead the Europeans against the Americans at Oakland Hills and his team produced one of the most stunning results in the history of the competition with a winning score of 18½-9½.

Torrance won 21 times on The European Tour and has 11 victories on the European Senior Tour so far, topping the Order of Merit in 2005 and 2006 and passing the €1 million mark in earnings last year.

Langer won 42 European Tour titles, including two Masters Tournaments, and has eight victories since turning 50 – seven on the US Champions Tour and one on the European Senior Tour at the Casa Serena Open last year.

The German topped the US Champions Tour Money List last year.

Two years after Langer’s triumph Ian Woosnam inspired his team to the same winning score at The K Club in Ireland. Last year the Americans battled back into the competition, as Sir Nick Faldo’s team were defeated 16½-11½ at Valhalla.

Woosnam and Faldo are two of the most

European Ryder Cup Captain Nick Faldo speaks during opening ceremonies for The 37th Ryder Cup at the Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky last September.

Opposite page: Top left – Ryder Cup Captains Ian Woosnam (left) and Tom Lehman (right) pose with the trophy ahead of the 36th Matches at The K Club, Ireland. Top right – Sam Torrance is all smiles after winning this year’s DGM Barbados Open. Bottom left – Tom Kite watches the action during his Captaincy of the USA Team at the 1997 Ryder Cup at Valderrama, Spain. Bottom right – The European Team celebrate after retaining The Ryder Cup in 1989. Pictured are: Top row (left to right) – Christy O’Connor Jnr, Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo, Mark James, Captain Tony Jacklin, José Maria Cañizares, Gordon Brand Jnr and José Maria Olazábal. Bottom row (left to right) – Bernhard Langer, Ian Woosnam and Sam Torrance.

This page: Top left – Ryder Cup Captains Ben Crenshaw (left) and Mark James (right) share a joke ahead of The 33rd Ryder Cup at Brookline, Massachusetts in 1999. Top right – Tom Watson poses with the trophy after leading the USA to victory at The Belfry in 1993. Bottom (from right to left) – The USA Team are pictured with the trophy at The 1989 Ryder Cup at The Belfry, which they halved with Europe. Pictured are: Top row (left to right) – Fred Couples, Mark O’Meara, Lanny Wadkins, Paul Azinger, Captain Raymond Floyd, Ken Green, Tom Watson, Payne Stewart, Chip Beck and Tom Kite. Bottom row (left to right) – Mark Calcavecchia and Curtis Strange.

successful British golfers of all time. Woosnam won 29 European Tour titles including the Masters Tournament in 1991, while Faldo’s haul of 30 European Tour titles included six Majors – three Open Championships and three Masters Tournament titles.

With past Ryder Cup Captains Watson, Faldo, Langer, Crenshaw, Kite, Woosnam, Lehman, Torrance and James in the field and the wealth of former Ryder Cup players alongside them this week, the tournament is wide open.

But it’s not just the Americans and Europeans who are the big names vying for the title this week as international names like South Africa’s Gary Player, Australians Greg Norman and Wayne Grady, New Zealander Bob Charles, and Argentine Eduardo Romero have just as much star quality about them.

Player, the only man in the field to have won all four Majors, is a former winner here at Sunningdale. The Black Knight lifted his first piece of silverware on The European Tour here in 1956 at the Dunlop PGA 90hole Tournament, while Charles, the first left hander to win a Major Championship, is also

a past winner at Sunningdale, at the 1961 Bowmaker Tournament. Player won three Open Championships (1959, 1968, 1974) while Charles won over the links of Royal Lytham & St. Annes in 1963 in a play-off with Phil Rodgers.

Both Player and Charles have added to their Open Championship wins with victories at The Senior Open Championship. Player has three Senior Opens to his name – a recorded matched

by Watson – while Charles has two, one at Turnberry in 1989 and another at Royal Lytham & St. Annes in 1993.

Early this season joined together to show that they are still a force to be reckoned with on the Senior circuit as they won the Demaret Division of the Legends of Golf tournament on the US Champions Tour.

Norman is a two time Open Champion, at Turnberry in 1986 and then again at Royal St. George’s in 1993. Last summer Norman rolled back the years with a vintage performance at The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale as he finished a magnificent third having been right in contention until the closing holes, before finishing fifth at The Senior Open ➥

Bernhard Langer hoists The Ryder Cup aloft after leading Europe to an18½-9½ victory at The 35th Ryder Cup at Oakland Hills Country Club, Michigan, in September, 2004.

THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2009 - PAGE 23

2009 SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW

Top: Tom Watson celebrates a hard fought victory over Carl Mason in a play-off for the 2003 Senior Open Championship at Turnberry.

Bottom left: Carl Mason wins his 21st European Senior Tour title at this year’s De Vere Collection PGA Seniors Championship.

Bottom right: Eduardo Romero lifts the trophy after winning last year’s Toshiba Classic on the US Champions Tour.

Championship. One week after that he completed a remarkable three week run to take fourth place at his third consecutive Major – the US Senior Open.

Grady, who made his Senior debut in this tournament two years ago, knows what it takes to win a Major, having won the US PGA Championship in 1990 while Argentine Romero is a two time Senior Major winner on the Champions Tour who has posted a string of strong results in The Senior Open Championship over the past few years.

Romero made his Senior bow at Royal Portrush in 2004 and finished runner-up to Pete Oakley. Two years later he was runner-up again after being defeated by Loren Roberts in a play-off at Turnberry and he was fourth and third in 2007 and 2008 respectively.

The list of past winners over this course in the field this week features some of the biggest names in the game. Joining Player and Charles are Norman, Woosnam and Langer who all won the prestigious European Open here in the 1980s while Faldo won his European Open title the last time the event was held here in 1992.

Also in the field this week is European Senior Tour all-time leading money winner Carl Mason who won his 21st European Senior Tour title last month at The De Vere Collection PGA Seniors Championship.

Mason needs just two more wins to match Tommy Horton’s record haul of 23 European Senior Tour titles and has a good record at The Senior Open Championship. Mason has topped the European Senior Tour Order of Merit three times and been runner-up twice since joining the Tour in 2003. He came agonisingly close to winning The Senior Open Championship at Turnberry in 2003 when he was defeated by Tom Watson in a sudden death play-off after needing only par at the final hole in regulation to take the title.

Defending champion Bruce Vaughan and fellow American John Cook – who he beat in last year’s play-off – cannot be overlooked as potential winners.

Vaughan won his first ever Senior title last year at Royal Troon and did so just weeks after the death of his mother in a car accident. Cook again had to settle for second place at a Major on British soil, having finished runner-up to Sir Nick Faldo at The Open Championship in 1992 at Muirfield.

With such an abundance of world class players in the field and with so many seasoned champions from around the globe competing, this year’s Senior Open Championship promises to be a magnificent spectacle.

It’s impossible to guess who will lift the replica Claret Jug on Sunday but whoever it should be will certainly have earned the privilege. ■ THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2009 - PAGE 25

PAST WINNERS

1987 – Turnberry 1 2 3 4 5

1992 – Royal Lytham & St Annes

NEIL COLES Bob Charles Arnold Palmer Peter Butler Harold Henning

66 67 68 73 78

73 74 73 72 73

67 72 70 68 78

73 67 74 73 70

279 280 285 286 289

1 2= 2= 4 5= 5=

(-1) (par) (+5) (+6) (+9)

GARY PLAYER Billy Casper Harold Henning Bob Charles Jim O’Hern

65 68 70 70 70

66 65 68 69 70

72 72 68 68 68

79 68 68 70 73

272 273 274 277 281

1 2= 2= 4 5

(-8) (-7) (-6) (-3) (+1)

BOB CHARLES Billy Casper Bryant Hiskey Gary Player David Butler

70 69 71 74 72

68 69 71 68 74

65 65 65 69 67

66 75 71 71 69

269 276 279 282 282

(-11) (-4) (-1) (+2) (+2)

1 2= 2= 4= 4=

GARY PLAYER Deane Beman Brian Waites Arnold Palmer Simon Hobday

69 67 66 66 67

65 66 70 68 70

71 67 69 69 69

75 81 76 79 79

280 281 281 282 283

1 2 3= 3= 5= 5=

(par) (+1) (+1) (+2) (+3)

69 73 73 73 75 72

282 285 285 286 288 288

(-2) (+1) (+1) (+2) (+4) (+4)

BOB CHARLES Gary Player Tommy Horton Anthony Grubb Joel S. Hirsch (A)

73 73 73 77 73

73 74 72 73 71

71 72 73 71 74

74 73 74 72 77

291 292 292 293 293

(+7) (+8) (+8) (+9) (+9)

TOM WARGO Bob Charles Doug Dalziel Gary Player Brian Huggett

73 70 75 73 78

68 69 66 69 58

68 72 71 71 79

71 71 70 74 71

280 282 282 287 287

(-8) (-6) (-6) (-1) (-1)

67 69 68 73 68 71

77 73 75 73 67 73

70 72 68 66 70 69

281 281 282 282 283 283

(-7) (-7) (-6) (-6) (-5) (-5)

(-1) (par) (par) (+3) (+4)

65 69 68 74 71 74

66 69 75 69 72 69

74 74 68 70 70 75

277 280 280 281 283 283

(-11) (-8) (-8) (-7) (-5) (-5)

2003 2004

2002

2000

2001

1999

1997 1998

PAGE 26 - THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2009

1996

1993

72 68 71 68 70 67

1994

BRIAN BARNES Bob Charles David Oakley Tommy Horton John Morgan Malcolm Gregson

1995

1 2= 2= 4 5 6

1990

285 286 286 289 290

1991

70 70 67 70 74

1992

71 71 74 72 73

1987

74 76 76 75 73

1988

70 69 69 72 70

67 68 71 70 78 70

1989

BOBBY VERWEY Tommy Horton Bob Charles Charles Green (A) Gary Player

BRIAN BARNES (P) Bob Murphy John Morgan Bob Charles Tommy Horton John Fourie

1996 – Royal Portrush

1991 – Royal Lytham & St Annes 1 2= 2= 4 5

71 72 72 72 69 70

1995 – Royal Portrush

1990 – Turnberry 1 2= 2= 4 5

67 69 71 71 70 71

1994 – Royal Lytham & St Annes

1989 – Turnberry 1 2 3 4= 4=

75 71 69 70 74 75

1993 – Royal Lytham & St Annes

1988 – Turnberry 1 2 3 4 5

JOHN FOURIE Bob Charles Neil Coles Peter Butler Tommy Horton Akio Toyoda

1997 – Royal Portrush 68 66 70 69 71 71 76

70 72 65 71 70 70 72

72 70 75 71 72 69 68

68 70 69 68 68 72 66

278 278 279 279 281 282 282

(-10) (-10) (-9) (-9) (-7) (-6) (-6)

1998 – Royal Portrush 1 2 3 4 5= 5= 5= 5=

BRIAN HUGGETT (P) Eddie Polland Brian Barnes Noel Ratcliffe Terry Gale Tommy Horton Malcolm Gregson Denis O’ Sullivan

71 71 70 74 70 72 76 71

70 71 73 71 70 68 71 73

71 71 68 71 75 69 72 71

71 70 73 69 71 77 67 71

283 283 284 285 286 286 286 286

(-5) (-5) (-4) (-3) (-2) (-2) (-2) (-2)

69 71 74 74 73 71

68 71 66 70 67 76

69 70 72 72 77 70

282 285 286 287 289 289

(-6) (-3) (-2) (-1) (+1) (+1)

70 71 68 69 71

68 71 71 69 67

275 277 279 280 281

(-9) (-7) (-5) (-4) (-3)

70 72 72 70 69

69 69 70 69 72

278 278 281 281 284

(-6) (-6) (-3) (-3) (par)

73 74 73 77 77 77 78

74 70 70 72 72 69 68

281 283 286 287 289 289 289

(-3) (-1) (+2) (+3) (+5) (+5) (+5)

1999 – Royal Portrush 1 2 3 4 5= 5=

CHRISTY O’CONNOR Jr John Bland Gary Player John Morgan Bob Charles Stewart Ginn

76 73 74 71 72 72

2000 – Royal County Down 1 2 3 4 5

CHRISTY O’CONNOR Jr John Bland Hubert Green John Morgan Bob Charles

69 68 68 71 75

68 67 72 71 68

2001 – Royal County Down 1 2 3= 3= 5

IAN STANLEY (P) Bob Charles John Morgan Jack Nicklaus Bobby Verwey

70 69 69 70 74

69 69 70 72 69

2002 – Royal County Down NOBORU SUGAI John Irwin Christy O’Connor Jnr John Chillas Kazunari Takahashi Seiji Ebihara Barry Vivian

67 71 73 69 71 72 71

67 68 70 69 69 71 72

2006

2005

1 2 3 4 5= 5= 5=

1 2 3 4 5

TOM WATSON (P) Carl Mason Bruce Summerhays Tom Kite D. A. Weibring

66 67 68 66 69

67 64 65 67 63

66 65 66 66 65

64 67 65 67 73

263 263 264 266 270

(-17) (-17) (-16) (-14) (-10)

68 71 75 70 69 72

73 74 74 74 74 74

70 69 67 70 72 72

284 285 285 286 287 287

(-4) (-3) (-3) (-2) (-1) (-1)

75 73 76 73 72

71 72 67 68 74

64 68 70 70 71

70 67 68 72 67

280 280 281 283 284

(-4) (-4) (-3) (-1) (Par)

65 67 71 65 66

65 63 67 66 67

69 73 70 77 72

75 71 67 70 74

274 274 275 278 279

(-6) (-6) (-5) (-2) (-1)

70, 71, 72, 70, 69, 74, 70,

71, 70, 71, 75, 74, 72, 71,

70, 69, 70, 73, 74, 71, 73,

73 75 72 70 71 71 74

284 285 285 288 288 288 288

Par +1 +1 +4 +4 +4 +4

BRUCE VAUGHAN P 68, John Cook 69, Eduardo Romero 68, Bernhard Langer 70, Tom Watson 70, Gene Jones 70 Greg Norman 75,

71, 71, 73, 71, 71, 76, 72,

69, 67, 68, 71, 71, 68, 67,

70 71 70 68 70 68 68

278 278 279 280 282 282 282

-6 -6 -5 -4 -2 -2 -2

2004 – Royal Portrush 1 2= 2= 4 5= 5=

PETE OAKLEY Tom Kite Eduardo Romero Mark James Mark McNulty Don Pooley

73 71 69 72 72 69

2005 – Royal Aberdeen 1 2 3 4 5

TOM WATSON (P) Des Smyth Greg Norman Craig Stadler Loren Roberts

2006 – Turnberry 1 2 3 4 5

LOREN ROBERTS (P) Eduardo Romero Dick Mast Craig Stadler Tim Simpson

2007 – Muirfield 1 2= 2= 4= 4= 4= 4=

TOM WATSON Stewart Ginn Mark O’Meara Jay Haas Lonnie Nielsen Loren Roberts Eduardo Romero

2008 – Royal Troon 1 2 3 4 5= 5= 5=

(P) = Won in a play-off.

(A) = Amateur.

2008

GARY PLAYER (P) John Bland Noel Ratcliffe Jim Rhodes Bobby Verwey Tom Wargo Jose Maria Canizares

2007

1 2 3= 3= 5 6= 6=

2003 – Turnberry

THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2009 - PAGE 27

B E R N H A R D L A N G E R Q&A

BERNHARD LANGER STILL LEADING THE WAY After 25 years at the top the German is taking the Senior game by storm Q: Having won the Money List last year on the Champions Tour in the US along with Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year, you’re leading the Tour again this season.

You’re obviously enjoying playing Seniors golf.

A: The Champions Tour is a lot of fun for me because I’m in contention on a regular basis – not just three or four times a year. When I joined the Tour I was hoping to be one of the dominant players. I was trying to win tournaments. That’s what we practise and work for, to have a chance to win the golf tournament on Sunday. Fortunately, since I joined the Tour towards the end of 2007 I’ve won seven times and earned more than $3.5 million. But it’s really the thrill of being in contention that matters. Winning never gets old. Life on Tour is still very similar to playing The European Tour and still very competitive.

The only difference is I am one of the youngest and not one of the oldest. We play slightly shorter courses on the Champions Tour and they seem to suit my game. There’s no cut and only three competitive rounds.

It’s easier for me to plan my life and my travel schedule so I can often return home from the tournament on Sunday night.

Q: You played your first Senior Open Championship last July at Royal Troon – your first tournament on the European PAGE 28 - THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2009

Senior Tour and you played your second at the Casa Serena Open in September, finishing fourth and first respectively.

How did you feel about playing in Europe again?

A: It was great. I have wonderful memories from my time in Europe. I played on The European Tour for nearly 30 years, winning the Order of Merit twice and finishing in the top ten in the table a further 14 times – the last time in 2001 when I finished sixth. My last win was in 2002 when I tied with Colin Montgomerie in a play off at the Volvo Masters in Valderrama when we ran out of light.

I was only two shots off making the play off in the Senior Open last year at Royal Troon with John Cook and Bruce Vaughan and I was two shots ahead of Tom Watson and Greg Norman.

I won the Casa Serena Open near Prague, finishing three shots clear of my Ryder Cup colleague Ian Woosnam. I shot 67, 67, 67 with only one bogey over the three days which was very pleasing.

The event was a great thrill for me because my father was born near Prague and my brother organised the tournament.

Finishing in a tie for ninth in the BMW International Open on The European Tour in Munich last month was also very satisfying, particularly being in contention right up until the closing holes.

Above: Bernhard Langer proudly holds the trophy after winning the Casa Serena Open in Prague last September – his first victory on the European Senior Tour.

Right: Langer raises his cap to acknowledge the cheers of the galleries during the 2008 Casa Serena Open.

“ I CAME CLOSE TO WINNING THE SENIOR OPEN LAST YEAR BUT IT’S STILL ONE OF MY AMBITIONS TO WIN IT WITHIN THE NEXT FEW YEARS.” – BERNHARD LANGER Q: This week you will be competing again with many of your former Ryder Cup colleagues, such as Lyle, Woosnam, Faldo, James, Rocca, Gordon J. Brand, Gordon Brand Jnr, Darcy, Rivero and Torrance who, with you, were responsible for turning The Ryder Cup into a serious competition in the 1980s. How does it feel to be competing with them again at Senior level?

A: It was fantastic to meet up with so many old friends at Royal Troon and then at Casa Serena last year. We’ve played against each other for more than 30 years and we played together in several Ryder Cup Teams. Playing in ten Ryder Cups as a player and representing Europe in one as Captain is a long time. Being on the winning side five times and captaining the team at Oakland Hills in 2004 to such an outstanding victory are among my greatest memories. It’s fun still being out there and competing against each other.

Q: You came close to winning The Open – second in 1981 at Royal St Georges and again in 1984 at St Andrews, and third in ‘85, ‘86, ‘93 and 2001. Would it be the next best thing to win The Senior Open Championship?

A: It was always one of my goals to win The Open, but it just didn’t happen for me. It would be great to win The Senior Open at Sunningdale. I came close to winning The Senior Open last year but it’s still one of my ambitions to win it within the next few years.

Q: What are your memories of Sunningdale, where you won back in 1985 at The European Open?

A: My most bizarre recollection is taking two whiffs (fresh air shots) in the heather at the second, which happened to be my favourite hole on the course. It’s a very tough and unusual par four where if you walk off with par it seems like making birdie. But I still managed to shoot 64, 67 over the weekend to beat John O’Leary with an 11-under total of 269. What an amazing year that was for me. I won three tournaments back-to-back, the Australian Masters, my first Masters Tournament at Augusta National and the Sea Pines Heritage Classic, followed by the German Open and The European Open in successive weeks. I ended ➥ THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2009 - PAGE 29

B E R N H A R D L A N G E R Q&A

Left: Bernhard Langer poses with the trophy after winning the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai, Hawaii, on the Champions Tour in January.

Below: Bernhard Langer is all smiles at winning his second Masters Tournament in 1993 as he is helped on with the Green Jacket by the 1992 Champion Fred Couples.

Left: European Ryder Cup Captain Bernhard Langer celebrates with the fans after Europe had won the 35th Ryder Cup 18½ - 9½, at Oakland Hills, Michigan, in 2004.

the season winning the Sun City Million Dollar Challenge in South Africa. I had two seconds and two thirds and finished second on the Order of Merit, having played only nine events on The European Tour. I also tasted Ryder Cup success that year for the first time, in Europe’s 16½-11½ victory at The Belfry.

Q: How easily did you make the transition from playing on the regular US PGA Tour to playing Senior golf?

A: When I turned 45 and through to 49, it was difficult to win on the PGA Tour where I spent most of my time the last ten years playing on the regular US PGA Tour. I lost a play-off on the US PGA Tour at the Colonial in 2007. So I was knocking on the door here and there, and when I joined the Champions Tour in September 2007 I was playing quite solid golf.

Q: You have always kept yourself very fit but are there limitations when you pass the age of 50?

A: I’ve always been a strong believer in preparing very well. If you don’t prepare, you can’t expect to win anything. I have high expectations, so I try to prepare accordingly.

I’m still not working as hard as I did in my 20s and 30s because my body can’t take it. I can’t take pounding balls for four or five hours any PAGE 30 - THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2009

more. I spent a little bit more time on my short game and in the physio truck working out and stretching, which seems to work for me pretty good. Mind you, I’m not Gary Player. In terms of fitness, for a 73 year old to be as fit as Gary and play golf like he does is phenomenal.

Q: What are the highlights of your career?

A: I’ve had such a long and wonderful career and so many good things have happened to me since I joined The European Tour in 1976 it’s difficult to name them all. Obviously, my two Masters wins were the highlight of my career, next to The Ryder Cup. Every professional golfer wants to win Majors and to have won The Masters means I’m invited back for the rest of my life. To be introduced on the first tee as US Masters Champion and to be in an elite group of people who have achieved that is something that will always stay with me and something I will always be known for.

It also had a big financial impact on my life, too. I became known around the world once I won a Major and people recognised me much more than before. Winning my own tournament (the Mercedes-Benz Championship, formerly the German Masters) four times and the German Open five times is also very special for me.

Q: Are you enjoying playing Seniors golf as much as you enjoyed playing on the regular Tour?

A: I am definitely enjoying my Seniors golf as much as I enjoyed playing all those years before. It might even be more fun, because on the Senior Tour we know we only have a few more years left in competitive golf. You just seem to enjoy it more. You have guys of your own age, at the same stage of life. We all have grown-up children and a lot of things in common and we know there are more important things in life than playing golf.

So there are more things to talk about. It’s a lot of fun playing the tournaments and also hanging out with the guys before and after the event.

Q: Do you ever suffer from nerves when you’re playing a big event like The Senior Open?

A: A little bit, but I’m at a stage in my career where I really want to enjoy my golf. I just want to have fun and enjoy the few more years that I might have. I don’t want to grind away like I used to, and I have nothing to prove. I’ve been very blessed, I’ve won a lot of tournaments and achieved a lot of things, so I’m just trying to have fun and I know that this will certainly be a fun week. ■

‘I AM DEFINITELY ENJOYING PLAYING SENIORS GOLF AS MUCH AS I ENJOYED PLAYING ALL THOSE YEARS BEFORE. IT MIGHT EVEN BE MORE FUN, BECAUSE ON THE SENIOR TOUR WE KNOW WE ONLY HAVE A FEW MORE YEARS LEFT IN COMPETITIVE GOLF.’ – BERNHARD LANGER

Bernhard Langer gives a thumbs up after virtually making a clean sweep of awards on his first full season on the Champions Tour in the United States: The 2008 Jack Nicklaus Player of the Year Award; the Arnold Palmer Award for leading money-winner; the Byron Nelson Award as scoring leader and the Rookie of the Year Award, during the Player of the Year Dinner in Florida.

THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2009 - PAGE 31

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DUBAI GOLF manages three of Dubai’s most unique and internationally renowned golf courses: Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club and Emirates Golf Club’s Majlis and Faldo courses, allowing golfers of all levels to enjoy the distinct and different challenges presented by each of the championship-standard courses.

Emirates Golf Club Emirates Golf Club boasts two of the city’s finest must-play courses; the Majlis, voted one of the Top 100 courses outside of the US, and host of The European Tour-sanctioned Dubai Desert Classic and Dubai Ladies Masters, and the recently redesigned Faldo, which both combine the natural rolling desert terrain for a serious test of golf. The Club also offers a nine hole par 3 course, golf academy, a variety of restaurants, and lush lawns, ideal for corporate events.

Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club Voted one of the world’s ‘Top 100 Must-Play Golf Courses’ Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club is a true golfer’s paradise in the heart of the city. The resort incorporates an 18-hole championship golf course, nine hole par 3 course, golf academy, six restaurants and bars, the 225-bedroom Park Hyatt Dubai, 92 residential executive villas and a 121-berth marina, making it the perfect holiday destination.

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G R E G N O R M A N F E AT U R E

ARM IN ARM: Greg Norman is all smiles after winning The Open Championship by five shots, for the first time at Turnberry in 1986, as he walks together with Bernhard Langer, who finished third, behind runner-up Gordon J. Brand, followed by the Auld Claret Jug. INSET: Greg Norman kisses the Claret Jug trophy.

PAGE 34 - THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2009

‘GREAT TO BACK AT A HAPPY HUNTING GROUND’ GREG NORMAN talks about Sunningdale and 1986 when he won The Open and The European Open plus six other Tour events.

I

’D like to think I can make my return to Sunningdale as memorable as when I won The European Open here in 1986 at the first extra hole of a play-off.

That win put me at the top of the World Ranking ahead of Seve Ballesteros and Bernhard Langer and earned me an extra bonus of £50,000, which in those days was big money.

The bonus was put up by Birchgrey, who promoted the event in 1983 in an effort to entice The Open winner, Tom Watson, to also play The European Open. Tom didn’t come to Sunningdale but the bonus was still in place in 1986 and when I won The Open at Turnberry and followed up with my win at Sunningdale I earned an unexpected payout for doing the double.

Regardless of the money, Sunningdale has very happy memories for me. I’ve always loved the place and it’s great to be back here. Many of the guys in the States on the Champions Tour have asked me what Sunningdale is like and I’ve had no hesitation in telling them that it’s one of the great traditional golf courses and that they’ll love playing it.

I told them that they’ll never have played anything like Sunningdale in the United States and that they should make the trip and play The Senior Open – they’ll have a lot of fun.

It’s a golf course that seems to generate a great atmosphere. It really is the only inland, parkland links course where we play a big event, virtually anywhere in the world. It’s got a unique mixture of just about everything you want to play in the game of golf.

It’s been a long time, more than 20 years, since I’ve played the course and I know that it has changed in that time but I’m sure the playability of the course is still very similar to what I can remember.

It’s a tough three weeks stint for the Senior golfers who play The Open Championship, The Senior Open and then go back over to the United States for the US Senior Open. It was a memorable three weeks for me last year.

“SUNNINGDALE IS A GOLF COURSE THAT SEEMS TO GENERATE A GREAT ATMOSPHERE. IT REALLY IS THE ONLY INLAND, PARKLAND LINKS COURSE WHERE WE PLAY A BIG EVENT, VIRTUALLY ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD.” – GREG NORMAN

Finishing tied third at Royal Birkdale, fifth in The Senior Open at Royal Troon and then fourth in the US Senior Open at Colorado Springs was a remarkable run for me.

But that’s what we strive for. I still love to play the game. Maybe there were those who thought it was a bit of an anomaly that I played so well but it wasn’t to me. It merely convinced me even more that anybody, regardless of how old they are or what position they hold in life, if they really focus their mind on doing something they really want to do, then they can achieve it.

At the end of that three week swing last year I was very disappointed that I didn’t win two out of those three tournaments. This season I’ve kept my practice and playing on a fairly decent schedule. It’s been nowhere near the rigorous routine I had in my heyday but it has been substantial. So I’m in pretty good shape.

I’m 54 years old but I’m still a competitor and I always will be. When you get the opportunity to get out there and show your talent in the big arena it makes you feel good. I appreciate that I’m fortunate to be in that position.

I’m also very lucky to have my son, Gregory, on the bag again. He did a phenomenal job when he caddied for me at The Masters and it’s great to have him alongside.

I play the game of golf with my heart on my sleeve and I’ve done very well out of the game.

I’ve got a lot of friends here at Sunningdale and I’m enjoying meeting up with them all again. It’s going to be a great week. ■

TWO OF A KIND: Greg Norman and his son Gregory, who caddied for his father at The Masters Tournament in April and is on the bag again in The Senior Open at Sunningdale this week.

THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2009 - PAGE 35

G A R Y P L A Y E R F E AT U R E

‘MY REWARD IS THE SUCCESS OF THE SENIOR OPEN’ Three times winner Gary Player talks about the 23rd Championship and his return to Sunningdale

Gary Player gives thanks to the huge galleries at Augusta National on the final green in acknowledgement of their ovation on the Black Knight having played his 52nd and final Masters.

GARY PLAYER is one of golf’s greatest legends and arguably the game’s greatest ambassador. He has made his mark wherever in the world he has played, which is almost everywhere, and been honoured with virtually every award in the game. He has played an integral role in he success of The Senior Open Championship since its launch at Turnberry back in 1987, winning the Championship a record-equalling three times – with Tom Watson – and finishing in the top five five times over a 13 year stretch. His nine Senior Major Championships on both the European Senior Tour and the US Champions Tour matches the nine Majors he won in one of the most remarkable careers in golf, which began back in 1953 when he turned professional. He won his first European Tour title at Sunningdale in 1956 at the Dunlop Tournament and has fond and vivid memories of the golf course he regards as one of his favourite places on the planet. Here he reminisces with Mike Gallemore about The Senior Open Championship and his time spent at Sunningdale. ➥

THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2009 - PAGE 37

G A R Y P L A Y E R TA L K S A B O U T T H E 2 0 0 9 S E N I O R O P E N

I

’VE almost been an ever present at The Senior Open – I missed 2002 – and it’s very rewarding for me, and I’m sure for Andy Stubbs and the European Senior Tour, to see how the Championship has grown in stature and popularity over its 23 years.

Having won the event twice at Turnberry in the first four years (1988 and 1990) beating players of the calibre of Arnold Palmer, Billy Casper, Bob Charles and Harold Henning I had to wait until 1997 at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland before I managed to win it for a third time.

I came close in 1993 at Royal Lytham when I tied second with Tommy Horton, just one shot off the winner Bob Charles, who was winning the Championship for the second time. Bob has a fantastic record in the Championship with ten top five finishes, six of them runners-up.

Bob and I paired up to play in the Legends of Golf tournament in Savannah, Georgia, in April and won the Demaret Division title, shooting consecutive rounds of 63 in the better-ball format.

We ham and egged it pretty well for an 18 under par total of 126 which matched

the low 36-hole total for the tournament.

Not bad for two 73 year olds. I’ve managed to shoot my age and even shoot below my age a number of times on the Champions Tour – but then the older I get the easier it becomes.

I shot an opening round 69 in The Senior Open at Turnberry in 2006, beating my age by one shot.

The Senior Open has been a showcase Championship for the European Senior Tour and since being recognised by the Champions Tour as a Major at Turnberry in 2003 the Americans have come over in increasing numbers.

With 18 Major winners this is the strongest field every assembled for the Championship and with players like Ben Crenshaw, Tom Lehman, Mark O’Meara, Larry Mize and three-times Champion Tom Watson among so many leading players it’s going to be an entertaining week.

I believe there are also 32 Ryder Cup players competing which adds another interesting dimension to the Championship.

After 22 years on the links of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland I was surprised when I heard it was coming

Gary Player proudly holds the replica Auld Claret Jug after winning his third Senior Open Championship, at Royal Portrush in 1997, beating his fellow South African John Bland in a play-off.

Gary Player shares a joke with Angel Cabrera at The Masters Tournament in April.

PAGE 38 - THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2009

to Sunningdale. It’s a lovely golf course and along with Wentworth it’s one of my favourites. It’s also got one of my favourite holes – the tenth on the Old Course. It’s a magnificent hole with a wonderful view down the valley and up towards the Halfway Hut. Among all the golf courses I’ve designed around the world I’d have been happy to have created that hole.

Apart from winning the Dunlop Tournament in 1956 I’ve played the Old and New courses on numerous occasions and loved every minute of it.

After I’d won the title, which was played over 90 holes of both the New and Old courses I came in for a lot of criticism that my swing was not good enough for me to make it in the professional game.

There were some who said I would go nowhere, that my swing was too flat, and that I had no future I was competing against the likes of Peter Thomson, Bobby Locke, Norman von Nida and the amazing Arthur Lees, who they reckoned was unbeatable around Sunningdale.

I remember, I scored successive 64s on the Old and New courses, which broke the

36-hole record set by Bobby Jones. After the tournament I went over to Florida and was playing with Ben Hogan. I told Ben about the comments on my ‘flat swing’ and Ben said, ‘you can never be too flat.’

He was proved right.

So was Norman Von Nida, who persuaded me to go to Australia, where he had been so successful. I took his advice and won the Ampol tournament, which earned me enough money to get married. I went on to win 18 tournaments on the Australasian Tour and won my first Major at The Open Championship at Muirfield three years later.

My memories of Sunningdale are all good. The Old Course is a truly classical course where you have to drive well to score well. It’s got everything a classic golf course should have.

It’s going to be a sentimental journey for me this week. When I was at Sunningdale more than half a century ago I stayed in a bed and breakfast with Mr. and Mrs. Beattie close to the club and they really looked after me.Sunningdale was where I had my first Tour win and I’m looking forward to meeting up with so many old friends again and reminiscing over those great days. ■

‘HAVING WON THE EVENT TWICE AT TURNBERRY IN THE FIRST FOUR YEARS (1988 AND 1990), BEATING PLAYERS OF THE CALIBRE OF ARNOLD PALMER, BILLY CASPER, BOB CHARLES AND HAROLD HENNING, I HAD TO WAIT UNTIL 1997 AT ROYAL PORTRUSH IN NORTHERN IRELAND BEFORE I MANAGED TO WIN IT FOR A THIRD TIME.’ – GARY PLAYER

STILL IN CONTENTION AT 73: Gary Player and Bob Charles with Paul Alexander, Senior V.P. of Communications for Liberty Mutual and their trophies after winning the Demaret Division at The Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf at Savannah, Georgia, in April.

THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2009 - PAGE 39

S I R N I C K F A L D O F E AT U R E

FALDO HAPPY TO BE FLYING THE FLAG AGAIN ‘It’s satisfying to think that I hold the Old Course record at Sunningdale and, whilst I’ve not shot 62 in a wee while, I’ll be hoping to go at least one better this year – I assume I’m off the forward tees!’

W

HEN Sir Nick Faldo made his debut on the European Senior Tour in 2007 it marked his return to the game at one of the famous scenes of his former glory, Muirfield, where he had won the first and third of his three Open Championships.

At Sunningdale this week Faldo will feel equally comfortable in the setting of the Old Course where he won The European Open in 1992, and where he set a yet to be beaten course record 62 in 1986 when Greg Norman won in a play-off.

The Englishman, who received a knighthood last month, joined Sir Henry Cotton as the only other British professional golfer to be knighted. Sir Nick commented:

Inset: Image caption

PAGE 40 - THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2009

“I am more than a little bit humbled to have been afforded this great honour. It came as a real surprise and the reaction from my children, family and friends made this a very special moment for me.”

In addition to his three Masters Tournament titles Faldo has three Open Championships (two at Muirfield and one at St. Andrews), 30 European Tour wins, plus nine international wins. He finished in the top ten of The European Tour Order of Merit 13 times between 1977 and 1994, finishing No.1 in 1983 and 1992.

He represented England in the World Cup three times, winning the event for the first time for his country with David Carter in 1998. He made a record 11 Ryder Cup

‘I’M VERY MUCH LOOKING FORWARD TO PLAYING IN THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP AT SUNNINGDALE, IT’S GREAT TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO PLAY ALONGSIDE SO MANY FAMILIAR FACES FROM MY OWN ERA AT A VENUE THAT, FOR MANY OF US, HOLDS SOME WONDERFUL MEMORIES.’ – SIR NICK FALDO

appearances between 1977 and 1997 and holds the record for the most matches played (46) and the most points won (25 – 23 wins, four halves).

His Ryder Cup contribution was recognised when he Captained the European Team at Valhalla, Kentucky, last year. He now spends much of his time as a television golf analyst with US channel ABC but he returns to action this week among a cast of golfing icons who make up the strongest field in the 23 year history of The Senior Open Championship.

“I’m very much looking forward to playing in The Senior Open Championship at Sunningdale,” he said. “It’s great to have the opportunity to play alongside so many familiar faces from my own era at a venue that, for many of us, holds some wonderful memories.

“It’s satisfying to think that I hold the Old Course record at Sunningdale and, whilst I’ve not shot 62 in a wee while, I’ll be hoping to go at least one better this year – I assume I’m off the forward tees!”

Faldo, who turned 52 five days before the start of the Championship launched his Faldo Junior Series in 1996 to encourage young golfers both male and female. Nick Dougherty and Oliver Fisher were both back to back winners of the Faldo Series and Rory McIlroy is the latest graduate to win on The European Tour International Schedule.

“Golf is in so many ways a very British pastime, and Britain the true home of the sport. In recent times, this nation has produced some of the finest golfers of any generation – players like Tony Jacklin, Ian Woosnam and Sandy Lyle – multiple Major-winning sportsmen who have represented this nation at the very highest level and not been found wanting.

“It’s going to be a wonderful week to be competing against so many old friends and Ryder Cup teammates, like Sam Torrance, Mark James, Bernhard Langer, Woosnam, Lyle, Eamonn Darcy, José Rivero, Gordon J. Brand, José Maria Cañizares, Manuel Piñero, Costantino

Rocca – so many great players. We’re all competitors and I love competitive golf. Anyone who has tasted success on the golf course never loses their appetite for competition.

“I’m really looking forward to the challenge but with my TV commentary, golf course design work and other business commitments I don’t have much time for golf – most of the time I spend on the golf course these days is with either a set of design plans or a microphone in my hand.

“Lack of practice is still a concern for me but it will be another great experience and trip down memory lane I’ll never forget.”

Faldo never does anything by halves and despite being away from the game for so long you can expect to see the same focussed, driven and determined golfer he has always been. ■

Above: Future Ryder Cup Captains Ian Woosnam and Nick Faldo weigh up the options in the 1989 Ryder Cup at The Belfry where they joined forces to score 2.5 points out of 3 in the Foursomes and Fourballs.

THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2009 - PAGE 41

T O M W AT S O N F E AT U R E

WATCH OUT FOR ANOTHER WATSON MASTERCLASS Three time Champion is aiming for his fourth Senior Open in a seven year stretch

H

AVING won The Senior Open Championship in 2003, 2005 and 2007, Tom Watson can see a pattern emerging.

It’s 2009 and the ‘Kansas City Kid’ is ready to keep the trend going here at Sunningdale – a place he admits is not too dissimilar to the links he has been so masterful on throughout his career.

“I have played here at Sunningdale just the once, and thoroughly enjoyed the golf course,” said Watson. “It has a lot of links character to it – especially the bunkering. It’s a wonderful golf course and it’s going to be a wonderful venue for the Championship.”

Watson is the consummate links champion.

He won The Open at Carnoustie in 1975, Turnberry in 1977, Muirfield in 1980, Royal Troon in 1982, and Royal Birkdale in 1983 – five Opens in an eight-year stretch.

He returned to Turnberry in 2003, the scene of perhaps his most glorious Open victory – the famous 1977 Duel in the Sun with Jack Nicklaus that many spectators believe produced the finest display of links golf ever seen – to win The Senior Open Championship on familiar territory on the Ailsa Links.

He won the Championship again at Royal Aberdeen in 2005 and in 2007 he was back at Muirfield, where 27 years earlier he beat Lee Trevino by four shots to win his third Open, to take his third Senior Open Championship by one shot from Stewart Ginn and Mark O’Meara, equalling Gary Player’s record of three Senior Open titles.

“I don’t have a great handle on it,” he said when asked of his success on the links courses of Great Britain and Ireland, “but one thing I can say is that my short game was always right at the top – right where it needed to be – in the crucial moments when I needed to get up and down. That’s probably the main reason I PAGE 42 - THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2009

did so well on the links.”

Having won eight times around the coasts of the United Kingdom and Ireland, Watson is teeing it up at Sunningdale for only the second time in his illustrious career as he attempts to win a fourth Senior Open title.

“I have no qualms about playing an inland course,” said Watson. “It’s a wonderful course, and wherever this event is held – I’ll play it.

I’m looking forward to playing the golf course because I liked it so much the one time I played it.”

Despite not having as much knowledge of the Sunningdale layout compared to others in the field this week, Watson still believes he can come out on top.

“It’s just very simple,” he says. “I continue to believe in myself and my ability to get the job done. Even now, as I’m closing in on 60, I still have that belief in myself and if I’m hitting on all cylinders, I can make a run.”

Watson, who has won 12 US Champions Tour titles since turning 50 in September 1999, won twice last year and has continued his solid form into this season. He won the 2008 Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am and followed it

2003

up with success in the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf a week later. He then posted top-ten finishes here at The Senior Open and the JELDWEN Tradition to finish 20th on the money list in the States.

This season Watson’s results in the US have been steady without being spectacular, but a final round 66 at the Senior PGA Championship in May elevated him to a fourth place finish and it raised his expectations for the rest of the season. “I played well,” he said after the event. “I hit every green but one. I was putting for birdies on every green except hole 4 where I made a good up and down.”

Now the hugely popular Watson is back in the UK and in the hunt for his fourth Senior Open title in seven years. “I hope the trend continues,” he smiles when reminded of his record, and with his pedigree in this tournament he is sure to be one of the favourites this week around Sunningdale.

The Old Course is regarded by some as a genuine inland links course and if one of the great links players of all time agrees with them we could be in for another masterclass by Watson. ■

2005

‘IT’S JUST VERY SIMPLE. I CONTINUE TO BELIEVE IN MYSELF AND MY ABILITY TO GET THE JOB DONE. EVEN NOW, AS I’M CLOSING IN ON 60, I STILL HAVE THAT BELIEF IN MYSELF AND IF I’M HITTING ON ALL CYLINDERS, I CAN MAKE A RUN.’ – TOM WATSON

2007 THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2009 - PAGE 43

6, 7, 5, 6, 7, 7, 9, 7, 5, 6, 6, 7, 8, 6, 7, 6, 8, 5, but happy.

We all get those days.

Where you seriously consider packing it all in and taking up darts or something.

But even a bad round here has its positives.

Stunning championship courses.

Very reasonable green fees.

No pretentious nonsense.

A good walk through our beautiful countryside.

And best of all, in Wales tomorrow’s always another day.

golfasitshouldbe.com Visit the ‘Golf Wales’ stand in the tented village for the chance to win 2 tickets to The 2010 Ryder Cup

I A N W O O S N A M Q&A

WOOSNAM GOING FOR MORE MAJOR GLORY Masters winner who currently tops the Senior Tour bidding to add the Senior Open title

L

AST year Ian Woosnam marked his rookie season on the European Senior Tour by winning the John Jacobs Trophy for topping the Order of Merit with two wins and three seconds. Now the Welsh Wizard is in search of his first Senior Major and is in hot form on the back of a testing victory at last month’s Irish Seniors Open.

On the links of Ballybunion Woosnam beat American Bob Boyd after three holes of sudden-death and currently sits at the top of the Order of Merit, having already gone past the €100,000 mark.

Part of the ‘Big Five’ of European golf who dominated the game in the 1980s and early 90s along with Sandy Lyle, Bernhard Langer, Nick Faldo and Seve Ballesteros, Woosnam claimed 29 European Tour titles with his crowning glory coming with a famous Masters victory in 1991 when he outlasted

José Maria Olazàbal and Tom Watson in a titanic three-way battle to claim the Green Jacket with a nerve jangling eight foot par putt at the last. Having played in eight Ryder Cup – four of which were on the winnging Team – he Captained Europe to a recordequalling 18.5-9.5 victory at The K Club in Ireland in 2006.

Despite securing his place among the greats of European golf by capturing the Masters and spending some 50 weeks as the No.1 player in the world, Woosnam never quite managed to get over the finish line in his quest to win The Open Championship, having had four top five finishes.

This week Woosnam tees it up at Sunningdale – the scene of his 1988 European Open victory – knowing what it takes to win a Major and what it takes to win here on the Old Course. ➥

Ian Woosnam proudly holds the trophy after winning the Irish Seniors Open at Ballybunion last month to take the top spot on the current European Senior Tour Order of Merit, having won the John Jacobs Trophy last year for finishing top of the table, in his rookie season.

THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2009 - PAGE 45

I A N W O O S N A M Q&A

Q: Having won twice last year, at the Parkridge Polish Seniors Championship and the Russian Seniors Open and topping the Order of Merit, did you feel any pressure building up earlier this season before you won in Ireland?

A: There was a little bit of pressure that I put on myself. I had been struggling since the end of last year and my results weren’t what I’d hoped for. I finished eighth at the Son Gual Mallorca Senior Open but before I got to Ireland that was my only top ten finish.

At Ballybunion I never thought I’d even be at the presentation after the first round – I was so disappointed coming of the course after a 74.

I’d been working hard but not getting anything.

Then my luck changed and I shot 70 and 67 to get into a play-off with Bob Boyd. Thankfully, I managed to birdie the third extra hole and the win moved me up to second place on the Order of Merit. Ireland certainly has been good to me, though, I’ve won two Irish Opens, the Irish Seniors Open and, of course, The Ryder Cup in Ireland as Captain, which I’ll never forget.

Q: You’re now leading the Order of Merit after back to back top ten finishes at the Ryder Cup Wales Seniors Open and The De Vere Collection PGA Seniors Championship.

How much of a boost to your confidence is it to lead the Order of Merit heading into The Senior Open Championship?

A: There’s a long way to go yet but it’s good that I’m the No.1 player on the Tour. There are plenty of tournaments still to play. I’ve put a lot of work into my game since topping the Order of Merit last year and it’s nice to see it starting to pay off as this season progresses.

PAGE 46 - THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2009

Q: How much would it mean to you to win the Order of Merit for a second successive time this year?

A: It would mean a lot to me. I cherish my John Jacobs Trophy for topping the Order of Merit last season and to do what both Carl Mason and Sam Torrance have done and win it back to back would be a very significant feat. Tommy Horton won it four times in a row in the late 1990s but I’ve got to be at my very best if I’m to match that feat. John Jacobs supported me as a junior player and I’ve always been very grateful to him for all the help that he gave me.

Q: Having come close to winning The Open several times, what would it mean to win The Senior Open Championship – is it the next best thing?

A: It definitely is. Unfortunately, the chance for me to win an Open on the regular Tour passed me by so to do it on the European Senior Tour – particularly against a field featuring many of the top players I used to compete against – would be fantastic.

Q: You won The European Open at Sunningdale in 1988 beating the likes of Nick Faldo, Mark James, Sandy Lyle and Gordon Brand Jnr to the title – all players who are in the field this week. It’s obviously a course you enjoy playing and given your experience of winning here, are you confident to be back at Sunningdale this week?

A: Sunningdale is a great course. I have nothing but happy memories after my win here in 1988. To beat players of that calibre at any event is always pleasing and with all of them

➥

Above left: Ian Woosnam crouches as he holds the John Jacobs Trophy for topping the 2008 European Tour Order of Merit in his rookie season.

Above: Ian Woosnam and Sandy Lyle celebrate a birdie during the final round of The Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf tournament in Savannah, Georgia.

‘THERE’S A LONG WAY TO GO YET BUT IT’S GOOD THAT I’M THE No.1 PLAYER ON THE TOUR. THERE ARE PLENTY OF TOURNAMENTS STILL TO PLAY. I’VE PUT A LOT OF WORK INTO MY GAME SINCE TOPPING THE ORDER OF MERIT LAST YEAR.’ – IAN WOOSNAM

in the field here this week, and many more great players as well, it would give me great satisfaction to beat them again – especially given that we’re competing for The Senior Open Championship. Sunningdale is a great layout and I’m glad it’s hosting such a prestigious golf tournament again.

Q:: With so many past Ryder Cup players – both European and American – in the field this week, are you looking forward to locking horns with both old friends and foes this week?

A: This is definitely the strongest field ever assembled in Seniors golf and I can’t wait to tee it up. With the likes of Tom Lehman and Mark O’Meara turning 50 recently and players like myself, Langer, Lyle and Faldo all reaching the Senior Tour, it’s going to be a hugely entertaining week. Throughout last year’s European Senior Tour season it was great to meet up with so many old friends and this week is the opportunity for a lot of the big names who made The Ryder Cup such a success in the 1980s to get together and compete. It’s a healthy time for Seniors golf.

Q: Having spent a full season on the European Senior Tour, how does it compare to life on The European Tour – have you found it’s a more relaxed atmosphere amongst the Seniors?

A: It’s a lot more relaxed out here, but it’s amazing how competitive it is on the European Senior Tour. There are Major winners in every event we play and it’s always very competitive – everyone always wants to beat the Major winners. It’s great to play out here and renew some old rivalries.

Q: Regarding the current state of The Ryder Cup, do you feel an American victory last year was good for the future of the competition after it put an end to several years of total European dominance?

A: I really do think it will be a good thing for the future of the competition. It’s certainly going to make the build up to Wales in 2010 at Celtic Manor very interesting. We need to get back on track and win the trophy back but the Americans’ winning has definitely evened it out after three tournaments of European domination. ■

England’s Nick Faldo, Masters Champion in 1989, 1990, 1996, helps Ian Woosnam on with the Green Jacket at Augusta National after the Welsh Wizard’s magnificent win in 1991, which, with Scotsman Sandy Lyle’s Masters win in 1988 made it a four-year stretch of Masters win for Great Britain.

Ian Woosnam raises his cap to acknowledge the cheers of the crowd at the K Club in Ireland in 2006 after he had Captained Europe to a momentous victory.

LEFT: Woosnam is congratulated by Sam Torrance, Europe’s victorious Captain at The Belfry in 2002.

THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2009 - PAGE 47

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2 0 0 9 EXEMPT ENTRIES as at July 19 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63

Stephen BENNETT John BLAND Gordon J BRAND Gordon BRAND JNR José Maria CAÑIZARES Roger CHAPMAN Bob CHARLES Eamonn DARCY Ross DRUMMOND Denis DURNIAN Nick FALDO Vicente FERNANDEZ Antonio GARRIDO Wayne GRADY Jimmy HEGGARTY Mark JAMES Nick JOB Tony JOHNSTONE Tom KITE Bernhard LANGER Bill LONGMUIR Sandy LYLE Graham MARSH Carl MASON Greg NORMAN Christy O’CONNOR JNR Manuel PIÑERO Gary PLAYER Juan QUIROS Glenn RALPH Noel RATCLIFFE Costantino ROCCA José RIVERO Eduardo ROMERO David J RUSSELL Jeff SLUMAN Des SMYTH Sam TORRANCE Tom WATSON Ian WOOSNAM Isao AOKI Peter FOWLER Bruce VAUGHAN Loren ROBERTS Katsuyoshi TOMORI Mike CUNNING Kevin SPURGEON Marc FARRY D A WEIBRING Giuseppe CALI Gary HALLBERG Simon OWEN Ben CRENSHAW Terry GALE Peter JACOBSEN Gary KOCH Mark McNULTY Mark O’MEARA Joe OZAKI Craig STADLER Denis WATSON Andy BEAN Luis CARBONETTI

Waltham Windmill GC Fancourt Hotel and CC Estate Pinheiros Altos The Players Club Valderrama SuperHighRoller.com Druids Glen GC A6 Physio

Somosaguas GC Claremorris GC Ilkley GC Eligo

The Linde Group The London GC Macdonald Hotels The Fox Club Florida Medalist GC Christy O’Connor Jnr Ltd La Quinta, Marbella The Cliffs at Mountain Park Reinoxmetal elitegolfwear.com

Cordoba GC Archerfield Links White Dale Plantation Fairmont St Andrews The National GC of Kansas City RAW Golf Course Design Ping

Sanikleen Moon Valley CC Ferndown GC

Lavazza

Austin GC

Old Memorial GC

Old Head GC Ireland Rio Cuarto GC

ENG RSA ENG SCO ESP ENG NZL IRL SCO ENG ENG ARG ESP AUS NIR ENG ENG ZIM USA GER SCO SCO AUS ENG AUS IRL ESP RSA ESP ENG AUS ITA ESP ARG ENG USA IRL SCO USA WAL JPN AUS USA USA JPN USA ENG FRA USA ITA USA NZL USA AUS USA USA IRL USA JPN USA ZIM USA ARG

64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120

Mike HARWOOD Joey SINDELAR Fred FUNK Christopher WILLIAMS Fulton ALLEM Michael ALLEN Stewart GINN Jim RHODES Philip BLACKMAR Mark WIEBE Jim THORPE Larry MIZE Scott SIMPSON Peter MITCHELL Domingo HOSPITAL Denis O’SULLIVAN Jerry BRUNER John COOK John CHILLAS Jay HAAS Bob CAMERON Don POOLEY Mike REID Tom PURTZER Jerry PATE Tim SIMPSON Blaine McCALLISTER Bobby LINCOLN John MORSE Jay Don BLAKE Angel FRANCO Russ COCHRAN Tom LEHMAN Bobby WADKINS Yoshi MIZUMAKI Tom McKNIGHT Bob GILDER Olin BROWNE Bob BOYD Delroy CAMBRIDGE Angel FERNANDEZ Ronnie BLACK Pete OAKLEY David EGER Robert L THOMPSON James MASON Doug JOHNSON Lonnie NIELSEN Bertus SMIT Morris HATALSKY David MERRIMAN Paul SIMSON (AM) Mike GOODES Gene JONES Curt BYRUM Shinji IKEUCHI Ikuo SHIRAHAMA

AUS USA USA Modderfontein GC RSA RSA Troon GC USA The Mines AUS Le Meridien Penina Golf & Resort ENG USA USA Lake of Isles USA USA USA SMP Golf Management International ENG R.C.G El Prat ESP La Playa GC IRL USA USA Glenbervie GC SCO USA ENG USA USA USA Pensacola CC USA USA Ft. Stockton GC USA Dainfern CC RSA Battle Creek CC USA Coral Canyon GC USA PAR USA The Country Club at DC Ranch USA Kinloch USA Naruo GC JPN USA Pumpkin Ridge GC USA The Medalist USA Pine Valley CC USA Champion Gate GC JAM Club de Golf la Dehesa CHI Omni Tucson National USA The Rookery GC USA USA Whispering Pines GC USA The Orchard USA The Villages USA PGA National GC USA Mosselbay CC RSA USA Bonnie Doon GC AUS North Ridge CC USA The Fox Club USA USA Scottsdale GC USA Modern Golf 80 JPN FIT JPN

The complete field of 144 is made up of exempt players outlined above plus those successful qualifiers who came through the 18 hole stroke play qualifying rounds on Monday 20 July at The Berkshire Golf Club, Camberley Heath Golf Club and Mill Ride Golf & Country Club.

THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2009 - PAGE 49

PLAYER PROFILES

All statistics taken as of July 1, 2009

ANDY BEAN DATE OF BIRTH: March 13, 1953 BIRTHPLACE: Lafayette, Georgia, USA ANDY Bean enjoyed his best season on the US Champions Tour last year with victories at the Regions Charity Classic and the prestigious season ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship, which saw him finish a career high eighth place on the money list with $1,506,789 in prize money.

Bean joined the Champions Tour in 2003 and posted his best result of the season at the SAS Championship with a tie for eighth place.

The following season he posted four top tens, including a tie for fourth at the JELD-WEN Tradition and a tie for second at the Commerce Bank Long Island Classic.

He had knee surgery prior to the 2005 season and struggled to find his form throughout the year. He posted his best result at the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf where he finished in a tie for sixth place. He claimed his first US Champions Tour title in 2006 with a play-off victory over R.W. Eaks in the Greater Hickory Classic at Rock Barn.

With six additional top tens, he finished the season in 12th place on the money list with $1,020,678.

The following year he showed great consistency with eight top tens including a tie for second at the Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am. Bean, who won 11 PGA TOUR titles in the 1970s and 1980s and played in two Ryder Cups, has posted four top tens this season with runner-up spots at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship and the The Cap Cana Championship.

US PGA TOUR TITLES: 11 US CHAMPIONS TOUR TITLES: 3

GORDON J BRAND DATE OF BIRTH: August 6, 1955 BIRTHPLACE: Cambridge, England GORDON J Brand won back to back titles on the European Senior Tour last summer in a sudden burst of form that saw him shoot up the Order of Merit to finish the season in second place.

The Englishman had posted four top tens before he claimed The De Vere Collection PGA Seniors Championship after a six hole play-off victory over Senior Tour debutant and namesake Gordon Brand Jnr. One week later he triumphed at the Travis Perkins plc Senior Masters at Woburn and then added a tie for second place at the Lake Garda Italian Seniors Open. Brand joined the European Senior Tour in 2005 and scored six top tens to end the season 26th on the Order of Merit with €81,804 in prize money from only eight events.

In his first full season, in 2006, Brand won his maiden title at the OKI Castellón Open de España Senior and followed up with a win at The Kingdom of Bahrain Trophy – Seniors Tour Championship in Bahrain, beating Adan Sowa in a play-off. He also had top tens at the Ryder Cup Wales Seniors Open and here at The Senior Open Championship, ending the season in fourth place on the Order of Merit. Brand claimed his third European Seniors Tour title at last year’s season opening DGM Barbados Open and ended the season tenth on the Order of Merit.

This season his best result is a tie for sixth place at the Irish Seniors Open.

PAGE 50 - THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2009

EUROPEAN TOUR TITLES: 1 EUROPEAN SENIOR TOUR TITLES: 5

GORDON BRAND JNR DATE OF BIRTH: August 19, 1958 BIRTHPLACE: Kirkcaldy, Scotland GORDON Brand Jnr joined the European Senior Tour last August and, in his debut, namesake Gordon J Brand pipped him to the title at The De Vere Collection PGA Seniors Championship after a mammoth six hole play-off.

The Scot had a successful career on The European Tour, making his debut in 1982 and winning two events to win the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year.

He went on to win six further titles including a double haul in 1984 at the Celtic International and The European Open and another pair in 1987 when he claimed The KLM Open and the Scandinavian Open. His last win came in 1993 at The European Open with a wire to wire seven shot victory. By the end of the 2007 season Brand had played in 597 European Tour tournaments, placing him sixth on the all time appearance list.

Brand wrote himself into the history books as a successful member of the European Ryder Cup teams of 1987 and 1989. In 1987 he helped the team win for the first time on American soil and then two years later they retained the trophy for the first time in history at The Belfry.

Brand has enjoyed some good form this season with a tied eighth place finish at the Son Gual Mallorca Senior Open and a tie for fourth at The De Vere Collection PGA Seniors Championship.

EUROPEAN TOUR TITLES: 8

BOB CHARLES DATE OF BIRTH: March 14, 1936 BIRTHPLACE: Carterton, New Zealand SINCE turning professional in 1960, Bob Charles has won more than 75 events worldwide, including The Open Championship in 1963 at Royal Lytham & St Annes.

He returned to Royal Lytham 30 years later to win his second Senior Open Championship title, following his first victory at Turnberry in 1989.

Following in the footsteps of the legendary Gary Player, 73 year old Charles became the fifth recipient of the European Senior Tour’s Lladro Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002.

For 40 years Charles held the record as the only left-hander ever to have won one of the four Major Championships until Mike Weir and Phil Mickelson joined the club following their respective wins at the 2003 and 2004 Masters Tournaments.

Charles joined the US Champions Tour in 1986 and he has enjoyed enormous success as a Senior in the USA. He has claimed a total of 23 titles and he finished in the top ten on the money list for each of his first eight seasons, topping the table in 1988 and 1989.

His phenomenal career as an over-50 has seen Charles earn more than $9 million in prize money.

When he’s not playing, Charles enjoys designing golf courses as well as farming and spending time with his family. He and his son, David, played together and won the Office Depot Father-Son Challenge in 1998.

MAJOR TITLES: 1 SENIOR MAJOR TITLES: 2 EUROPEAN TOUR TITLES: 8

US PGA TOUR TITLES: 6 EUROPEAN SENIOR TOUR TITLES: 2 US CHAMPIONS TOUR TITLES: 23 THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2009 - PAGE 51

PLAYER PROFILES

JOHN COOK DATE OF BIRTH: October 2, 1957 BIRTHPLACE: Toledo, Ohio, USA RUNNER-up last year, John Cook has had an excellent season so far on the US Champions Tour with six top tens to his name including a tie for third place at the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf.

Cook turned 50 in October 2007 and won on his second start as a Senior on the US Champions Tour. He finished tied 36th on his senior debut at the Administaff Small Business Classic before triumphing at the AT&T Championship with a two stroke victory over Mark O’Meara. Cook began the final round two strokes behind O’Meara and Tom Kite. He posted a six under par 65 to leave O’Meara needing to birdie the final hole to tie his 15 under par total. O’Meara bogeyed the hole to hand Cook the $240,000 cheque. Last year Cook had a superb season with 15 top ten finishes including victory in his defence of the AT&T Championship. He ended the year with $1,721,038 to finish fifth on the money list.

Cook won 11 times during his time on the PGA Tour and twice came close to winning a Major when he was runner-up behind Sir Nick Faldo at The Open Championship at Muirfield in 1992 and then again finished second at the US PGA Championship later that year.

Cook won his first title in 1981 at the Bing Crosby National Pro-Am having turned professional in 1979. His last PGA Tour title came in 2001 at the Reno-Tahoe Open.

US PGA TOUR TITLES: 11 US CHAMPIONS TOUR TITLES: 2

BEN CRENSHAW DATE OF BIRTH: January 11, 1952 BIRTHPLACE: Austin, Texas, USA DURING his 24 years on the US PGA Tour Ben Crenshaw won 19 titles, including two Masters Tournaments in 1984 and 1995. Crenshaw was also a member of the US Ryder Cup team in 1981, 1983, 1987 and 1995 and served as Captain of the 1999 winning team at Brookline.

A renowned golf course designer, Crenshaw’s best year on Tour came in 1976, when he won three times and finished runner-up three times to take second place on the money list behind Jack Nicklaus. A member of the World Golf Hall of Fame since 2002, Crenshaw joined the US Champions Tour in the same year. Although he is yet to win on the US Champions Tour, Crenshaw has a superb record and topped putts per round ranking in 2004 with an average of 28.15.

He had a good season in 2006 when he finished in the top 50 on the money list for the first time after two top ten finishes. His best result came at the AT&T Championship where he finished tied for fourth place.

In 2007 he finished 23rd on the money list after four top ten finishes including runner-up at the US Senior Open at Whistling Straits, two shots behind winner Brad Bryant. Last season Crenshaw continued to play solidly with four top ten finishes and earnings of more than $500,000 for 36th place on the money list. So far this year Crenshaw’s best result is a tie for third place at The ACE Group Classic.

PAGE 52 - THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2009

MAJOR TITLES: 2 EUROPEAN TOUR TITLES: 1 US PGA TOUR TITLES: 19

EAMONN DARCY DATE OF BIRTH: August 7, 1952 BIRTHPLACE: Delgany, Ireland EAMONN Darcy joined the European Senior Tour towards the end of the 2002 season and despite playing only four events, he finished his first season 37th on the Order of Merit with €62,755 in prize money.

Former Ryder Cup star Darcy graduated from the Qualifying School to gain his card for the US Champions Tour in 2003 and he enjoyed some good results, finishing in the top 20 on seven occasions, including runner-up spots at the MasterCard Classic and the Farmers Charity Classic.

He also played four events on the European Senior Tour, finishing in the top ten three times to end the season 25th on the Order of Merit.

Darcy began playing on the European Senior Tour full time in 2005 and carded six top ten finishes, including two as runner-up, to finish 18th on the Order of Merit. In 2006 Darcy finished 14th on the Order of Merit in his most successful season on the Senior Tour. He made four top tens and finished with earnings of €112,503.

Darcy managed three top tens in 2007 with his best result a tie for third place at the Bendinat London Seniors Masters. He enjoyed a strong season last year with four top tens, including three top fives, to finish 18th on the Order of Merit.

Darcy came close to his first European Senior Tour title yet again at the Son Gual Mallorca Senior Open this year but lost to old Ryder Cup team mate Mark James in a play-off.

EUROPEAN TOUR TITLES: 4

SIR NICK FALDO DATE OF BIRTH: July 18, 1957 BIRTHPLACE: Welwyn Garden City, England SIR Nick Faldo was knighted earlier this summer for his services to golf and follows in the footsteps of Sir Henry Cotton as the only other British golfer to receive the honour.

Faldo’s legacy remains one of the best in golf. He won The Open Championship three times and the Masters Tournament three times and in 1990 he won each of them as well as finishing tied third at the US Open.

He also holds the honour for being the all time leading points earner in Ryder Cup history with a record of P46-W23-L19-H4. He was a mainstay in Europe’s Ryder Cup team from 1977 through to 1997 and tasted success in four out of his record 11 appearances.

Along with his six Major titles, Faldo has won the BMW Championship at Wentworth four times and the Volvo Masters once in 1988. He was named the BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 1989 after his first triumph at Augusta National.

Faldo topped the Order of Merit twice in his career – first in 1983, after five victories and again in 1992, after four victories.

Last year Faldo had the honour of captaining the European Ryder Cup Team for the first time but was defeated 16½-11½ by the Americans at Valhalla Golf Club in Kentucky. Faldo made his European Senior Tour debut here at The Senior Open Championship and finished tied 14th.

MAJOR TITLES: 6 EUROPEAN TOUR TITLES: 30 US PGA TOUR TITLES: 3 THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2009 - PAGE 53

PLAYER PROFILES

FRED FUNK DATE OF BIRTH: June 14, 1956 BIRTHPLACE: Takoma, Maryland, USA WHEN American Fred Funk won The Players Championship on the US PGA Tour in 2005 he earned exemption until 2010. Funk became the oldest winner of the tournament and walked away with the cheque for $1,440,000. It was a hardearned victory as weather wreaked havoc with the tournament and Funk had to complete 33 holes on the Monday to complete his triumph.

He joined the US Champions Tour in 2006 and won his first title as a senior at the AT&T Championship in October.

Before signing up to the US Champions Tour Funk won seven times on the US PGA Tour but has added another title to his collection since turning 50. In 2007 Funk won the Mayakoba Golf Classic just weeks after winning his second US Champions Tour title at the Turtle Bay Championship.

Funk won twice on the US Champions Tour last year and ended the season third on the money list with $1,825,931 in earnings. He took the season opening Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai after a two shot victory over Allen Doyle and then won his first Major at the JELD-WEN Tradition in August.

So far this season Funk has six top ten finishes to his name including two runner-up spots. He was defeated in the play-off by Mark McNulty at the Principal Charity Classic and was runner-up behind Lonnie Nielsen at Dick’s Sporting Goods Open last month.

US PGA TOUR TITLES: 8 SENIOR MAJOR TITLES: 1 US CHAMPIONS TOUR TITLES: 4

WAYNE GRADY DATE OF BIRTH: July 26, 1957 BIRTHPLACE: Brisbane, Australia WAYNE Grady claimed his first professional title at the 1978 Westlakes Classic in Australia.

The Australian then made 17 runner-up finishes before he claimed victory again at the 1984 German Open on The European Tour. He moved to the US PGA Tour but lost his card in 1986. Two years later he defeated Greg Norman in a four hole play-off at the Australian PGA Championship before moving back to the US PGA Tour in 1989 where he won his first title at the Westchester Classic – also a play-off victory, this time over Ronnie Black.

Three weeks after his victory, Grady came over to British soil and took the 54 hole lead at The Open Championship at Royal Troon. He finished in a tie with Greg Norman and Mark Calcaveccia after bogeying the 17th and lost the resulting play-off to the American. However, a year later Grady put the disappointment behind him as he claimed his first Major at the US PGA Championship with a three stroke victory over Fred Couples.

In 1998 Grady was named the Assistant Captain to Peter Thompson in the Presidents Cup and held the same honour two years later.

He made his Senior debut at the 2007 Senior Open Championship before playing nine US Champions Tour events, with his best finish coming at the Boeing Classic where he finished tied 21st.

Grady is also a respected golf commentator for the BBC. PAGE 54 - THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2009

MAJOR TITLES: 1 EUROPEAN TOUR TITLES: 1 US PGA TOUR TITLES: 2

JAY HAAS DATE OF BIRTH: December 2, 1953 BIRTHPLACE: St. Louis, Missouri, USA

SENIOR MAJOR TITLES: 2 US PGA TOUR TITLES: 9 EUROPEAN SENIOR TOUR TITLES: 1

US CHAMPIONS TOUR TITLES: 12

WHEN Jay Haas finished second in his US Champions Tour debut at the 2004 Senior PGA Championship, and followed with a tie for third at the US Senior Open, it was a warning to his rivals of the dominance to come from him.

In 2005 he played just ten US Champions Tour events and won twice, at the Greater Hickory Classic at Rock Barn and the SBC Championship, which earned him the Rookie of the Year award.

In 2006 he won the Senior PGA Championship to complete a memorable run of three titles in a row before adding another victory at the Adminstaff Small Business Classic to claim the Arnold Palmer Award for topping the money list and the points based Charles Schwab Cup, as well as being voted Champions Tour Player of the Year.

In 2007 Haas continued to dominate as he won four titles and topped the money list for the second season in a row. Last season Haas won his second Major with a one shot victory over Bernhard Langer at the Senior PGA Championship. He then successfully defended his Principal Charity Classic title a week later and eventually finished second to Langer on the money list but beat the German to the Charles Schwab Cup. This season has seen Haas rack up six top tens on the US Champions Tour including tied ninth at the Senior PGA Championship and third place finishes at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai and the AT&T Champions Classic.

PETER JACOBSEN DATE OF BIRTH: March 4, 1954 BIRTHPLACE: Portland, Oregon, USA

PETER Jacobsen joined the US Champions Tour in 2004 but spent nearly three months recovering from surgery on his left hip. He made up for lost time in his third start by making his first US Champions Tour title a Major with victory in the US Senior Open, beating Hale Irwin by a stroke. He repeated the feat by also making his second title a Major the following season with victory in the Ford Senior Players Championship. He suffered a recurrence of his hip problems in 2006 and his schedule came to an end in July but he still managed to post six top tens, including runnerup at the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf, a tie for seventh at the Senior PGA Championship and a tie for third at the US Senior Open.

Back problems disrupted Jacobsenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s season in 2007 but he made two top tens, at the Toshiba Classic and the Wal-Mart First Tee Open at Pebble Beach. Injury again meant a reduced schedule last season as Jacobsen played only seven events due to undergoing replacement right-knee surgery and then during preparation for the current season he damaged a rotator cuff in his left shoulder, which also required surgery.

A popular member of the US Champions Tour, Jacobsen won seven US PGA Tour titles during his career.

SENIOR MAJOR TITLES: 2 US PGA TOUR TITLES: 7 US CHAMPIONS TOUR TITLES: 2 THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2009 - PAGE 55

PLAYER PROFILES

MARK JAMES DATE OF BIRTH: October 28, 1953 BIRTHPLACE: Manchester, England

SENIOR MAJOR TITLES: 1 EUROPEAN TOUR TITLES: 18 EUROPEAN SENIOR TOUR TITLES: 2

US CHAMPIONS TOUR TITLES: 3

FORMER Ryder Cup Captain Mark James joined the European Senior Tour in 2004 and played only one event, finishing fourth here at The Senior Open Championship at Royal Portrush, just two shots behind winner Pete Oakley.

James won his first senior title with a Major in 2004 with victory at the US Champions Tour’s Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship.

His victory made him the first European to win a US Champions Tour Major, beating former Ryder Cup teammate José Maria Cañizares by one shot.

In 2005 he played three tournaments on the European Senior Tour and won the Travis Perkins plc Senior Masters, beating his former Ryder Cup teammate Sam Torrance in a play-off. He also claimed The ACE Group Classic in Florida.

James endured a barren spell as a Senior throughout 2006 but returned to winning ways in his first event of the 2007 US Champions Tour season. He took the Allianz Championship with a two stroke victory over Jay Haas to claim the $240,000 winner’s cheque.

This season James won his second European Senior Tour title at the Son Gual Mallorca Senior Open after he defeated another of his former Ryder Cup teammates – Ireland’s Eamonn Darcy – in a play-off. In a successful professional career spanning 25 years, James won 18 titles on The European Tour and was captain of the European Ryder Cup Team at Brookline in 1999.

TOM KITE DATE OF BIRTH: December 9, 1949 BIRTHPLACE: McKinney, Texas, USA CONSISTENCY is Tom Kite’s middle name. In a playing career that has spanned 38 years, he has racked up an impressive collection of titles and is one of the game’s biggest money winners.

He was the first player in US PGA Tour history to reach the $6 million, $7 million, $8 million and $9 million marks in career earnings and topped the money list in 1981 and 1989 – when he set a single season’s earnings record by eclipsing $1million.

Between 1981 and 1993 Kite won at least one US PGA Tour title every year except 1988 when he was runner-up three times. The 1992 US Open winner has continued his success on the US Champions Tour since 2000, winning ten titles, including a Major at the JELD-WEN Tradition in his rookie year.

Kite, who won twice in 2006, had a winless season in 2007 but got back to winning ways last year with a two stroke victory over Scott Simpson at the Boeing Classic. He earned a total of $1,284,592 in 2008 to finish tenth on the money list. This season he has four top ten finishes so far including a tie for fifth place at the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf.

Kite played in seven instalments of The Ryder Cup and was on the winning side four times. He was later awarded the honour of captaining the American side in 1997 at Valderrama in Spain where his team was defeated by Europe by just a single point.

PAGE 56 - THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2009

MAJOR TITLES: 1 SENIOR MAJOR TITLES: 1 EUROPEAN TOUR TITLES: 1

US PGA TOUR TITLES: 19 US CHAMPIONS TOUR TITLES: 10

BERNHARD LANGER DATE OF BIRTH: August 27, 1957 BIRTHPLACE: Anhausen, Germany

MAJOR TITLES: 2 EUROPEAN TOUR TITLES: 42 US PGA TOUR TITLES: 3

EUROPEAN SENIOR TOUR TITLES: 1 US CHAMPIONS TOUR TITLES: 7

BERNHARD Langer enjoyed one of the most glittering careers in European Tour history winning 42 titles including two Major Championships. He turned professional in 1974 and won his first European Tour title in 1980 at the Dunlop Masters. He then won at least one tournament every season up until 1996 as he enhanced his reputation as one of ‘The Big Five’ of European golf alongside Ian Woosnam, Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo and Sandy Lyle.

He won his first Major at the Masters Tournament in 1985 and slipped into his second Green Jacket eight years later in 1993.

His last European Tour victory came at the Volvo Masters in 2002 and he was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame later that year. During his career Langer played in ten Ryder Cups and was victorious five times. He made his last playing appearance at the 2002 tournament before captaining the team to a record 18.½-9½ victory at Oakland Hills Country Club two years later.

Langer made the step up to Senior golf in late 2007 and won on his fourth outing on the US Champions Tour at the Administaff Small Business Classic in October. Last season he topped the money list in the US after three victories including the defence of his Administaff Small Business Classic.

This season Langer has three victories to his name so far and sits comfortably at the top of the money list with over $1,200,000 earned – $500,000 more than second placed Loren Roberts.

TOM LEHMAN DATE OF BIRTH: March 7, 1959 BIRTHPLACE: Austin, Minnesota, USA TOM Lehman turned 50 early this year and won on his US Champions Tour debut as he paired up with Bernhard Langer to take the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf.

Lehman, who became the 13th player to win on his US Champions Tour debut, also continues to play on the regular US PGA Tour.

Lehman turned professional in 1982 but didn’t win his first US PGA Tour title until the 1994 Memorial Tournament. He followed that a year later with victory at the Colonial National Invitational and then won his first Major in 1996 at The Open Championship. Lehman beat Ernie Els and Mark McCumber by two strokes at Royal Lytham & St. Annes to lift the Auld Claret Jug. Lehman went on to win The Tour Championship in a stunning season which saw him finish in the top 25 in 19 of his 22 tournaments which included his two wins and two runner-up finishes. He ended the year at the top of the money list with $1,780,159 and was named the US PGA Tour Player of the Year.

Lehman won his last US PGA Tour title at the 2000 Phoenix Open and ended the year with a career best haul of $2,068,499 in prize money.

The American played in three instalments of The Ryder Cup (1995, 97, 99) and was part of the victorious side in 1999 at Brookline. He was the Captain in 2006 at The K Club where the Europeans romped to an 18½-9½ victory.

MAJOR TITLES: 1 EUROPEAN TOUR TITLES: 1 US PGA TOUR TITLES: 5

US CHAMPIONS TOUR TITLES: 1

THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2009 - PAGE 57

PLAYER PROFILES

SANDY LYLE DATE OF BIRTH: February 9, 1958 BIRTHPLACE: Shrewsbury, England EUROPEAN Tour legend Sandy Lyle became the first Briton since Tony Jacklin in 1969 to lift the Auld Claret Jug when he won The Open Championship at Royal St. Georges in 1985.

Three years later he made history when he became the first British player to slip into the Green Jacket after winning the Masters Tournament at Augusta.

The Scot hit one of the most memorable shots in Masters history on the final hole as a perfectly struck seven iron out of a fairway bunker set him up for a winning birdie.

Lyle totalled 18 European Tour victories in his career, including his two Major Championships, and last year he made the step into Senior golf, playing on both the European Senior Tour and the US Champions Tour. Lyle played five times on the European Senior Tour and posted his best finish with a tied 11th at the Ryder Cup Wales Senior Open.

This year Lyle finished tied sixth at The Aberdeen Brunei Senior Masters on the European Senior Tour in March and has two top 15 finishes to his name on the US Champions Tour.

Lyle joined The European Tour in 1978 and won his first titles a year later.

His last European Tour title came at the 1992 Volvo Masters, with a play-off victory over fellow Scot Colin Montgomerie.

MAJOR TITLES: 2 EUROPEAN TOUR TITLES: 18 US PGA TOUR TITLES: 6

CARL MASON DATE OF BIRTH: June 25, 1953 BIRTHPLACE: Buxton, England CARL Mason won his 21st European Senior Tour title recently with his third victory at The De Vere Collection PGA Seniors Championship to add to a further two top tens this season.

Mason joined the European Senior Tour in June 2003 and won his first title in only his second event at The Mobile Cup. He went on to win three further titles to top the Order of Merit with €350,242, making him the most successful rookie in European Senior Tour history.

In his first Senior Open Championship at Turnberry he came close to winning his first Major, but was nudged into second place by Tom Watson at the second hole of a sudden death play-off.

The following season he won his second John Jacobs Trophy for topping the Order of Merit, winning five titles to earn prize money of €354,775.

Despite recurrent back problems, Mason managed two wins in 2005 but was edged into second place on the Order of Merit by Sam Torrance and was again beaten to the top spot by the Scotsman in 2006 after another three victories.

In 2007 Mason had a superb season, winning five titles and posting an additional eight top ten finishes to claim record single season earnings of €401,747 and his third Order of Merit title. He topped the table by a margin of €134,593 from second placed Costantino Rocca. Last year Mason successfully defended his Bad Ragaz PGA Seniors Open and finished seventh on the Order of Merit with a further seven top tens.

PAGE 58 - THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2009

EUROPEAN TOUR TITLES: 2 EUROPEAN SENIOR TOUR TITLES: 21

LARRY MIZE DATE OF BIRTH: September 23, 1958 BIRTHPLACE: Augusta, Georgia, USA LARRY Mize will tee it up in his first Senior Open Championship this week after he turned 50 last September and joined the US Champions Tour.

He made his US Champions Tour debut at the SAS Championship and finished in a tie for 27th place. He then posted the same result at the Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship before finishing tied 13th at the Administaff Small Business Classic and tied 20th at the AT&T Championship.

Mize is most widely known for his sensational chip-in for victory over Greg Norman in a play-off for the 1987 Masters Tournament. Mize, a native of Augusta who as a youngster worked one of the scoreboards at Augusta National during the Masters Tournament, pitched in from 140 feet for an unlikely birdie for victory on the 11th hole.

Mize won his first US PGA Tour title in 1983 at the Danny Thomas Memphis Classic, four years prior to his Masters Tournament triumph. Mize then had to wait six years before his next win which came at the 1993 Northern Telecom Open.

Later that year he claimed the Buick Open to post his career best season earnings haul of $724,660 for 13th place on the money list.

Mize has had a consistent season so far this year on the US Champions Tour with his best result coming at the US Senior PGA Championship where he finished second two strokes behind winner Michael Allen.

MAJOR TITLES: 1 EUROPEAN TOUR TITLES: 1 US PGA TOUR TITLES: 4

GREG NORMAN DATE OF BIRTH: February 10, 1955 BIRTHPLACE: Queensland, Australia GREG Norman is one of the game’s most successful players. The only golfer in history to be number one on both sides of the Atlantic, Norman won The European Tour Order of Merit in 1982 and topped the US PGA Tour Money List in 1986, 1990 and 1995.

He was also number one in the Official World Golf Ranking for a then record 331 weeks.

The Australian, who is also known as the ‘Great White Shark’, has won two Major Championships, with victories at The Open Championship in 1986 at Turnberry and in 1993 at Royal St. Georges.

In addition to his Majors, Norman has won 12 European Tour titles, 18 US PGA Tour titles and 56 International titles . He’s also played in ten Alfred Dunhill Cups, three Presidents Cups and two World Cups.

Norman started playing golf at the age of 16 after caddieing for his mother.

Two years down the line, he was a scratch player.

Although his initial ambition was to become a pilot in the Australian Air Force he decided to opt for golf instead.

He turned professional in 1976 and joined The European Tour in 1977.

One of Norman’s European Tour titles came here at Sunningdale after he defeated Ken Brown in a play-off to win The European Open in 1986.

MAJOR TITLES: 2 EUROPEAN TOUR TITLES: 14 US PGA TOUR TITLES: 20 THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2009 - PAGE 59

PLAYER PROFILES

PETE OAKLEY DATE OF BIRTH: June 28, 1949 BIRTHPLACE: Panama City, Florida, USA PETE Oakley could scarcely have hoped for a better start to his career on the European Senior Tour.

Persuaded by brother David, a former member of the European Senior Tour who sadly passed away in 2006, Oakley attended Qualifying School in 2003 after turning 50 in 1999 and earned his card with a fourth place finish.

Oakley surprised everyone in 2004, including himself, with victory at The Senior Open Championship at Royal Portrush. In wet and windy conditions only six players finished the tournament under par. Oakley, having pre-qualified for the event, shot rounds of 73-68-73-70 to claim the title by one stroke from Tom Kite and Eduardo Romero with a four under par 284 total. Oakley, who finished second on the Order of Merit after earning €237,365 for the victory, gained a five year exemption to play on the European Senior Tour, became eligible to for the US Champions Tour and received an invite to play in The Open Championship at St Andrews.

He was rewarded for a wonderful season by being named European Senior Tour Rookie of the Year.

Oakley spent 2005 playing on the US Champions Tour but returned to play full time on the European Senior Tour in 2006. Although yet to add to his spectacular maiden victory, Oakley has enjoyed some good results and last season he had his best year since 2004 thanks to a fifth place finish at the Russian Seniors Open. He went on to finish the season 29th on the Order of Merit.

SENIOR MAJOR TITLES: 1 EUROPEAN SENIOR TOUR TITLES: 1 US CHAMPIONS TOUR TITLES: 1

CHRISTY O’CONNOR JNR DATE OF BIRTH: August 19, 1948 BIRTHPLACE: Galway, Ireland A COMBINATION of injury and golf course design commitments has severely limited Christy O’Connor Jnr’s playing schedule over the past couple of years but he returns this week for the tournament he has won twice.

O’Connor Jnr joined the European Senior Tour ranks in August 1998 and immediately finished in a tie for fourth in the Charles Church Scottish Seniors Open, one of just three events he played that year.

The following year he made a big impact on the US Champions Tour, winning the State Farm Senior Classic and the Foremost Insurance Championship and amassing $710,749 in prize money.

He won his first Senior Open Championship at Royal Portrush in 1999, shooting six under par 282 to win by three shots from John Bland and in 2000 at Royal County Down he became only the second player to successfully defend the title, again beating Bland, this time by two shots. Having missed most of the 2001 season after he broke his ankle when his motorcycle fell on him O’Connor Jnr returned to the European Senior Tour to finish a career high fifth place on the Order of Merit in 2002 with five top tens from just six events.

O’Connor Jnr won four titles on The European Tour but is perhaps best remembered for a wonderful two-iron to the 18th green during his singles match against Fred Couples in the 1989 Ryder Cup at The Belfry, which helped Europe halve The Matches.

PAGE 60 - THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2009

EUROPEAN TOUR TITLES: 4 EUROPEAN SENIOR TOUR TITLES: 2 US CHAMPIONS TOUR TITLES: 2

MARK O’MEARA DATE OF BIRTH: January 13, 1957 BIRTHPLACE: Goldsboro, North Carolina, USA MARK O’Meara turned 50 in 2007 and made a steady start to life as a Senior golfer. He posted four runner-up finishes on the US Champions Tour, including a tie for second place here at The Senior Open Championship, and ended the season 14th on the money list. Last year he made two top ten finishes and finished 64th on the money list and so far this season he has five top tens including three runner-up spots.

Prior to turning 50, O’Meara had an exceptional career on the US PGA Tour. In 1998, at the age of 41, he became the oldest player to win two Majors in the same year, at The Open Championship and the Masters Tournament. That same year he was voted US PGA Player of the Year by his fellow players.

O’Meara’s last victory came in 2004 when he defeated Paul McGinley at the Dubai Desert Classic on The European Tour. He hit all 18 greens in regulation on the final day and finished 17 under par.

O’Meara took up golf at the age of 13 when his family moved close to a golf course in California. He went on to play in five Ryder Cups, including in the victorious American sides of 1991 and 1999.

He represented the US in two Presidents Cups and won the World Cup for the US in 1999 with close friend Tiger Woods.

O’Meara continues his fund-raising efforts on behalf of long-time caddie Donnie Wanstall who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis during the 1994 Players Championship.

MAJOR TITLES: 2 EUROPEAN TOUR TITLES: 5 US PGA TOUR TITLES: 16

JERRY PATE DATE OF BIRTH: September 16, 1953 BIRTHPLACE: Macon, Georgia, USA JERRY Pate won his second US Champions Tour title last year with a two stroke victory over Fulton Allem and Jim Thorpe at the Turtle Bay Championship.

Pate joined the US Champions Tour in 2004 and won his first tournament two years later at the Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am. The win ended a 24-year title drought as his last victory was at The Players Championship in 1982, before constant shoulder injuries ended his days as a serious competitor on the US PGA Tour.

In his prime, Pate was considered one of the best players around. He played on the US PGA Tour from 1976-1995, with the exception of the 1993 season. His first victory was a Major and it came in his rookie season of 1976 at the US Open. He added the Canadian Open and was awarded both Rookie of the Year and joint Player of the Year (with Jack Nicklaus) that year. He won a further six US PGA Tour titles before his injury troubles began soon after his Players Championship win.

Surgery forced him to put back joining the US Champions Tour one year until 2004 and in 2005 he came close to winning his first Senior title at the Senior PGA Championship but was beaten in a play-off by Mike Reid.

In 2006 he finished the year 32nd on the money list after his maiden victory and a year later he finished 41st. Last year, after his second title, he finished 38th on the end of season rankings.

MAJOR TITLES: 1 US CHAMPIONS TOUR TITLES: 2 US PGA TOUR TITLES: 8 THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2009 - PAGE 61

PLAYER PROFILES

GARY PLAYER DATE OF BIRTH: November 1, 1935 BIRTHPLACE: Johannesburg, South Africa

MAJOR TITLES: 9 SENIOR MAJOR TITLES: 9 EUROPEAN TOUR TITLES: 12

US PGA TOUR TITLES: 24 EUROPEAN SENIOR TOUR TITLES: 5 US CHAMPIONS TOUR TITLES: 20

THE winner of 163 tournaments worldwide in his remarkable career, Gary Player is one of golf’s true legends.

The South African is one of only five players – along with Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods – to have won the ‘Grand Slam’ of all four Major Championships.

Player’s first Major came in The 1959 Open Championship at Muirfield, and he won it again at Carnoustie in 1968 and at Royal Lytham & St. Annes in 1974.

Player also won the US Open in 1965, the US PGA Championship in 1962 and 1972 and the Masters Tournament in 1961, 1974 and 1978. In his native country, Player has been the South African Open Champion on 13 occasions and the South African Masters Champion ten times. Between 1955 and 1982, he went 27 successive years winning two or more tournaments in each year.

When Player turned 50 at the end of 1985, he won the first US Champions Tour event he entered, and made it two out of three when he won the US PGA Seniors Championship early in 1986. He has won a total of nine Senior Major Championships including three Senior Open Championships – two at Turnberry in 1988 and 1990 and one at Royal Portrush in 1997.

Player won his first professional tournament in the UK here at Sunningdale in the 1956 Dunlop PGA 90-hole Tournament.

LOREN ROBERTS DATE OF BIRTH: June 24, 1955 BIRTHPLACE: San Luis Obispo, California, USA LOREN Roberts had an outstanding season on the US Champions Tour in 2007, winning the Charles Schwab Cup and finishing second on the money list.

He claimed his third Senior Major at the Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship and won The Boeing Championship at Sandestin. He posted an additional 12 top ten finishes throughout the season and beat Jay Haas into second place on the Charles Schwab Cup Points List by 165 points.

Roberts joined the Champions Tour in the summer of 2005 and made his first title a Major as he beat Dana Quigley in a two hole play-off at the JELD-WEN Tradition. A year later he won his second Major at The Senior Open Championship at Turnberry after beating Eduardo Romero in a play-off. He claimed three additional US Champions Tour titles that year but was edged into second place on the money list

by Jay Haas.

Roberts picked up his eighth US Champions Tour title last year with victory in the Commerce Bank Championship. This year he continued his record of winning at least one title each season on the US Champions Tour with victory at the ACE Group Classic and he currently sits in second place on the money list with an additional six top ten finishes so far.

Nicknamed the ‘Boss of the Moss’ by David Ogrin in 1985 due to his prowess on the putting green, Roberts remains one of the most consistent players on Tour.

PAGE 62 - THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2009

SENIOR MAJOR TITLES: 3 US PGA TOUR TITLES: 8 EUROPEAN SENIOR TOUR TITLES: 1

US CHAMPIONS TOUR TITLES: 9

COSTANTINO ROCCA DATE OF BIRTH: December 4, 1956 BIRTHPLACE: Bergamo, Italy COSTANTINO Rocca made his European Senior Tour debut on home soil in 2007 at the Sharp Italian Seniors Open at Circolo Golf Venezia, finishing tied 24th before claiming his first victory at the Irish Seniors Open two weeks later. He finished the season as the Rookie of the Year after winning his second title at the season ending Kingdom of Bahrain Trophy – Seniors Tour Championship to finish second on the Order of Merit.

Last season Rocca had another consistent year as he posted seven top ten finishes to end the campaign ninth on the Order of Merit.

Rocca is the most famous and accomplished golfer to come out of Italy, starting as a caddie and turning professional at the relatively late age of 24.

He earned his European Tour card by graduating through the Challenge Tour in 1989.

He became the first and only Italian to date to play in The Ryder Cup in 1993 and went on to play in the winning European teams of 1995 and 1997. His crucial 4 and 2 singles triumph over Tiger Woods in the 1997 Matches helped Europe to a dramatic 14½-13½ victory.

Rocca is perhaps best remembered for his fluffed chip shot followed by a magnificent 60-foot putt at the 18th at St. Andrews in The 1995 Open Championship to force a play-off with John Daly, which he subsequently lost.

EUROPEAN TOUR TITLES: 5 EUROPEAN SENIOR TOUR TITLES: 2

EDUARDO ROMERO DATE OF BIRTH: July 17, 1954 BIRTHPLACE: Cordoba, Argentina EDUARDO Romero has a strong affiliation with The Senior Open Championship having made his European Senior Tour debut at Royal Portrush in 2004 when he came close to making it his first Senior title, finishing in a tie for second place with Tom Kite, one stroke behind winner Pete Oakley. Three years ago he was beaten to the title by Loren Roberts in a playoff, in 2007 he was fourth and last year he finished in third place.

In 2005, Romero played on the European Senior Tour twice, finishing tied ninth at The Senior Open Championship at Royal Aberdeen before cruising to his first Senior victory at the Wentworth Senior Masters, where he finished eight strokes ahead of Luis Carbonetti and Nick Job. He won his first Senior Major a year later at the JELD-WEN Tradition on the US Champions Tour with a play-off victory over Lonnie Nielson. Romero also successfully defended his Wentworth Senior Masters title in 2006 by two strokes from Horacio Carbonetti.

Last season Romero won three times on the US Champions Tour including his second Major at the US Senior Open. He claimed the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open in July before taking his Major tally to two at Broadmoor Golf Club. He collected his third trophy at the SAS Championship to end the season seventh on the money list.

Romero won his fifth US Champions Tour title earlier this season with a one stroke victory over Mark O’Meara and Joey Sindelar at the Toshiba Classic.

SENIOR MAJOR TITLES: 2 EUROPEAN TOUR TITLES: 8 EUROPEAN SENIOR TOUR TITLES: 2

US CHAMPIONS TOUR TITLES: 5

THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2009 - PAGE 63

PLAYER PROFILES

SCOTT SIMPSON DATE OF BIRTH: September 17, 1955 BIRTHPLACE: San Diego, California, USA SCOTT Simpson claimed his first US Champions Tour title with a one stroke victory over Jay Haas and Danny Edwards at the Wal-Mart First Tee Open at Pebble Beach in his rookie season of 2006.

As well as his win Simpson had five other top three finishes during 2006 including runner-up spots at the Turtle Bay Championship and the Puerto Vallarta Blue Agave Golf Classic. He finished the season sixth on the money list, collecting $1,340,676 in prize money.

Simpson was a regular on the US PGA Tour between 1979 and 2005, playing in 597 events, making 403 cuts and earning $6,778,273 in prize money. He won seven titles with his finest year coming in 1987 when he won the US Open at The Olympic Club. Having also won the Greater Greensboro Open that year, Simpson ended the season a career high fourth on the money list and competed for the USA in The Ryder Cup. Simpson joined the US Champions Tour after turning 50 in September 2005 and played just four events. Prior to turning 50, he played in nine events on the US PGA Tour and two tournaments on the Nationwide Tour.

Last year Simpson passed the $1million mark in season earnings for the second time on the US Champions Tour after nine top ten finishes including runner-up at the Boeing Classic and tied third at the US Senior PGA Championship.

MAJOR TITLES: 1 US PGA TOUR TITLES: 7 US CHAMPIONS TOUR TITLES: 1

JEFF SLUMAN DATE OF BIRTH: September 11, 1957 BIRTHPLACE: Rochester, New York, USA JEFF Sluman joined the US Champions Tour in 2007 after turning 50 in early September and played in five events, posting four top 20 finishes.

Prior to that he played in 21 US PGA Tour events and made eight cuts with his best result a tied ninth at the US Bank Championship in Milwaukee.

Sluman joined the US PGA Tour in 1983 and made his first title a Major. He claimed the 1988 US PGA Championship after overturning a three stroke overnight deficit from Paul Azinger to win by three shots with a six under par 65. He had to wait nine years for his next piece of silverware which came at the 1997 Tuscon Chrysler Classic.

He then claimed the 1998 Greater Milwaukee Open and the 1999 Sony Open in Hawaii before taking home the B.C. Open in 2001. In 2002 he won his second Greater Milwaukee Open title.

Last year Sluman found himself in the winnerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s circle on the US Champions Tour for the first time at the Bank of America Championship after a two stroke victory over Loren Roberts. He later claimed his second victory of the season at the Walmart First Tee Open at Pebble Beach and ended the year fourth on the money list.

This season Sluman has five top ten finishes to his name including runner-up at the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf.

Sluman started playing the game at the age of four but didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think about turning professional until after his final year of college.

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MAJOR TITLES: 1 US PGA TOUR TITLES: 6 US CHAMPIONS TOUR TITLES: 2

DES SMYTH DATE OF BIRTH: February 12, 1953 BIRTHPLACE: Drogheda, Ireland DES Smyth has played much of his golf since turning 50 on the US Champions Tour, after winning Qualifying School there in 2002. In his rookie season in 2003 he had a second and a third place among ten top ten finishes, which earned him $959,600 and 18th place on the money list.

He had his best season in 2005. After starting the season as a conditionally exempt player, he won twice in five starts at the SBC Classic and at the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf. He also came close to victory at The Senior Open Championship but lost to Tom Watson on the third hole of a play-off.

He ended the year tenth on the US Champions Tour Money List, crossing the $1million mark in season earnings for the first time in his career. Smyth also enjoyed victory at the season ending The Kingdom of Bahrain Trophy – Seniors Tour Championship on the European Senior Tour and finished third on the Order of Merit.

In 2007 he won his second European Senior Tour title at the Wentworth Senior Masters and posted two further top ten finishes as well as five top tens on the US Champions Tour. Last year Smyth notched three top tens on the European Senior Tour including runner-up at the Irish Seniors Open.

His best result on this year’s US Champions Tour is a tie for fifth place at the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf while he has managed three top tens on the European Senior Tour.

EUROPEAN TOUR TITLES: 8 EUROPEAN SENIOR TOUR TITLES: 2 US CHAMPIONS TOUR TITLES: 2

CRAIG STADLER DATE OF BIRTH: June 2, 1953 BIRTHPLACE: San Diego, California, USA CRAIG Stadler, winner of 13 US PGA Tour titles including the 1982 Masters Tournament, enjoyed his best season on the US Champions Tour in 2004 when he won a career best five titles, including the JELD-WEN Tradition, to top the money list with $2,306,066. He was voted Player of the Year and also won the Byron Nelson Trophy for the best scoring average (69.30) – an award he retained the following year.

After turning 50 in June 2003, Stadler, nicknamed the ‘Walrus’, made history when he became the first US Champions Tour player to win a US PGA Tour event at the B.C. Open. The previous week, Stadler had made his first US Champions Tour title a Major at the Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship, becoming the youngest winner of the event.

He won a further two US Champions Tour titles, ending the year 14th on the money list and winning the Rookie of the Year Award. After his stunning season in 2004 Stadler finished ninth on the money list in 2005 with $1,274,719.

Stadler hasn’t won since 2004 but has made eight runner-up finishes with two in 2005 and 2006, one in 2007, two in 2008 and one so far this season.

Stadler teamed up with Jeff Sluman at the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf in April but Bernhard Langer and Tom Lehman defeated them at the second extra hole of a play-off.

MAJOR TITLES: 1 SENIOR MAJOR TITLES: 2 EUROPEAN TOUR TITLES: 2

US PGA TOUR TITLES: 13 US CHAMPIONS TOUR TITLES: 8

THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2009 - PAGE 65

PLAYER PROFILES

SAM TORRANCE DATE OF BIRTH: August 24, 1953 BIRTHPLACE: Largs, Scotland

SAM Torrance is a Ryder Cup legend having been a winner for the European Team as both a player and as Captain. He played in eight Ryder Cups and was victorious three times – in 1985, 1987 and 1995 (the 1989 Match was halved) before a winning Captaincy in 2002 at The Belfry.

Since turning 50 in August 2003, Torrance has had a stellar career on the European Senior Tour.

He played in three events at the end of 2003 and then earned his card for the US Champions Tour for the 2004 season. However, midway through his campaign he decided to return home to spend more time with his family. He won his first European Senior Tour title at the Wentworth Senior Masters later that year to finish 18th on the Order of Merit. He then topped the Order of Merit in 2005 and 2006 after seven victories spread out over the two years – three in 2005 and four in 2006.

In 2007 Torrance won his ninth Senior Tour title at the Bendinat London Seniors Masters and last year he was victorious at the OKI Castellón Open España – Senior Tour Championship.

Earlier this season Torrance won the DGM Barbados Open to take his European Senior Tour victory haul to 11. He has banked more than €1million in his Senior Tour career so far.

EUROPEAN TOUR TITLES: 21 EUROPEAN SENIOR TOUR TITLES: 11

BRUCE VAUGHAN DATE OF BIRTH: September 10, 1956 BIRTHPLACE: Kankakee, Illinois, USA

DEFENDING champion Bruce Vaughan was an unlikely victor at last year’s Senior Open Championship as he beat the likes of Greg Norman, Bernhard Langer, Eduardo Romero and John Cook to the title.

Vaughan capped a superb four day run at Royal Troon with a 20 foot birdie putt to defeat fellow American Cook at the first extra hole of a play-off.

Vaughan had just two top ten finishes in 32 tournaments during his two seasons on the US Champions Tour before earning his first victory last year.

In 2007 his best result was runner-up at Dick’s Sporting Goods Open. The prize money of $140,800 helped him finish 44th on the money list.

Vaughan didn’t take up the game until the age of 20 when he began playing on his days off as a fireman in Hutchinson, Kansas. Former major league baseball pitcher and US Champions Tour player Ralph Terry helped him learn the game and Vaughan eventually turned professional in 1982 at the age of 26.

In 1994 Vaughan won twice on the US Nationwide Tour which saw him play his first full season on the US PGA Tour the following year.

PAGE 66 - THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2009

SENIOR MAJOR TITLES: 1 EUROPEAN SENIOR TOUR TITLES: 1

TOM WATSON DATE OF BIRTH: September 4, 1949 BIRTHPLACE: Kansas City, Missouri, USA

MAJOR TITLES: 8 SENIOR MAJOR TITLES: 5 US PGA TOUR TITLES: 39

EUROPEAN SENIOR TOUR TITLES: 3 US CHAMPIONS TOUR TITLES: 12

TOM Watson is a three time winner of The Senior Open Championship. He claimed play-off victories in both the 2003 and 2005 Championships, before winning for a third time at Muirfield in 2007 with a one stroke victory over Stewart Ginn and Mark O’Meara.

Watson is a true legend of the game, winning eight Majors. He was the US PGA Tour’s leading money winner five times, including four years in a row (1977-1980, and in 1984). He played on four Ryder Cup teams and captained the 1993 US Team to victory.

Watson’s first win on the US Champions Tour was at the 1999 Bank One Championship and his first Senior Major came at the 2001 US Senior PGA Championship.

Watson’s best season to date on the US Champions Tour was in 2003. As well as his Senior Open Championship win he won the JELD-WEN Tradition and took the runner-up spot at the US Senior Open. He topped the money list with $1,853,108 and won all of the US Champions Tour’s top honours, including the Arnold Palmer Award, the Jack Nicklaus Player of the Year Award, the Charles Schwab Cup and the Byron Nelson Trophy.

Last year Watson won two titles as he successfully defended his title at the Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am and then claimed the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf with Andy North.

IAN WOOSNAM DATE OF BIRTH: March 2, 1958 BIRTHPLACE: Oswesty, England WELSHMAN Ian Woosnam is one of Europe’s greatest golfers, having won 29 European Tour titles throughout his career, including one Major – the 1991 Masters Tournament. Woosnam played in eight Ryder Cups with Europe winning on four occasions and halving once.

In 2006 he was the European Captain and led his side to a stunning 18½-9½ victory – a feat he was honoured for with an OBE in the 2007 New Year’s Honours List. In 1987 Woosnam was named The European Tour’s Player of the Year and in 1992 he was given Honorary Life Membership.

He set six course records in his time on The European Tour, including a nine under par 60 at the Torras Monte Carlo Open in 1990 and two ten under par 62s later that year. He won his last European Tour title at the 2001 World Match Play Championship, beating Padraig Harrington 2 and 1 in the final.

Last year Woosnam claimed his first European Senior Tour title at the Parkridge Polish Seniors Championship with a one shot victory over Spaniard Domingo Hospital.

Woosnam was denied a dream victory on home soil by Peter Mitchell as he finished two shots behind the Englishman at the Ryder Cup Wales Senior Open, but he added a second title at the Russian Seniors Open to finish the season at the top of the Order of Merit with €320,120 in prize money.

MAJOR TITLES: 1 EUROPEAN TOUR TITLES: 29 US PGA TOUR TITLES: 2

EUROPEAN SENIOR TOUR TITLES: 3

THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2009 - PAGE 67

T O N Y J O H N S T O N E ’ S HOLE BY HOLE G U I D E

T

ONY Johnstone is one of the game’s great characters. In his notable career on The European Tour spanning 25 years he won six European Tour titles, including the Tour’s flagship event, the PGA Championship at Wentworth, (pictured left) plus 16 international titles.

He made his breakthrough on the European Senior Tour last year with a two-shot victory at the Jersey Seniors Classic, just four years after

being told he would never play golf again due to Multiple Sclerosis. Since joining the Senior Tour in 2006 he’s been in the top 20 on the Order of Merit each year and had 12 top ten finishes, earning more than €400,000 in prize money.

He was tied 11th in last year’s Senior Open at Royal Troon and last month finished third in the Irish Seniors Open in association with Failte Ireland and AIB Bank. Johnstone is also a popular golf analyst on Sky TV.

Tony Johnstone’s Old Course Overview THE OLD COURSE at Sunningdale Golf Club is a great heathland course and one of the true gems of the British Isles. It was originally designed by the great Willie Park and then redesigned by Harry Colt into a truly world-class layout, which it had to be to tempt The Senior Open Championship away from its traditional home on the links courses of England, Northern Ireland and Scotland. Having spoken to a few of the American players at the US Senior PGA Championship I know they’re all very excited about coming over to play Sunningdale.

The big thing about this course is that you don’t need to be a power player to do well here. You need accuracy and good course management and if you just go out slugging it around with a driver you’ll be packing your bags on Friday evening. You have to use your head and your positional sense – which is the way golf is meant to be played – and from that perspective I think that the Old Course is perfect for a Senior event.

Pictures by: Phil Inglis THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2009 - PAGE 69

T O N Y J O H N S T O N E ’ S HOLE BY HOLE G U I D E

HOLE 1

PA R 5 4 9 2 YA R D S

The opening hole offers a generous birdie opportunity and a great chance to get off on the right foot. The green is reachable for virtually all the guys in the field this week and I expect they’ll take it on. The tee shot is all important here. The difficulty is that it’s a right to left sloping fairway so you need to hit a left to right tee shot. I think the rough will be quite brutal this week so it’s really important to hold the ball on the fairway. If you manage that, the sensible second shot is to pitch it just short of the green. The green slopes from right to left so anything landing 15 or 20 yards short of the green should run on to the putting surface. You’re looking for a solid four here to start off the day with a smile.

HOLE 2 PA R 4 4 8 9 YA R D S This is a tough driving hole – particularly for anybody who hits the ball left to right – where you need to make sure you don’t give back the shot you’ve just gained on the first. The huge stand of trees down the left hand side of the fairway means you have to hit the ball from right to left off the tee. It’s a dog leg right to left and a fairly generous driving area so you can either hit driver and then a mid-iron or you can hit a three wood short of the road that crosses the hole, but that will leave you around 220 yards to the front edge. It’s a blind second shot but you can pitch your approach 20 or 30 yards short of the green and let it run on as the putting surface slopes quite steeply front to back. It’s quite a difficult green to hold the ball on and if you go over the back it’s not an easy up and down. It’s a really good test and if you start 4-4 you’re ahead of the game.

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Pictures by: Phil Inglis

HOLE 3

PA R 4 3 1 8 YA R D S

This hole has recently been redesigned with new bunkering around the green and it’s a great example of a short par four that can bite you quite quickly. You can have a go at the green with a driver, which is 300 yards to the front edge, but there are three fairway bunkers up the right and if you end up in any of those it’s a difficult shot to the green. If you miss the green left it’s also a tricky pitch because the green slopes hard left to right. The alternative, and the more sensible way to play the hole, is to hit a three wood or hybrid off the tee, which leaves you a sand iron into the green. A real risk and reward hole.

HOLE 4 PA R 3 1 5 6 YA R D S This hole goes steeply uphill to the green and club selection is all important here. The green slopes sharply from back to front with a tier running from right to left. If you come up short of that tier with any spin on the ball there’s a good chance it’ll run off the front of the green. If you go long it’s a really quick downhill putt. There’s also serious trouble waiting for you if you miss the green right or left so getting on the middle of the green is crucial. Like all the par threes on the Old Course it’s a lovely hole.

THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2009 - PAGE 71

T O N Y J O H N S T O N E ’ S HOLE BY HOLE G U I D E

HOLE 5

PA R 4 4 1 9 YA R D S

This is a beautiful hole from a raised tee. Most guys will be hitting something like a two iron or a hybrid off the tee, leaving a six or seven iron into the green. You could go driverwedge but there’s a really narrow gap between the fairway bunkers and the left hand rough and that’s probably not the sensible way of playing this hole. The green is one of the most difficult on the course to read. It looks flat but there are some very subtle borrows on it and it’s easy to get the pace wrong.

HOLE 6 PA R 4 4 3 3 YA R D S You could take driver here if it’s into the wind but the sensible way of playing the hole is probably to take a three wood and expect a mid to long iron into the green as there is a lot of heather and thick rough waiting for any wayward shots. The green slopes steeply from back to front and left to right. It’s another hole where going past the flag will leave you a seriously difficult two putt. If you end up in either of the two sand traps down the right hand side you’ll be left with a really difficult blind shot onto the green.

PAGE 72 - THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2009

Pictures by: Phil Inglis

HOLE 7

PA R 4 3 6 1 YA R D S

This is a blind tee shot over a mound and there’s a fairway bunker down the right. You can hit driver but the fairway slopes from right to left and anything that runs off left will be blocked out by the stand of trees about 100 yards short of the green. The more sensible option is a three wood then a five or six iron. It’s a fairly long, narrow green surrounded by bunkers and gorse, which will give you a lot of problems if you’re not accurate with your approach.

HOLE 8 PA R 3 1 9 3 YA R D S This hole is an absolute gem, in keeping with all the par threes here at Sunningdale. The green slopes hard from back left to front right. It will be a long iron and missing this green on any side will require a great up and down for par. Again, the putting surface has lots of subtle burrows which, along with the need for distance control, offer a stern challenge.

THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2009 - PAGE 73

T O N Y J O H N S T O N E ’ S HOLE BY HOLE G U I D E

HOLE 9 PA R 4 2 7 3 YA R D S This is a classic risk and reward par four. It’s well bunkered short of the green and the trap short right is the one you really want to avoid. It’s a steep faced bunker and if you end up in there it’s a really difficult shot into a double tiered green that’s angled from left to right. If the flag is at the back the shot becomes even more difficult. You can either opt for a long iron and then a sand wedge or you can have a go at the green with a three wood or a driver, either of which needs to move the ball from left to right to ensure you hit the green. There are a couple of hidden dangers here. A big stand of gorse left of the green should be avoided.

There’s also a sharp slope off to the left which will leave your ball on the tenth tee if you have a go with the driver and miss on that side. But, all in all, it’s a really good birdie opportunity.

HOLE 10

PA R 4 4 7 5 YA R D S

This is the signature hole here at Sunningdale. It’s a great driving hole with a high raised tee. There’s a fairway bunker down the left and two fairway bunkers down the right, which the longer hitters will be able to carry. But if you don’t, you’re almost guaranteed a five. You may opt for a three wood to lay up short of the bunkers and then a long iron or hybrid wood into the green. The green slopes from left to right and provides quite a big target but, again, it’s essential that you get your tee shot on the short grass. This is one of the most beautiful golf holes you’ll ever see and par here is always a good score.

PAGE 74 - THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2009

Pictures by: Phil Inglis

HOLE 11 PA R 4 3 2 2 YA R D S This hole doglegs from left to right and there is a fairway bunker down the left hand side. To the right of the green is a ditch and some trees.

It’s another hole that tempts you to have a go with the driver but the sensible play is a three wood or a hybrid off the tee then a sand wedge into the green. You’re hitting a blind tee shot over a heather covered mound and it’s essential to get the right line. If you hit driver and miss left it makes pitching to any left hand pin position virtually impossible – you’ll have no control and no realistic chance of a birdie.

HOLE 12 PA R 4 4 4 2 YA R D S There are fairway bunkers up both the left and the right side here and again the tee shot is very important.

Standing on the tee the fairway looks a lot wider than it really is so accuracy is key. The second shot is uphill to a green that slopes quite steeply from back to front. It’s another hole where you want to keep the ball below the flag. If you miss left there’s lots of gorse and rough and if you miss right you’ll be down a very steep bank, so anything off target here will make par a really tricky score to achieve.

THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2009 - PAGE 75

T O N Y J O H N S T O N E ’ S HOLE BY HOLE G U I D E

Pictures by: Phil Inglis

HOLE 13

PA R 3 1 8 5 YA R D S

Another beautiful par three. This hole plays downhill to a difficult green to get the ball close to the pin. There is a ridge that runs right across the putting surface from right to left. If you pitch anywhere on the downside of the ridge the ball will shoot off the back of the green, which slopes away from you.

Club selection and choosing your landing area are crucial.

HOLE 14

PA R 5 5 0 3 YA R D S

This is a fairly generous par five. There’s a bunker midway down the fairway that you need to avoid at all costs. If you end up in there the second shot will be very difficult as there’s a run of sand traps right up the fairway and you’ll find it very hard to make a four from that position. If you avoid the bunkers you have a great birdie chance to a very reachable and fairly flat green.

PAGE 76 - THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2009

HOLE 15 PA R 3 2 2 8 YA R D S This is the longest par three on the golf course. A hybrid or a three wood will get you to the back of the green.

The hole is well bunkered with traps to the left hand side and short of the green, which you want to avoid.

There is a slight tier running across the green from right to left but the length is the main difficulty here.

You’re just looking to get the ball in the middle of the green and a two is a bonus here.

HOLE 16 PA R 4 4 3 4 YA R D S This is another hole that has been redesigned and improved in the last couple of years. They’ve added two fairway bunkers up the left hand side and they’ve raised the two traps on the right hand side so that they’re slightly visible from the tee. There are also some new bunkers short of the green. The tee shot needs to be threaded between the bunkers. The second shot is blind and uphill to a green that slopes from back right to front left. You’d gladly take four fours for the week.

THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2009 - PAGE 77

T O N Y J O H N S T O N E ’ S HOLE BY HOLE G U I D E

HOLE 17

PA R 4 4 2 5 YA R D S

This is another hole where you have to decide carefully how you’re going to play it. There are two fairway bunkers down the right, the second of which you can’t see from the tee. The danger is that it’s a slight dogleg right but the fairway slopes quite hard right to left and anything pitching on the middle to left half of the fairway will run into the stand of trees to the left, blocking out your approach to the green.

A three wood or less from the tee is the sensible shot here, leaving a four or five iron in. The alternative is a driver from the tee, which takes out the fairway bunkers to the right but leaves quite a narrow fairway and anything going left will put you in trouble in those pine trees. It’s a sloping green and you always want to be short right of the flag, leaving yourself an uphill putt.

HOLE 18 PA R 4 4 2 3 YA R D S This a tremendous finishing hole and one of the most picturesque you’ll play in Britain. There are two fairway bunkers – one up the right and one up the left.

The one up the left is the danger bunker.

It’s 250 yards to carry it but you’re playing uphill so it plays longer than that and for some reason this sand trap acts like a magnet. The left hand side of the fairway is the place to be for an easier second shot and the green is angled from left to right and from back to front. There’s a bunker at the back of the green and if you get in there it’s a seriously difficult up and down, and beyond there is out of bounds. The tee shot is crucial and if you can get it anywhere on the left half of the fairway you’ll have a wonderful angle into the green. Par is a good score here.

PAGE 78 - THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2009

Pictures by: Phil Inglis

E u r o p e a n S e n i o r T o u r 2009 Schedule 27 Feb 01 Mar

Aberdeen Brunei Senior Masters presented by The Stapleford Forum

Mike CUNNING

€314,315

18 Mar 20 Mar

DGM Barbados Open – Royal Westmoreland , Barbados

Sam TORRANCE

€160,105

08 May 10 May

Son Gual Mallorca Senior Open – Son Gual Golf, Palma, Mallorca, Spain

Mark JAMES

€299,700

21 May 24 May

US Senior PGA Championship – Canterbury GC, Beachwood, Ohio, USA

Michael ALLEN

$1,516,209

05 Jun 07 Jun

Irish Seniors Open in ass. with Failte Ireland & AIB Bank – Ballybunion GC

Ian WOOSNAM

€350,000

12 Jun 14 Jun

Jersey Seniors Classic – La Moye GC, Channel Islands

Delroy CAMBRIDGE

£140,000

19 Jun =21 Jun

Ryder Cup Wales Seniors Open – Royal Porthcawl GC Mid Glamorgan

Bertus SMIT

£500,000

25 Jun 28 Jun

De Vere Collection PGA Senior Championship – De Vere Slaley Hall

Carl MASON

£250,000

23 Jul 26 Jul

Senior Open Championship presented by MasterCard – Sunningdale GC

$2,000,000

30 Jul 02 Aug

US Senior Open* – Crooked Stick Golf Club, Carmel, Indiana, USA

$2,600,000

07 Aug 09 Aug

Bad Ragaz PGA Seniors Open – Golf Club Bad Ragaz, Switzerland

€220,000

21 Aug 23 Aug

Cleveland Golf/Srixon Scottish Senior Open Fairmont St. Andrews

£225,000

04 Sep 06 Sep

Travis Perkins plc Senior Masters – Duke’s Course, Woburn GC

£250,000

18 Sep 20 Sep

Casa Serena Open – Casa Serena Golf, Prague, Czech Republic

€600,000

16 Oct 18 Oct

Benahavis Senior Masters – La Quinta G&CC, Marbella, Spain

23 Oct 25 Oct

TBC

30 Oct 01 Nov

TBC

06 Nov 08 Nov

OKI Castellon Senior Tour Championship – Club de Campo, Spain

12 Nov 13 Nov

Qualifying School Stage 1 - Gramacho Pestana Golf Resort, Portugal

12 Nov 13 Nov

Qualifying School Stage 1 - Silves Golf, Pestana Golf Resort, Portugal

16 Nov 19 Nov

Qualifying School Final - Vale da Pinta, Pestana Golf Resort, Portugal

2 0 0 8 F i n a l E u r o p e a n S e n i o r T o u r Order of Merit Top 20 Rank Name

Country

Tournaments

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

WAL ENG ENG ESP SCO ENG ENG SCO ITA ESP

13 17 10 15 17 17 16 13 16 13

Ian WOOSNAM Gordon J BRAND Peter MITCHELL Juan QUIROS Bill LONGMUIR Nick JOB Carl MASON Sam TORRANCE Costantino ROCCA Domingo HOSPITAL

Prize Money €320,120 €257,744 €217,488 €190,164 €177,033 €162,683 €156,414 €152,753 €140,532 €124,660

Rank Name

Country

Tournaments

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

PAR ZIM USA JPN ARG ENG SCO IRL ESP AUS

11 13 15 12 16 17 16 13 15 10

Angel FRANCO Tony JOHNSTONE Jerry BRUNER Katsuyoshi TOMORI Luis CARBONETTI Bob CAMERON Ross DRUMMOND Eamonn DARCY José RIVERO Stewart GINN

Prize Money €121,252 €118,910 €118,543 €113,252 €110,251 €106,700 €106,343 €105,632 €103,852 €102,223

2 0 0 9 E u r o p e a n S e n i o r T o u r Order of Merit Top 20 as at July 19 Rank Name

Country

Tournaments

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

WAL RSA ENG PAR AUS ENG SCO ENG RSA NIR

7 7 2 8 7 5 8 6 7 8

Ian WOOSNAM Bertus SMIT Mark JAMES Angel FRANCO David MERRIMAN Carl MASON Ross DRUMMOND Roger CHAPMAN Bobby LINCOLN Jimmy HEGGARTY

Prize Money €106,714 €92,409 €79,204 €75,352 €74,885 €71,532 €71,499 €69,572 €53,971 €53,926

Rank Name

Country

Tournaments

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

IRL JPN ENG USA ENG SCO IRL ENG ZIM SCO

6 6 8 7 8 7 4 7 6 7

Des SMYTH Katsuyoshi TOMORI Bob CAMERON Bob BOYD Nick JOB Sam TORRANCE Eamonn DARCY Kevin SPURGEON Tony JOHNSTONE John CHILLAS

Prize Money €51,276 €50,721 €49,708 €49,614 €48,524 €47,460 €46,686 €42,295 €41,618 €41,244

THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2009 - PAGE 79

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS and OFFICIALS EUROPEAN TOUR/ EUROPEAN SENIOR TOUR George O’Grady Andy Stubbs Charles Perring Michael Petch Andy McFee Guy Hunt Derrick Cooper Kevin Feeney Kelly Tyrrell Carmel Treacy Lisa Collett Barrie Hill Mike McClellan Ivor Robson

Chief Executive, European Tour Managing Director, European Senior Tour Deputy Managing Director, European Senior Tour Tournament Director Chief Referee Rules Official Rules Official Rules Official Tournament Secretary Tournament Secretary Tournament Secretary Tournament Recorder Meteorologist Official Starter

THE R&A Hamish Ritchie Michael Brown

Captain Chairman, Championship Committee Gavin Caldwell Deputy Chairman, Championship Committee and Rules Official John Crawshaw Rules Official Richard Souter Rules Official Alan Caithness Rules Official Peter Dawson Chief Executive David Hill Director of Championships Johnnie Cole-Hamilton Assistant Director, Championships

CHAMPIONSHIP OFFICE

Edward Kitson Antonia Beggs

Rory Colville Charles Wale Cassandra Green Rashid Mumtaz Kate Styles Michelle Coene Victoria Harris George Griffith Louise Harrison

MEDIA CENTRE

Roddy Williams Steve Todd Kate Wright Alastair Buchan Phil Stambaugh

Championship Director Assistant Championship Director Championship Manager Championship Assistant Championship Office Coordinator Tournament Accounts Executive Client Services Manager Hospitality Services Manager Hospitality Client Services Executive Consultant Client Services Executive

Senior Press Officer Press Officer Media Relations Coordinator R&A Media Official Champions Tour Media Official

SCOREBOARD

Lee Wilkinson

Paul Dempster Frank Rogers Leo Bianca Jeanette Hocking

CHAMPIONS TOUR

Mike Stevens John White Brian Claar Butch Brooks Dillard Pruitt Jim Halliday Joe Terry Mike Shea

MASTERCARD

Walt Macnee Michael Robichaud Alison Giordano

Scoreboard & Information Services Manager Scoring Manager Scoreboard Co-ordinator Scoreboard Co-ordinator Scoreboard Co-ordinator President Vice President Player Relations Rules Official Rules Official Rules Official Rules Official Rules Official Rules Official President, International Markets Sr. Business Leader, Vice President, Global Sponsorships Business Leader, Vice President, Global Sponsorships

SUNNINGDALE GOLF CLUB

H.R. Holland Roddy Gamble Stephen Toon Murray Long Austen Gravestock Keith Maxwell Vince Reeves

Captain Vice Captain Club Secretary Course Manager General Manager Head Professional Caddiemaster

SUNNINGDALE GOLF CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP COMMITTEE

Charles Donald John Cox Ian Stungo Charles Harrison Geoffrey Vero Tim Trueman Andrew Aylwin Carole Caldwell

Chairman Past Captain Chairman of Greens Chairman of Golf Rules Liaison Media Liaison Marshals Liaison Scorer Liaison

MILL RIDE GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB

Stuart Gillett Ian Meek Terry Wild

General Manager Course Manager Head Professional

THE BERKSHIRE GOLF CLUB

John Hunt Chris Lomas Paul Anderson

Secretary Courses Manager Head Professional

CAMBERLEY HEATH GOLF CLUB

John Hiscock John Bunton Glenn Ralph

General Manager Course Manager Head Professional

Conditions of Play a) The Championship will be a 72 hole stroke play event with 18 holes being played each day. b) A field of 144 competitors will be eligible to play in the Championship. The field shall include all exempt and qualified Amateurs. c) Players not qualified under any of the exempt categories listed under section 4 of the entry form will be required to play an 18-hole stroke play qualifying round on Monday 20 July at either Camberley Heath Golf Club, The Berkshire Golf Club or Mill Ride Golf and Country Club. A minimum of 24 (total) spots will be available. Ties for qualifying and alternate places will be determined by hole-by-hole play-off. d) The field will play one round on each of the first two days, after which the leading 70 players (and those who tie for the 70th place) will go forward to the third and fourth rounds. e) In the event of a tie for the first place there will be a hole-by-hole play-off. f) Play shall be in accordance with the Rules of Golf as published by R&A Rules Limited and the Conditions of Competition and Local Rules as approved

by R&A Championships Limited and the European Senior Tour. g) The specimen conditions in the Rules of Golf are in effect as regards Driving Clubs, Conforming Golf Balls, One Ball Condition and Time of Starting.

PRIZE FUND BREAKDOWN (UK£1,000,000) 1

£191,270

38

£7,900

2

£127,580

39

£7,685

3

£71,820

40

£7,470

4

£57,400

41

£7,250

5

£48,630

42

£7,030

6

£40,170

43

£6,810

7

£34,420

44

£6,595

8

£28,670

45

£6,375

9

£25,720

46

£6,160

10

£22,920

47

£5,940

11

£21,115

48

£5,720

12

£19,670

49

£5,500

13

£18,375

50

£5,285

14

£17,625

51

£5,065

15

£16,870

52

£4,850

16

£16,120

53

£4,630

17

£15,370

54

£4,410

18

£14,800

55

£4,205

19

£14,340

56

£4,000

20

£13,915

57

£3,820

21

£13,525

58

£3,635

22

£13,140

59

£3,480

23

£12,750

60

£3,320

24

£12,365

61

£3,175

25

£11,975

62

£3,030

26

£11,560

63

£2,910

27

£11,200

64

£2,790

28

£10,810

65

£2,665

29

£10,450

66

£2,560

30

£10,110

67

£2,520

31

£9,770

68

£2,340

32

£9,455

69

£2,230

33

£9,150

70

£2,120

34

£8,875

71-90

£1,210

35

£8,605

91-110

£970

36

£8,365

111-130

£730

37

£8,120

131-144

£600

The approximate prize fund breakdown is based on an exchange rate of UK£1 = US$1.65.

The Fred Daly Award of UK£3,000 will be awarded to the leading professional aged 60 years or over returning the lowest aggregate score over 72 holes.

THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2009 - PAGE 80

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