A look at seven recognisable faces on the DP World Tour who have turned 50 in the last 12 months.
They say time waits for no man.
In the history of the DP World Tour, there have only been two winners over the age of 50, yet since the age of 50 Bernhard Langer has won nearly 50 times on the Legends Tour and PGA TOUR Champions.
He is just one of a host of players enjoying a second career among those close to his own age but even in the world of senior golf, there are always the young guns coming after you.
Here, we take a look at seven 50-year-olds with whom you may well be familiar who are making their ISPS HANDA Senior Open debuts this week.
Stephen Gallacher
DOB: 1/11/74
DP World Tour wins: 4
The elder statesman on our list, he was mapping out his senior career to the gathered press corps just a week after his 50th birthday as he strived to get his DP World Tour card back at the Qualifying School. He was not successful at INFINITUM and has truly embraced the Legends Tour, making seven appearances alongside his role as Junior Ryder Cup Captain. The Scot has a DP World Tour career most would envy, claiming four wins in 664 appearances, putting him seventh on the appearance-makers list, and played in a victorious European Ryder Cup team on home soil in 2014.
Felipe Aguilar
DOB: 7/11/74
DP World Tour wins: 2
The Chilean enjoyed a remarkably consistent DP World Tour career, finishing inside the top 100 on the Rankings in eight of nine seasons from 2008, registering two victories. He has played little ranking golf since 2019 when he played on the HotelPlanner Tour but has been back inside the ropes this season after securing his PGA TOUR Champions card via the Qualifying School. A man who is known for doing Ironman triathlons, he's likely to be among the fittest players on display at Sunningdale this week.
David Drysdale
DOB: 19/3/75
DP World Tour wins: 0
Another remarkably consistent performer, the Scot made 576 DP World Tour appearances across 25 seasons before heading to Asia after losing his card in 2022. That gives him the unwanted record of the player with the most appearances without a victory but he was a runner-up four times, including at the 2020 Commercial Bank Qatar Masters where he agonisingly lost on the fifth hole of a play-off to Jorge Campillo. In his five Legends Tour appearances this season he has a second and a third having not finished outside the top 25 and is definitely one to watch as he seeks a first professional win in 19 years.
Darren Fichardt
DOB: 13/5/75
DP World Tour wins: 5
The fact the South African teed it up at last week's Open based on qualifying rather than past glories and finished on the same score as World Number Six Collin Morikawa probably tells you all you need to know about the impact Fichardt could make this week. Still a full Category Ten member of the DP World Tour, he earned his place at Royal Portrush by finishing fourth at his home open in March and was a runner-up just last season as he sought a sixth victory. He finished second on his Legends Tour debut at the OFX Irish Legends and followed that with a top ten at the Senior PGA Championship as he juggles both DP World Tour and senior golf.
Søren Kjeldsen
DOB: 17/5/74
DP World Tour wins: 4
The ever-popular Dane has not retired from the DP World Tour but announced he was stepping back from day-to-day tour life after the Genesis Championship. His remarkable career has seen him make 713 DP World Tour appearances - fourth on the all-time list behind just David Howell, Miguel Ángel Jiménez and Sam Torrance - claiming four wins and a World Cup for Denmark alongside Thorbjørn Olesen. He could be well-suited to the senior game as he would be the first to admit he has never relied on length and power and he cantered to an eight-shot victory at the PGA TOUR Champions Qualifying School in December. He already has two runner-up finishes on that circuit as he prepares for a first senior appearance on his home continent.
Anthony Wall
DOB: 29/5/75
DP World Tour wins: 2
It's a true home game this week for the Englishman, who has been a member at Sunningdale since he was a junior. He finished in the top 100 on the DP World Tour in his rookie season in 1998 and did the same for the next 14 years, achieving the feat 18 times in total before retiring in 2018. His two victories on the DP World Tour came 16 years and 204 days and 431 events apart, a record for both margins, and his return to the fairways since May saw him achieve a top ten on his Legends Tour debut at the Costa Navarino Legends Tour Trophy. Since his retirement from playing on the DP World Tour, Wall has become one of the most recognisable voices on tour, doing on-course commentary on the world feed.
David Howell
DOB: 23/06/75
DP World Tour wins: 5
The baby of the bunch having turned 50 just last month, Howell may be the most famous of all the players on this list. His DP World Tour career has been remarkable, with his 726 appearances the most by any player in history. His five wins include taking down Tiger Woods at the HSBC Champions and winning the BMW PGA Championship later in the 2006 season en route to being ninth on the Official World Golf Ranking. But he may be best remembered as a Ryder Cupper, playing in the back-to-back 18½-9½ victories in 2004 and 2006 as Europe utterly dominated the United States. Howell is making his Legends Tour debut this week.
