Their combined ages total 88 and, between them they have won 43 European Tour titles, but even on a golf course which is physically taxing even for the young bucks on Tour, Ian Woosnam and Mark McNulty showed the youngsters how it should be done in the second round of the Celtic Manor Resort Wales Open.
McNulty, at 46, is the most prolific non-European money winner on the Tour. Woosnam, four years his junior, has accumulated both money and titles since the early eighties and holds the distinction of claiming a major championship for Wales in the 1999 Masters tournament.
Now, this remarkable pair of ‘fortysomethings’ head into the weekend at the splendid Celtic Manor Resort sharing the lead with a seven under par total of 137. McNulty, the man with the silky putting touch from Zimbabwe, covered the closing three holes in four under par to catch the little man with the big heart, who had added a 69 to his opening effort of 68.
McNulty has not won on the European Tour since 1996, Woosnam since 1997, but they lead by one stroke at halfway from Dane Steen Tinning and a back to form Ross McFarlane, who has finished 154th and 139th in the Volvo Order of Merit in the last two years.
However McNulty snorted his disapproval at the idea that golfers beyond the age of 40 can still be winners. After sinking his second shot from 108 yards for an eagle two at the 16th – promptly followed by two birdies – he said: “Everybody’s going on about us ‘fortysomethings’ and veterans but, really, one’s got to look at experience. If a guy is playing well and he’s got experience then he’s going to be in with a shot. Hopefully by Sunday evening I’m going to be in with a shout.”
Woosnam, the darling of the home crowds, would dearly love to win in Wales in three different decades and laughed: “Any win anywhere would be acceptable at the moment!”
However he got serious enough to explain his longevity in the game. He said: “I think I’ve got a natural swing and it is a matter of Pete (Cowen), my coach, putting it back into the right slot.
“I’m hitting the ball 20 yards further. The swing is more consistent. It’s a bit like Neil Coles, who won on the Seniors Tour last week. He’s got that sort of swing which will last for a long long time because it’s down to natural ability. Sometimes the methodical one doesn’t last as long.”
McFarlane, whose one and only victory came in the 1997 Deutsche Bank Open-TPC of Europe, has, by his own admission, spent a couple of years in the wilderness which attempting to get his driving back on track.
A switch to a new driver and a new golf ball has added the necessary yards and accuracy to put him on the road to recovery and he hit a second round 68 for a six under par total of 138, to draw level with Tinning who came home in 33 for a 68 of his own.
Several players remain in close touch on five under par. One of them, Raymond Russell of Scotland, showed McNulty the way at the 16th by holing out himself for an eagle two – in his case with a sand wedge from 87 yards.
The Welsh challenge doesn’t rest purely on Woosnam’s broad shoulders. The dragon also breathed fire in the shape of Newport’s favourite son, Phillip Price, who climbed within two of the lead at one stage but dropped two shots late on and finished with a 70 for 141, three under par. David Park is also right in the picture on 140 after a second round of 71.
Day 2 Video HIghlights
