After rediscovering some old magic on his last European Senior Tour outing, Marc Farry has all the ingredients to deliver a performance befitting any perfect host at this week’s French Riviera Masters.
As the tournament heads to Terre Blanche Resort and Golf Club for the first time, Farry’s extra role as Tournament Ambassador sees the 53 year old year old from Paris liaise between tournament sponsors, promoters, officials and, of course, his fellow players, to ensure all involved parties get the most out of the €400,000 event.
It was Farry who got the most out of the inaugural staging of the French Riviera Masters in 2010 when he won the second Senior Tour title of his career in front of a delighted home crowd.
Now the Frenchman is determined to repeat that performance at Terre Blanche Resort and Golf Club against another high-quality field that includes Order of Merit leader and double Senior Major Champion Roger Chapman, Peter Fowler, Anders Forsbrand, Barry Lane, Terry Price, Sam Torrance and Ian Woosnam.
“I am looking forward to it and it is not just because I am involved a little bit in the organisation,“ said Farry, who finished in a tie for second place with Lane at the recent Pon Senior Open.
“There is something about playing in my own country that seems to make me play better and it gives me a lot of confidence every time I play in France.
“I love to try and play well in front of a home crowd because I think if you have a player from the host nation of any tournament playing well and having a chance to win then it can really add a lot to the competition.
“I also started to play a lot better in Germany a couple of weeks ago on a very tough course so I am very happy with where I am in terms of my golf game and my confidence. This game is just incredible though - when you start to play well and the confidence is there you just love it and love life, but as soon as you start to play terrible you want to hang yourself! It’s such an amazing game.”
Thankfully, Farry is fairly confident that, no matter how they perform on the golf course this week, his fellow Senior Tour professionals will have a truly enjoyable week at the magnificent
Terre Blanche Resort and Golf Club, the third European Tour Destination – alongside the London Golf Club and Le Golf National - within the European Tour Courses portfolio.
“I think the guys can expect to have a great week at Terre Blanche,” said Farry. “There is a great atmosphere there, a very nice ambience and I am sure they will enjoy the golf course.
“This year the course is totally different,“ explains Farry. “It is longer but a lot wider and has water hazards, trees and really huge bunkers. The bunkers are a real feature of the course - I think it is one of the best courses we will play in this year.”
