History will repeat itself on European soil as American John Daly has been pitted against Italy's Costantino Rocca for the first round of the Paris Legends Championship at Le Golf National, the host venue for The 2018 Ryder Cup.
Daly famously won The Open Championship, his second Major title, on The Old Course at St Andrews in 1995 after beating Ryder Cup star Rocca in a four-hole play-off.
The pair will be joined by Ryder Cup legend Sam Torrance for the first round of the inaugural tournament but they both admit they are good friends away from the golf course.
“It is a very good draw,” said Rocca. “We are all good friends. Even if John did beat me in 1995, we have stayed good friends.”
Daly added: “It’s a great group. We’ll have a lot of laughs out on the course, that’s for sure. And we’ve got Sam Torrance with us, and I love him.”
Daly, winner of the PGA Championship in 1991 and The Open in 1995, is making his regular European Senior Tour debut after turning 50 earlier this year, however, this is not his first appearance on European soil on the over-50s circuit, as he played in The Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex at Carnoustie in July.
The Paris Legends Championship is one of the latest additions to the European Senior Tour schedule, and Daly is determined to help make the event a regular occurrence.
“Keith (Pelley, CEO of the European Tour) has been great to me since I turned 50,” said Daly. “He really wants to make the Senior Tour a real success.
“My buddy Alexis (Sikorsky) is sponsoring this tournament and we want to make this a really prestigious event.
“The course is great, I played it a few years back. It’s a hard golf course, but it’s fun.”
Rocca is a former winner at Le Golf National, and one of four players in the 54-man field who have won the Open de France on this site – joining Phil Golding, Malcolm Mackenzie and Torrance.
“I won here in 1993 and I know the course,” said Rocca. “My game is feeling good but I’m a bit under the weather at the moment.
“I had a chance at Woburn but missed a couple of shots. Here is a different golf course and I’m going to give it my best to win again.”
Frenchman and 1999 Ryder Cup player Jean Van de Velde is also making his regular European Senior Tour debut this week after turning 50 in May.
An ambassador for the Open de France, which has been held at Le Golf National all but two years since 1991, Van de Velde said playing in the Paris Legends Championship was an opportunity too good to miss.
“It feels great competing, especially here in France,” said Van de Velde. “I’ve played a little bit since I turned 50, mainly in America. But having such a tournament here at Le Golf National, a course I know so well and love so much, it was a week I wasn’t going to miss.
“It’s been a few years since I last played a competitive season. I missed competing and I missed the adrenaline rush of playing golf.
“The field of players is amazing. I’m delighted that so many great players are coming to participate here. There course plays great and is in great shape.”
Rocca and Van de Velde are among a dozen former Ryder Cup stars taking to L’Albatros, with former captains Torrance and Ian Woosnam teeing it up on the future Ryder Cup venue.
