On the weekend when the qualification process gets underway for the European Ryder Cup Team to face the United States at The K Club in September next year, visitors to the Bovis Lend Lease European Senior Masters at Woburn will be able to see a host of players from Ryder Cups past.
Scotland’s Sam Torrance and Mark James and Neil Coles of England head a list of 12 former Ryder Cup players to have entered the £225,000 tournament, which takes place over the Duke's Course from September 2-4.
Torrance captained the European Team to a 15½-12½ points victory over the Americans at The De Vere Belfry in 2002, three years after James had led the Team at Brookline, USA. Between them they made 15 playing appearances in the competition as well as capturing 43 European Tour titles.
Coles – the oldest of the trio and the only man to win an individual professional event in six different decades – represented Great Britain & Ireland in eight Ryder Cups, winning 12 and halving seven of his Matches.
These wonderful memories will be to the fore once again when the four hit the famous fairways of Woburn, where James recorded a victory in the 1990 British Masters.
The previous four Bovis Lend Lease European Senior Masters have produced play of the highest quality and the emergence of worthy champions in Australian Bob Shearer (2001), Jamaica’s Delroy Cambridge (2002), Paul Leonard of Northern Ireland (2003) and Argentine Luis Carbonetti (2004).
Despite being in his ‘Rookie’ year on the Seniors Tour, Carbonetti showed no nerves when paired with Torrance in the final group last year and led throughout, finishing on seven under par to beat Scotland’s John Chillas by two strokes.
Other names to watch out for this year include England’s Carl Mason, who is currently leading the European Seniors Tour Order of Merit, while Giuseppe Cali of Italy, Australian Terry Gale, America’s Bob Lendzion, Denis O’Sullivan of Ireland, Australia’s Noel Ratcliffe, Englishman Jim Rhodes and Gery Watine of France have all won on the Tour during 2005.
However, do not ignore Seniors Tour newcomer Gordon J Brand of England, who represented Europe in the 1983 Ryder Cup and would be an apt winner given the circumstances.
The other players in the field to have made Ryder Cup appearances are Maurice Bembridge (England), Eamonn Darcy (Ireland), Peter Dawson (England), Antonio Garrido (Spain), Malcolm Gregson (England), Tommy Horton (England), Manuel Piñero (Spain) and Eddie Polland (Northern Ireland). Irish favourite Christy O'Connor was due to play but was forced out by injury.
