Ryder Cup hero Sam Torrance heads a strong field for the Ryder Cup Wales Seniors Open which begins over the stunning Royal St David’s course in Harlech on Friday.
The Scot is joined by 2003 and 2004 European Seniors Tour Number One Carl Mason who arrives in Wales on the crest of a wave after a tremendous victory in last week’s De Vere Northumberland Seniors Classic and by Derrick Cooper who makes his Seniors Tour debut after an impressive career on The European Tour.
There are also places for four former champions – Denis Durnian, Seiji Ebihara, Bill Longmuir and Ray Carrasco – and for Eamonn Darcy and D.J. Russell who are both honing in on their first Seniors Tour victories after a number of close shaves.
Torrance arrives in Harlech having already won on this season’s Seniors Tour. He claimed a memorable victory over Russell at the recent Irvine Whitlock Seniors Classic at La Moye and is looking forward to the challenge that Royal St David’s will provide.
“Royal St David’s is sometimes described as the world’s toughest par-69 course and that’s probably a fair description,” he said. “It’s a great test of the golf and the majestic scenery makes it even more memorable. I’m looking forward to the challenge and know that a lot of my colleagues are too.”
Mason, who carded a course record 63 on his 52nd birthday while on his way to winning last week’s event at Slaley Hall, is another admirer of the rugged links at Royal St David’s.
“It’s a wonderful course,” said the man who has now claimed ten Seniors Tour victories in the last two years. “It rewards good golf and penalises you severely if you hit anything off line.
“We all know that we will have to be firing on all cylinders to be challenging for the title on Sunday.”
Cooper, winner of the 1988 Cepsa Madrid Open, arrives in Harlech fresh from refereeing at last week’s Seniors Tour event at Slaley Hall. He plans to play in Harlech and at the Senior British Open at Royal Aberdeen and then decide whether he wants to resume his competitive career or to continue working as a Tournament Director and Referee.
“To be honest, I don’t really know what I want to do at the moment,” said the man universally known on Tour as “Coops”.
“George O’Grady persuaded me to try a couple of events, if only to get the idea of playing out of my system, so I entered Wales and the Senior British to see what happens.
“It’s going to be interesting,” he added. “I haven’t played much at all for the last five or six years so it’s a bit of a journey into the unknown. I suspect I will get a bit of stick from the other players but I am looking forward to it and have been pleasantly surprised by how well I have been hitting the ball in practice.”
Last year American, Ray Carrasco, produced a phenomenal finish to claim the €112,503 (£75,000) first prize. He came to the last tied with compatriot, David Oakley, but then slotted a 45 foot birdie putt across the green to win by one shot on four under par 203.
This is the fifth year the Championship has been staged at Royal St David’s, the previous winners being Durnian (2001), Ebihara (2002) and Longmuir (2003). Longmuir currently holds the Championship record, set at eight under par 199.
On that occasion the Scot also snatched victory from the luckless Oakley, hitting a glorious six iron to within five feet of the hole on the 202 yard par three final hole to set up the winning birdie.
"That has got to be one of the best shots I have ever hit in my life," said the Scot, who won six times in Africa but never tasted success on the European Tour.
"I thought at the time that David and I were tied for the lead so I knew I needed a good one. For a while I thought it was going to drop into the hole.”
