By Ed Peters, europeantour.com
Of the many players to have had great careers on The European Tour, some have continued their success well into their 50s and 60s in the senior ranks.
The likes of Bernhard Langer, Colin Montgomerie, Sam Torrance and Tom Watson have all achieved great heights at both European Tour and European Senior Tour level but for others, their golfing lives have truly begun at 50.
In light of Simon P Brown’s victory at last month’s French Riviera Masters, from a player who has sprang to prominence since turning 50 in 2013, europeantour.com has identified ten players whose golfing careers were made on the European Senior Tour.
CARL MASON
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The European Senior Tour’s career money list leader, Carl Mason, has accumulated more prize more than any other player including the likes of Watson, Montgomerie and Langer. After turning professional in 1973 at the age of 20, the Englishman went onto play in 543 European Tour tournaments in a solid career, which included two victories in 27 years on Tour. However, it is since turning 50 in 2003 that Mason has truly shone, winning an astonishing 25 times on the Senior Tour, winning the John Jacobs Trophy on three occasions, to amass a whopping €2,658,381 in earnings, nearly €1million more than any other player on the career money list.
PAUL WESSELINGH
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Undoubtedly the main protagonist in one of the Senior Tour’s most memorable fairy-tale stories, Paul Wesselingh could serve as an inspiration for many aspiring Senior Tour golfers. After opting not to try full-time European Tour life in the 1990s in order to be close to his young family, the Englishman spent years preparing for life on the Senior Tour as the club professional at Kedlestone Park Golf Club in Derbyshire. Since turning 50 in 2011, Wesselingh has emerged as one of the Senior Tour’s leading lights. In 2012, he finished runner-up in his Senior Tour debut in Mallorca before winning the ISPS Handa PGA Seniors Championship en route to claiming the Rookie of the Year. Since then, he haswon a further seven times on the Senior Tour and topped the Order of Merit in 2013.
PETER FOWLER
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In playing some 300 events on The European Tour over a career spanning 25 years, Peter Fowler won once at the 1993 BMW International Open and finished runner-up on no fewer than six occasions. However, since reaching the all-important 50 milestone in 2009, Fowler has experienced some great success, accruing five wins, seven runner-ups and a further 26 top ten finishes The big Australian claimed the John Jacobs Trophy in 2011 and with two wins so far this season heading into the season-ending MCB Tour Championship in Mauritius, Fowler lies second in the Order of Merit.
GARY WOLSTENHOLME
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After an extremely impressive amateur career which included six Walker Cup appearances and two victories in the Amateur Championship, Gary Wolstenholme turned professional in 2008 two years before he was eligible for the European Senior Tour. After failing to get his full European Tour card that same year, Wolstenholme kick-started his professional career in 2010 by triumphingin just his second start on the Senior Tour at the Casa Serena Open. Two further wins and several other top ten finishes on have provedthe Englishman has more than found his feet as a senior professional.
DENIS O'SULLIVAN
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Currently ninth on the Senior Tour career money list with €1,371,051 in earnings to his name, you would think Denis O’Sullivan had been playing professional golf his whole life. However, the man from Cork, Ireland only joined the paid ranks at the age of 50 after a career in banking. Since then, O’Sullivan has gone onto win on six occasions and has a further 42 top ten finishes since turning professional in 1997.
ROGER CHAPMAN
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Roger Chapman had to wait until his 472ndstart as a European Tour professional before capturing his first win at the 2000 Brazil Rio de Janeiro 500 Years Open. Chapman went onto play 619 tournaments on The European Tour and even had a brief spell as a Tour Rules Official before turning 50 in 2009. However, it was in the Senior ranks that he made history by becoming the first Englishman to win the US Senior PGA Championship and the US Senior Open in 2012 en route to the John Jacobs Trophy. Chapman also joined Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Hale Irwin as the only players to do the double in the same season. In addition to his two senior Major championships, Chapman has had a further three runner-ups and four third place finishes on the Senior Tour.
BOONCHU RUANGKIT
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As one of Asia’s greatest golfing ambassadors, Boonchu Ruangkit played 51 times on The European Tour - most recently at the 2015 UBS Hong Kong Open – and claimed five victories on the Asian Tour. However, it was on the Senior Tour that Ruangkit made his mark on European golf by topping the 2010 Order of Merit after notching three wins in seven appearances during the season. The Thai native would go onto claim another victory that year and receive earnings of €266,609 from just 17 tournaments. The following season, Ruangkit made a respectable defence of his Order of Merit crown, finishing in sixth place and claiming his fifth win to boot.
NICK JOB
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After playing for 20 years on The European Tour whilst working as the club professional at Richmond Golf Club in London, Nick Job is currently at number three on Senior Tour career money list having amassed €1,688,487 compared to the €144,787 he earned on The European Tour. Since turning 50 in 1999, Job has emerged victorious five times and has finished inside the top ten on a further 66 occasions.
JUAN QUIROS
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In a career spanning 25 years on The European Tour, Juan Quiros made 193 appearances with 12 top ten finishes. However, the Spaniard has flourished in life on the Senior Tour, notching four wins and a further 35 top ten. Quiros has earned more than €1million in prize money from his nine years as a senior professional and sits 19th on the career money list.
SIMON P BROWN
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Simon P Brown spent much of his career as head professional job at Golf Club Rhein-Sieg in Bonn, Germany focussing on teaching. However, after turning 50 in 2013, the Englishman tried his luck at the Senior Tour Qualifying School, where he earned his card for the 2014 season after finishing in second place. Brown then continued his fine form by winning twice in his rookie campaign on his way to a third place finish in the Order of Merit and . Brown finished inside the top ten on three occasions in 2014 and added a third win this year at the French Riviera Masters.
