Confidence is one of those attributes all professional sportsmen covet, yet by its very spectral nature you cannot see it, hold it or know when it will arrive or leave – it is such an elusive state of being.
However, there is no question that when it is prevalent throughout body and mind, confidence is manifested through achievement and in 2007, no more so was it evident than in the remarkable accomplishments of England’s Carl Mason.
The 54 year old sent records tumbling and set new standards of excellence with the outstanding quality of his golf, becoming the most prolific winner in Europe in 2007 after his unrivalled five tournament victories – the Ryder Cup Wales Seniors Open at Conwy (Caernarvonshire) Golf Club, Wales; Bad Ragaz PGA Seniors Open at Golf Club Bad Ragaz, Switzerland; European Senior Masters at the Duke’s Course, Woburn Golf Club, England; the PGA Seniors Championship at The Stoke By Nayland Golf Club, England; and the OKI Castellón Open de España Senior at Club de Campo del Mediterráneo, Spain.
Those wins swept him to a third John Jacobs Trophy – his other European Seniors Tour Order of Merit triumphs coming in 2003 and 2004 – and he completed the season as the first man to pass €400,000, with his record earnings of €412,376, beating his previous best total of €354,743 set in 2004.
Not only that, but he also became the leading money winner in European Seniors Tour history when he overtook the previous holder, England’s Tommy Horton, at the pinnacle, which Mason now tops with €1,642,960.
The scale of that staggering success is put into context by the fact that, in 25 years on The European Tour, Mason earned €1,684,040 and won five titles worldwide. In less than a fifth of that time as a senior golfer, he is close to surpassing that sum and has 19 victories to his name.
Why has he been able to perform so well since turning 50, and especially in 2007? He is in no doubt: “It’s having the confidence to win,” he said. “It makes all the difference to everything – the way you approach playing, the way you feel on the course and play when you’re in a position to win.”
Although he won the Ryder Cup Wales Seniors Open in June, Mason’s purple patch began with his win in the Bad Ragaz PGA Seniors Open in August. A runners-up spot to Scotland’s Bill Longmuir in The Midas English Seniors Open at St Mellion International Hotel Golf and Country Club, England, was duly followed by consecutive tournament victories, as he retained the European Senior Masters and then captured the PGA Seniors Championship after four consecutive rounds of 67.
The last two successes gave Mason satisfaction for different reasons; his inner fortitude to snatch a win from the jaws of defeat with two late birdies in the former, and then a metronomic level of consistency to lead from the front in the latter.
After some welcome rest with the subsequent breaks in the schedule, Mason duly set a new record earnings when the €48,750 he claimed in October for win number five of 2007 – the OKI Castellón Open de España Senior, took his winnings to €401,747 with one event left to play. When he finished tied eighth and won €10,629 at the season’s grand finale, The Kingdom of Bahrain Trophy - Seniors Tour Championship at the Buckinghamshire Golf Club, England, his third John Jacobs Trophy and final tally of €412,376, was assured.
“I am delighted. My goal was to win the Order of Merit again this season, and it really has been a wonderful year for me,” he said. “The European Seniors Tour is fantastic and I’m very grateful for all that it’s done for my career. All the players are. It’s strong, competitive and we get to play great golf courses around the world.”
That statement was borne out by the many other fine champions who tasted glory on the 2007 schedule, in a variety of fabulous locations.
England’s Gordon J Brand started the 2007 season in exactly the same winning manner he finished the 2006 one, after storming through the field to capture the DGM Barbados Open title at Royal Westmoreland, Barbados, in March. Although the season’s opener may have had a touch of déjà-vu about it, the remainder of the year certainly could not be described in that fashion. Not when it boasted two first time winners, Italy’s Costantino Rocca and South Africa’s Bobby Lincoln; not when England’s greatest golfer Nick Faldo turned 50 and made his debut at The Senior Open Championship at Muirfield; and definitely not when Mason rewrote the record books in such scintillating fashion.
The campaign might have begun in March with Brand’s Caribbean success, but it was not until May that it got underway in earnest and it was another Englishman, Nick Job, who won. He defeated compatriot Martin Poxon at the first hole of a sudden-death play-off at the Gloria Golf Resort, Turkey, to capture The Gloria Classic.
A week later, New Zealand’s Simon Owen confirmed his return to form by capturing the Sharp Italian Seniors Open via a four-man play-off at the magnificent Circolo Golf Venezia, Italy.
A total of 29 European Seniors Tour Members then travelled to the United States and the Ocean Course, Kiawah Island, South Carolina, for the first Major of the season, the 68th US Senior PGA Championship. Denis Watson of Zimbabwe secured a two stroke win with a 72 hole aggregate of nine under par 279 to become the first international player to win the Championship since Gary Player in 1990.
As the Tour returned to European soil, Italian Ryder Cup star Rocca celebrated his first win as a senior golfer when he closed with a final round of one under par 71 to capture the AIB Irish Seniors Open, in association with Greenstar and Fáilte Ireland, at the PGA National, Palmerston House, Co.Kildare, Ireland. He was duly followed by another debutant into the Senior winners’ ranks when Lincoln won the Jersey Seniors Classic at La Moye Golf Club, Jersey. The 53 year old from Johannesburg posted rounds of 71-67-67 for an 11 under par aggregate of 205 and a two shot victory over Bill Longmuir.
After Mason’s first win of the season in Wales, at the next event Scotland’s Sam Torrance, the man who pipped him to the Order of Merit in 2005 and 2006, held his nerve to produce a magnificent up-and-down on the final hole to secure a one stroke victory over Spain’s José Rivero in the Bendinat London Seniors Masters at The London Golf Club, England, for his second success in three editions of the tournament. Added delight came for Torrance given it was also his first win in partnership with his son Daniel on the bag. “It is extra special to do it with my son,” he said.
Torrance came close to emulating the victory two weeks later in the US Senior Open at Whistling Straights, Wisconsin, USA, but American Brad Bryant held off the challenge of the Scot and the rest of the field to win by three shots from Ben Crenshaw.
The season continued the following week and, as the Tour de France was nearing the completion of its first Alpine stage, the European Seniors Tour crowned its own king of the mountains. In the imposing shadow of Mont Blanc, Spain’s Juan Quiros captured the Open de France Senior de Divonne at Golf du Domaine de Divonne, France, by one shot from England’s Tony Allen. Instead of pulling on a yellow jersey, however, Quiros left with a cheque for €48,750.
Having turned 50 on July 18, six-time Major Champion Faldo was eligible to tee up at The Senior Open Championship, presented by Aberdeen Asset Management, at Muirfield, Scotland – the scene of two of his three Open Championship victories – to make his eagerly awaited senior debut.
He duly found the experience to his liking – firing an opening round of 67 to finish co-leader – but after suffering with his putting over the next two rounds, he could only watch in admiration as another golfing legend – American Tom Watson – emerged the victor.
Watson proved his talent for links golf remains as brilliant as ever after he won a record equalling third Senior Open by one shot from Australia’s Stewart Ginn and compatriot Mark O’Meara. He overcame a double bogey finish to capture his second triumph at Muirfield – to go alongside the 1980 Open Championship – and his 13th Major victory overall of a stellar career with his 284 level par return.
The Tour duly returned to its home turf at Wentworth Club, England, and the Edinburgh Course for the Wentworth Senior Masters, where Ireland’s Des Smyth closed in three under par 69 to win in front of record crowds. The 2006 European Ryder Cup Vice-Captain captured the Green Jacket by two shots from former Open Champion Bob Charles, the 71 year old New Zealander beating his age with a round of 70 on the final day. “So many great players have won here before and it is very special to add my name. I lost the PGA Championship in a play-off to Rodger Davis in 1986, so this makes up for that,” said 54 year old.
From that juncture in the season, so began Mason’s superb summer, punctured only by Longmuir in The Midas English Seniors Open, which Mason had won three years consecutively. Starting the final round one behind Mason, Longmuir fired a closing 69 to deprive his principal rival by a two shot margin. “I thought I’d forgotten how to win,” said the Scot. “It’s a long time since 2005. What made it harder was that I was up against Carl. He won last week at Bad Ragaz and has had four great years in this event, so I’m really proud that I held him off.”
Following Mason’s two subsequent wins in England and a fortnight’s break in the schedule, Scotland’s John Chillas ended a three year wait for his third European Seniors Tour title when he beat England’s Glenn Ralph at the fourth hole of a sudden-death play-off to win the Scandinavian Senior Open at Royal Copenhagen Golf Club, Denmark. “It is good to know that I can still come up with the goods when it really matters,” said Chillas, who would have dearly loved to triumph the following week too in his native country, but it was Spain’s José Rivero who closed with a battling two under par 70 to claim his third European Seniors Tour title in the Charles Church Scottish Seniors Open at the Marriott Dalmahoy Hotel and Country Club, Edinburgh, Scotland.
The 56 year old former Ryder Cup player said: “It’s great honour to win here in Scotland. I did well in a couple of Scottish Opens and to win here means a lot to me.”
An exceptionally strong field, including nine of the top ten in the Order of Merit standings, descended on Rivero’s home country of Spain three weeks later to tee up at the Club de Campo del Mediterráneo for the OKI Castellón Open de España Senior, all seeking victory in the Tour’s penultimate tournament of 2007. Sergio Garcia returned to caddie for his father Victor on their home course where Mason won once more and Rocca, who came within one match of being a Ryder Cup colleague of Sergio Garcia, finished in the top ten before going on to win the season-ending Kingdom of Bahrain Trophy - Seniors Tour Championship at the Buckinghamshire Golf Club in England. With that Rocca secured second place in the European Seniors Tour Order of Merit behind the undisputed Number One for 2007 - Carl Mason.
Graeme Hamlett
