Argentina’s Cesar Monasterio has been confirmed as European Senior Tour Rookie of the Year for 2014 after a superb start to his career in the senior ranks.
Monasterio becomes just the second South American to win the coveted award since it was launched in 1998, after Brazilian Priscillo Diniz in 2000, and the eighth non-European recipient and first since Thailand’s Boonchu Ruangkit four years ago.
Tucuman native Monasterio turned 50 last November and made his debut on the Senior Tour with a fourth place finish at the ISPS Handa PGA Seniors Championship in June, but it was in August when his season kick-started thanks to a rip-roaring opening round at the Home of Golf.
Monasterio, who won one title during his European Tour career – the 2006 St Omer Open - fired a sublime 61 during the first round of the SSE Scottish Senior Open at Fairmont St Andrews to equal the lowest 18 hole score in Senior Tour history.
The Argentinian eventually had to make do with a runner-up finish in Scotland as fellow rookie Mark Davis prevailed, but Monasterio did not have to wait long to go one better.
In what was just his fifth start on the over-50s Tour the following week at the English Senior Open, Monasterio completed a five-shot victory at Rockliffe Hall to become the fifth player to win an event on all three of The European, Challenge and Senior Tours after Antonio Garrido, John Bland, Constantino Rocca and Philip Golding.
Affable, charming and entirely likeable, the big-hitting Monasterio described the victory, fittingly, as “muy tranquilo” and said his objective over the last few years had been to prepare his game for senior golf.
"I played in South America a lot last year to prepare for the Senior Tour in Europe and it was always one of my big aims to play well here as it is a great Tour with great players,” he said.
“But one thing that needs to be better is my English! I am going to have to improve that – especially if I’m going to keep on winning!”
And he has never looked back.
In the events since, Monasterio put together a sterling run of form featuring six finishes inside the top 11 in his last seven tournaments and, amongst those, another runner-up finish at the French Riviera Masters at Terre Blanche earlier in October.
With just the MCB Tour Championship in Mauritius remaining in the 2014 Senior Tour calendar, Monasterio lies sixth on the Order of Merit having accrued earnings in excess of €160,000 – well within shooting distance of a top five finish in the race for the John Jacobs Trophy in just his first season on Tour.
Andy Stubbs, Managing Director of the European Senior Tour, said: “It’s been a pleasure to receive Cesar on the 2014 European Senior Tour and with his impressive golf game which includes his long hitting and yet his deft short game it’s been no surprise he has had such a successful year.
“We congratulate him on his achievements in 2014 and we are sure he will be around for many years to come.”
With his almost permanent smile in tow, the man from Argentina has taken to life in the senior ranks with great style and aplomb.
All conquering, the 2014 Rookie of the Year: Cesar Monasterio.
