Roger Chapman will make his return to competitive golf at The Senior Open Presented by Rolex following surgery on May 21 to treat an impingement in his right shoulder.
The Englishman decided to undergo the procedure, known as a subacromial decompression, after a series of treatments failed to address lingering pain in the joint.
“I’ve had problems over the last couple of years,” the Englishman said. “I went to see a shoulder specialist in November and he did an X-ray and found some calcium deposits on the area which was in pain. We got rid of that with a needle, which was painful.
“It felt better but then over Christmas and the New Year I was back to square one. Sharjah wasn’t too bad because it was nice and warm, but then I played in America. It was cold there and I was in excruciating pain when I got back.”
The difficult decision to interrupt his competition schedule and have surgery came after consulting with a second shoulder specialist who this time used an MRI to diagnose Chapman with a bone spur.
“Every time I got into a certain position on my swing, the two bones pinched a tendon. I had a cortisone injection but that’s like putting a plaster on the problem.”
The Monday of this year’s KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship, the 59 year old had the operation.
“I had to pull out of that and the U.S. Senior Open,” said Chapman, who won two Senior Major Championships in 2012. “As a former champion I was gutted to miss those, as well as Bad Ragaz, WINSTON, Udine, and Denmark. It’s been hard to take because mentally I feel fine, it’s just the shoulder I couldn’t do anything with.”
Now, with recovery going better than expected, the Ascot resident is eyeing the Home of Golf and The Senior Open Presented by Rolex as the place to make his return.
“The Senior Open was always my goal,” he said. “My son Tom is coming over to caddie for me. I would guess that it’s the last time I’ll play a Senior Open at St Andrews unless it comes around in the next six or seven years.
“I played a lot of amateur golf there – the British Amateur, the European Team Championships there, a couple of Opens, Dunhill Links and Dunhill Cup when it was the team event. It’s a great town. There’s so much tradition there, even just walking around there’s a buzz. Everybody wants to play there.
“There was always that incentive to come back and get fit for it. I’d be gutted if I missed it.
“We’re going to give it a go and see how I react. I’m planning on playing the Staysure PGA Seniors Championship at the London Golf Club the following week, but I need to take it on a week-to-week basis. I’d love to play the Willow Golf Senior Classic and Travis Perkins Masters as well.”
Despite the setbacks, Chapman’s returns to action with plenty of opportunities left for him in the 2018 season.
He said: “I looked at the schedule and thought if I got back for the U.S. Senior Open and played everything that was available that’s still 12-13 events. A couple of years ago, 13 events was the whole season – and I’ve missed six months.
“David MacLaren and the team have done a great job of getting 19 events this year and we look forward to many more in the coming years.
The Tour is in great hands and with Staysure coming on board it has given us a great profile.”
The Senior Open Presented by Rolex will be played on the Old Course for the first time in its 32-year history. A record number of qualifiers, 636, will bid for a spot in the field at four different Monday qualifying sites on July 23.
Tickets starting at £13.50 can be purchasedhere,while under-16s and parking are free.
