England’s Warren Bennett, the most successful player in the European Challenge Tour’s 17 year history, returns to the tour that launched his career this week at the Peugeot Challenge R.C.G El Prat at the new, Greg Norman designed, Real Club de Golf El Prat, Barcelona, Spain.
Bennett has not played on the Challenge Tour since he dominated the Rankings in 1998 when he finished the year as the undisputed Number One with a record five tournament victories to his name, adding those titles to the two he had already won in seasons 1995 and 1997.
The 33 year old, who won The European Tour’s Scottish PGA Championship in 1999, has suffered a plethora of neck and spinal injuries since finishing 29th on the Order of Merit in 2001, but is hopeful that he has found the solution to his problems after refining his golf swing and gaining 20lbs of muscle in a bid to prevent a recurrence of the conditions that have plagued his career.
Bennett last played in a competitive European Tour event at the 2004 Barclays Scottish Open but is optimistic about his return to action at the first event of the 2005 Challenge Tour Schedule on mainland Europe.
“These injuries have been an ongoing process for the last few years but in the last nine months – since Loch Lomond last year – I have had to go through a period of evaluation that included asking myself the question of do I want to continue with a career in golf,” said Bennett.
“I do want to do that, so I have changed things to give myself a chance of being able to play. My technique is different now, which enables me to neutralise the pressure on my spine and neck. I have gained 20 lbs of muscle, which I had to do as another exercise of prevention of pressure on the spine, and so far it has worked well for me.
“One of the most frustrating things about my injuries was that I had so many people telling me how good my golf swing was, but in reality every time I played a lot or practiced hard I was breaking down with the same problems. One of the most encouraging things about the changes I have made is that I have been able to practice hard without reaction and I am hoping to get the same results when I return to a competitive environment.
“I am looking forward to getting back out there and playing. I haven’t played on the Challenge Tour since 1998 and even though I won a lot of tournaments back then, I feel as though I am starting from scratch. There are a good few players on the Challenge Tour who have been regulars on the main Tour before and we are all in the same position. It doesn’t matter what you have done in the past, you have to look forward.
“I don’t know how it’s going to go for me. To be honest, I could go out there and win or miss the cut by ten shots, I just don’t have a clue what will happen. I would be happy to finish the week having played four rounds of competitive golf and being clear of injury or any problems.”
Bennett may know all about the rigours of the Challenge Tour having finished as Number One in 1998, but, as he himself astutely pointed out, he will meet a new generation of Challenge Tour players eager to make their way onto The European Tour via the 2005 Rankings.
Ireland’s David Higgins is currently leading that race with €60,139, with Argentina’s Rafael Gomez in second spot and South Africa’s Andrew McLardy and Scotsman Gary Orr in a tie for third place.
