Staysure Tour Number One Phillip Price will return to the Indian Ocean and the MCB Tour Championship, a year on from losing in a play-off in Seychelles.
The Welshman, who has topped the Order of Merit since the beginning of September, lost out to Roger Chapman at the MCB Tour Championship – Seychelles in 2018, but returns to the Indian Ocean and will be one of 48 players to make their debut at the MCB Tour Championship – Madagascar when the three-event final series gets under way from November 29 to December 1.
Chapman sank a 30-foot eagle putt to clinch his first over-50s title since 2012 and beat Price but a runner-up finish was good enough to see the three-time European Tour winner end the year second in the Rankings. A year on, The 2002 Ryder Cup hero, who won his second Staysure Tour title at the Staysure PGA Seniors Championship in August, will head to the season-ending events with the chance to clinch the John Jacobs Trophy.
With the season-long award set to go down to the wire once again, Price cannot think of a better way to bring the campaign to a close.
“It’s a great way to end the year,” he said. “The Indian Ocean Swing is a good finish to the season. We’ve got a bit of a gap before it begins so everyone is looking forward to getting away by then.
“The play-off lost spurred me on a little bit for this season. I finished fourth in Mauritius and second at the end of the year, which was nice, because I’d had a quiet end to the season before that. It was a good end to the year because I finished second on the Order of Merit and I was looking forward to this season, aiming to do better.”
The 53-year-old has done exactly that. Following a winless 2018, Price returned to the winner’s circle with victory at London Golf Club. The triumph is one of ten top ten finishes so far this season, including five top five results, making him one of the most consistent players on the Staysure Tour in 2019.
“The stand out week for me was the Staysure PGA Seniors Championship in August. Winning that was a significant moment for me this year. I probably haven’t played that well otherwise, just consistent, but that week I played well.
“My game has been consistent all season and that’s the best way to sum it up. My style of play helps me be consistent. I don’t do anything particularly amazing or terrible, so it breeds for a consistent way of playing.”
