The Irish Golf Club Gazette: Senior British Open Championship

Showing posts with label Senior British Open Championship. Show all posts

7/24/2014

Rafferty Relishes Porthcawl

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Ronan Rafferty has relished the opportunity of turning out in his first British Senior Open Championship at Royal Porthcawl on the South Wales coast today ever since his 50th birthday back in January.

And Rafferty, from Warrenpoint, Co Down, who retired from the European Tour in 2003 is particularly delighted to be at Porthcawl as he has played the course overlooking the Bristol Channel more times than most of those in the field.

He competed here in the 1980 Amateur Championship, played in Coral Classics in the early 80s and represented Ireland in Home Internationals at Porthcawl.

“It is a stunning course to look at and equally great to play. I am raring to go although year one in the Seniors is a case of learning the ropes again,” said Rafferty, who topped the European Tour Order of Merit in 1989.

“I love links golf – I won the Irish amateur at Royal County Down and am now an honorary member of that great club.”

He was something of a teenage prodigy – winning the British Boys title at 15 and playing in the Walker Cup at 17.

Rafferty goes out last in the first round with American Olin Browne and former Ryder Cup captain Mark James.

Des Smyth, one of this year’s Ryder Cup vice-captains, is in the field and goes out today with American Gary Hallberg and Carl Mason. Smyth won the Madeira Island Open in 2001 at the age of 48 and could still pose a real threat.

Philip Walton and Dennis O’Sullivan are two other Irishmen in the line-up.

It is thought to be the strongest field ever assembled for this tournament. Mark Wiebedefends the title he won at Royal Birkdale. Bernhard Langer, who lost to him in a play-off, is in fine form and must be ranked as one of the favourites.

The legendary Tom Watson, Miguel Angel Jiminez, Colin Montgomerie and Wales’s ownIan Woosnam are all included in a star-studded line-up.

8/04/2013

Walton Shows Form in Koln

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Philip Walton fired a final round of 69 at Berenberg Masters on Sunday to secure a four way share of 14th place, along with Des Smyth, with the Dubliner continuing a trend which saw him open with a round of 70 at Muirfield last week at the Senior British Open.

But it was Steen Tinning who lasted the distance to secure his debut European Senior Tour title in only his sixth appearance.

The Dane signed for a flawless round of 69 for a nine under par aggregate total which was just enough to hold off a late surge from home hero Bernhard Langer, who delighted the locals at Golf- und Land-Club, in Cologne, with a blemish-free round of 68.

Having seen Langer fail to get up and down for birdie from the greenside bunker on the par five 18th hole, Tinning knew a closing par would be enough to secure victory and with it a cheque for €60,000, and he duly obliged to consign the German to the runner-up spot for the second weekend in a row.

Tinning’s ‘reward’ for his victory is a place in next weekend’s Ironman European Championship in south-west Germany, where he will swim 1.9kms, cycle 90kms and run 21.1kms.

“I’m only half-mad,” he joked, “because it’s only a half Ironman!

“But on a more serious note, I’m just so happy right now. Happy, and also a little bit relieved. My hands were shaking on that putt on the last, so I was very pleased to see it drop. I hit a lot of good putts today but none of them seemed to go in, so I just couldn’t pull away from the field early on.

“But I didn’t get frustrated, I stuck to the task and I executed it well. I managed to stay calm, because I knew I was playing well enough to win. I knew what I needed on the last hole because one of the volunteers told me Bernhard had made a par, so I used a five-wood from the tee, a six-iron for my second shot and then a chip and two putts. It sounds easy, but it definitely wasn’t!

“I’m surprised how quickly I’ve won on the Senior Tour. Most parts of my game have been pretty good, but I just haven’t been able to pull it all together. Luckily for me, this was my week. It feels even more special to beat Bernhard into second place, because he’s such a great competitor.”

For his part, Langer was typically magnanimous in defeat, labelling Tinning a worthy winner before bemoaning his own luck on the greens.

He said: “I played so much better than yesterday, but the difference today was that I just couldn’t get the putts to drop – I lost count of the lip-outs and near misses. I couldn’t have done any more, and I’m just sorry for the people that I came up a little bit short. But there’s no shame in finishing second, and hopefully I can come back next year and go one better.”

Langer’s cheque for €40,000 saw the two-time Masters Tournament winner move to €225,867 and extend his lead in the Senior Tour Order of Merit to €116,315, whilst Tinning climbed nine places to fourth with season’s earnings of €97,791.

England’s Nick Job also climbed into the top 20 of the Order of Merit after he finished in third place on seven under par courtesy of a closing round of 71, which was matched by Spaniard Miguel Angel Martin, who finished one stroke back in fourth place.

Ian Woosnam’s bid to win this event for the second time came up short after he laboured to a round of 73 to finish in a share of eighth place.

Denis O'Sullivan finished i 38th place.