Ryder Cup captains ready for Links challenge
Monday March 29, 2010
As Sam Torrance and Ian Woosnam prepared for Friday’s first round of the inaugural Berenberg Bank Masters at The Links at Fancourt, it was the other Masters that captured their attention. “It’s going to be very exciting,” said Woosnam, who starts his 2010 campaign this week. “There will be a lot of interest in the tournament with Tiger coming back, so it will be very exciting.”
Torrance agreed, saying that he suspected Woods would come back for the Masters.
“If Tiger is serious about his dream of beating Jack Nicklaus’ record, he had to come back to the three Majors this year that he dominates,” explained the 2009 Senior Tour Order of Merit winner. “He has won the Masters four times, he won by 12 shots at St Andrews and won Pebble Beach by 15 shots. He had to come back this year and I think he picked the right one because there won’t be such a hullabaloo. “As for not playing for three months, I don’t think it will make one bit of difference. The boy is as strong mentally as there is on Tour and they need to watch out for him. But I think Ernie might give him a run for his money.” The former Ryder Cup captains and Gary Player headline an 80-man field for the €500,000 event, the third on the European Senior Tour schedule for 2010 and a historic first venture to South Africa.
The three stars were joined by 33 other top professionals in warming up for the main event by hosting two pro-ams held for Berenberg Bank’s 160 guests on Wednesday and Thursday. Player, who played both days, promised that he still had plenty of fuel left in the tank for the weekend. “I do this all the time. I’m used to playing 72 or 90 holes a week, although not always walking all of them” said the 74-year-old, a nine-time Major winner on both the regular and senior tours who also designed the Links layout.
“This remains the most difficult course I’ve ever played; it doesn’t get any easier, no matter how many practice rounds you play.” Although Torrance and Woosnam were regular campaigners on the Sunshine Tour in the Seventies and Eighties, neither had played the course before. “I’ve heard it is very good and very tough, so I will have to be on my A game,” said Torrance, with two top five finishes in three events this season. “Gary designed it, so he should know. If he says it is the best he has ever designed it must be fantastic because he’s designed some good courses.”
Woosnam, who won the 1987 Million Dollar Challenge on another of Player’s designs, the Gary Player Country Club at Sun City, agreed. “Some of the guys warned us about The Links,” said Woosnam. “It has a fierce reputation. I’ve only watched it on television, but there are a lot of bushes out there.
“I’m trying out a new swing and I just hope it’s going straight for the tournament. I’ll have to take plenty of golf balls with me and I may have to go into the pro shop.”
Thailand’s Boonchu Ruangkit continued his winning ways with victory in the Wednesday pro-am. However, chasing three wins in a row after back-to-back victories at the Brunei and Thailand Senior Masters, the 53-year-old may be up against it with South Africa’s John Bland in the line-up.
Bland, who became the second oldest European Senior Tour winner with his Bad Ragaz PGA Seniors Open victory last year, said he was ready for the fight, despite the stiff competition.
“My own form feels good. I haven’t played a tournament for about four months, but I have been playing a lot of golf with the Fancourt members,” said Bland, who has been attached to Fancourt since 1989. “I suppose I’ve got a slight advantage because I know the golf course very well, but I do have stiff competition with Woosie, Torrance, Carl Mason and Tony Johnstone. Nevertheless, it’s the first European Senior Tour event to come to South Africa.
“We’re all very thankful to Berenberg Bank for bringing the tournament here. We’ve had a magnificent response from everybody, we have an incredible line-up and it’s going to be a wonderful week.”
Other notable South Africans in the field include former US Open winner Simon Hobday, European Senior Tour winners Bobby Lincoln, Bertus Smit and Gavan Levenson, former French Open winner Vincent Tshabalala, Champions Tour winner Hugh Baiocchi and Sunshine Tour winners Allan Henning, Chris Williams, John Mashego and Steve van Vuuren, among others.
Monday March 29, 2010
As Sam Torrance and Ian Woosnam prepared for Friday’s first round of the inaugural Berenberg Bank Masters at The Links at Fancourt, it was the other Masters that captured their attention. “It’s going to be very exciting,” said Woosnam, who starts his 2010 campaign this week. “There will be a lot of interest in the tournament with Tiger coming back, so it will be very exciting.”
Torrance agreed, saying that he suspected Woods would come back for the Masters.
“If Tiger is serious about his dream of beating Jack Nicklaus’ record, he had to come back to the three Majors this year that he dominates,” explained the 2009 Senior Tour Order of Merit winner. “He has won the Masters four times, he won by 12 shots at St Andrews and won Pebble Beach by 15 shots. He had to come back this year and I think he picked the right one because there won’t be such a hullabaloo. “As for not playing for three months, I don’t think it will make one bit of difference. The boy is as strong mentally as there is on Tour and they need to watch out for him. But I think Ernie might give him a run for his money.” The former Ryder Cup captains and Gary Player headline an 80-man field for the €500,000 event, the third on the European Senior Tour schedule for 2010 and a historic first venture to South Africa.
The three stars were joined by 33 other top professionals in warming up for the main event by hosting two pro-ams held for Berenberg Bank’s 160 guests on Wednesday and Thursday. Player, who played both days, promised that he still had plenty of fuel left in the tank for the weekend. “I do this all the time. I’m used to playing 72 or 90 holes a week, although not always walking all of them” said the 74-year-old, a nine-time Major winner on both the regular and senior tours who also designed the Links layout.
“This remains the most difficult course I’ve ever played; it doesn’t get any easier, no matter how many practice rounds you play.” Although Torrance and Woosnam were regular campaigners on the Sunshine Tour in the Seventies and Eighties, neither had played the course before. “I’ve heard it is very good and very tough, so I will have to be on my A game,” said Torrance, with two top five finishes in three events this season. “Gary designed it, so he should know. If he says it is the best he has ever designed it must be fantastic because he’s designed some good courses.”
Woosnam, who won the 1987 Million Dollar Challenge on another of Player’s designs, the Gary Player Country Club at Sun City, agreed. “Some of the guys warned us about The Links,” said Woosnam. “It has a fierce reputation. I’ve only watched it on television, but there are a lot of bushes out there.
“I’m trying out a new swing and I just hope it’s going straight for the tournament. I’ll have to take plenty of golf balls with me and I may have to go into the pro shop.”
Thailand’s Boonchu Ruangkit continued his winning ways with victory in the Wednesday pro-am. However, chasing three wins in a row after back-to-back victories at the Brunei and Thailand Senior Masters, the 53-year-old may be up against it with South Africa’s John Bland in the line-up.
Bland, who became the second oldest European Senior Tour winner with his Bad Ragaz PGA Seniors Open victory last year, said he was ready for the fight, despite the stiff competition.
“My own form feels good. I haven’t played a tournament for about four months, but I have been playing a lot of golf with the Fancourt members,” said Bland, who has been attached to Fancourt since 1989. “I suppose I’ve got a slight advantage because I know the golf course very well, but I do have stiff competition with Woosie, Torrance, Carl Mason and Tony Johnstone. Nevertheless, it’s the first European Senior Tour event to come to South Africa.
“We’re all very thankful to Berenberg Bank for bringing the tournament here. We’ve had a magnificent response from everybody, we have an incredible line-up and it’s going to be a wonderful week.”
Other notable South Africans in the field include former US Open winner Simon Hobday, European Senior Tour winners Bobby Lincoln, Bertus Smit and Gavan Levenson, former French Open winner Vincent Tshabalala, Champions Tour winner Hugh Baiocchi and Sunshine Tour winners Allan Henning, Chris Williams, John Mashego and Steve van Vuuren, among others.
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Boonchu does it again at the Berenberg Bank Masters - Click Here
Impressive field for inaugural Berenberg Bank Masters - Click Here
Torrance to tackle Woosnam again in South Africa - Click Here
