Last year’s winner David Shacklady (centre) with Corrine and Duncan Sinclair, founders of The Sinclair Invitational at Hanbury Manor. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

THE Sinclair Invitational will return to Hanbury Manor Marriott Hotel & Country Club in September – with Caring Matters Now (CMN) announced as the tournament’s Official Charity Partner.

Lancashire’s David Shacklady won his second Staysure Tour title at the Hertfordshire venue in 2019.

The 2019 event heralded a new era for The Sinclair Invitational, with the revamped tournament named after its founders Duncan and Corrine Sinclair.

Meanwhile the prize fund increased to £400,000 to place it among the most lucrative events on the Staysure Tour International Schedule.

The tournament will return to Hanbury Manor, from September 4-6, with CMN set to benefit as the tournament’s designated charity partner.

Congenital Melanocytic Naevus (CMN) is a condition characterised by large, brown, noncancerous patches on the skin, which if growing internally, can be fatal.

The condition also increases sufferers’ chances of developing an aggressive form of skin cancer, called melanoma, as well as impacting an individual’s emotional wellbeing.

In addition to being the only UK charity dedicated to supporting those affected by Congenital Melanocytic Naevus – a genetic skin condition present in one per cent of infants – the charity also funds pioneering research to find a cure and raise national and international awareness of the condition.

Mark Aspland, head of the Staysure Tour, said: “We are delighted to welcome Caring Matters Now as the official charity for the 2020 edition of The Sinclair Invitational.

“The work they do across the United Kingdom is tremendous, and we hope that The Sinclair Invitational and our players can help to spread awareness of the condition.

“The Sinclair Invitational was a big hit with our players last year and we look forward to returning to Hanbury Manor in 2020.”

Jodi Whitehouse, founder and chief executive of Caring Matters Now, said: “On behalf of the Caring Matters Now board of trustees, I would like to thank the organisers and sponsors of The Sinclair Invitational for choosing Caring Matters Now as the official charity for the 2020 event.

“Through this prestigious event, the Caring Matters Now board of trustees are thrilled to be able to raise awareness of Congenital Melanocytic Naevus and the work of Caring Matters Now.’’

Stan Power, director of Golf & Estates at Hanbury Manor Marriott Golf & Country Club, said: “Hanbury Manor are delighted to be continuing our relationship with The Sinclair Invitational.

“Each year the tournament has grown and is now a major event not only on Hanbury’s calendar but also in the local area.

“We are really looking forward to working with Caring Matters Now who are set to add a new dynamic to an already great event.”

Shacklady carded a bogey-free final round of 66 to overhaul a four-stroke overnight deficit in front of his wife and children who were watching on.

Hanbury Manor’s back nine features the holes originally designed in the early 20th Century by the legendary Harry Vardon, six-time winner of the Open Championship.

Hanbury Manor’s heritage from Vardon and Nicklaus II to Westwood and Clarke

HANBURY Manor’s first nine holes were designed by legendary six-time Open Champion Harry Vardon in the early 1900s.

The Jacobean style Grade II listed manor house dates back to the 16th Century with the original part of the current hotel built in the 1890s before becoming a convent school in the 1920s until its closure in the 1980s.

When a plan to convert Poles Hall into a five-star hotel and conference centre was conceived, Jack Nicklaus II – the son of the 18-time Major winner nicknamed the Golden Bear – was signed up to add a new front nine, which opened in 1991 to complete an 18-hole championship layout.

The classic Vardon parkland holes have survived while the Nicklaus II half offers a contrasting, more modern links-style introduction to Hanbury Manor.

Marriot acquired the hotel several years later and in 1999 added 65 bedrooms to the exisiting 53 built in the first extension to the old manor house.

Hanbury Manor hosted its first European Tour event with the 1997 Alamo English Open won by Per Ulrk Johansson.

It was also staged at the Ware club in 1998 and 1999 when Ryder Cup stars Lee Westwood and Darren Clarke, respectively, were crowned champions.

In 2016, the Willow Senior Golf Classic was staged at Hanbury Manor for the first time, raising money for the Willow Foundation – the charity founded by former Arsenal goalkeeper Bob Wilson, who lost his daughter Anna to cancer at the age of 31.

After Surrey’s Gary Marks recorded his maiden European Tour Seniors win, Berkshire’s Barry Lane took the title in 2017.

Australian Peter Fowler was the last winner of the Willow event before it became The Sinclair Invitational 12 months ago.

The On Course Foundation, which helps the recovery of injured and sick service personnel and veterans through nationwide golf events and arranging employment in the golf industry, was the chosen charity last year.

•Specific tournament dates for the rest of the Staysure Tour international schedule for 2020 will be announced in the coming weeks, the European Tour said this week.

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Phllip Price claimed the John Jacobs Trophy for the first time having been runner-up on the Staysure Tour Order of Merit in 2018, he finished at the top of the 2019 rankings after the final event in Mauritius. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

PHILLIP Price won the John Jacobs Trophy for the first time after topping the 2019 Staysure Tour Order of Merit.

Price held off his four challengers for the No. 1 spot in the final event of 2019 – the MCB Tour Championship – Mauritius.

South African James Kingston was the main danger and was looking set for the win he needed to overhaul Price, at the start of the third and final round, on Sunday.

Price moved up to a share of third place during Sunday’s final round, having slipped briefly at one point on the back nine to just outside the top 10 finish, which would guarantee him the crown.

A burst of three birdies in three holes from the 12th looked to have put the result beyond doubt for Price, as Sandelin surged past the field to go one clear of Kingston.

But the 2002 Ryder Cup hero then dropped shots at the 15th and 16th before a birdie four at the dramatic final hole at Costance Belle Mare Plage lifted him inside the top five and a total of 2,888 points on the Staysure Order of Merit

Price was the most consistent player during the year. Last year the Welshman finished second on the season-long rankings behind two-time John Jacobs Trophy winner Paul Broadhurst.

But the 53-year-old went one better in 2019 to win the trophy – finishing 361.6 points ahead of Kingston in second place.

“To be No. 1 after 19 tournaments is really important to me,” said Price. “I’ve never won an Order of Merit of any type. I wanted to be number one, not number two or three, so I’m delighted.

“I finished second last year to Paul Broadhurst, which was nice – but it didn’t feel great. But to be No. 1 and have the trophy is extra special.

“Coming into the final three weeks I was leading the Staysure Tour Order of Merit, but I knew there were a lot of points to play for at the events.

“Barry Lane won (Madagascar), then Peter Fowler won (Seychelles), and James Kingston was leading after 36 holes this week and he could’ve passed me if I hadn’t finished inside the top 10.

“It’s a massive relief and I’m delighted to be Staysure Tour No. 1,” added Price.

“I needed to play quite well. I managed to make quite a few birdies early on and kept a buffer between myself and the players outside the top 10 and in the end Jarmo won.

“It was nice to birdie the last and celebrate. It always nice to make a nice putt and punch the air, realising I’m No. 1.”

Price needs top 10 to win John Jacobs Trophy

Price, who famously beat Phil Mickelson in the Sunday singles at The Belfry 17 years ago to help Europea defeat the USA, won the Staysure PGA Seniors Championship, at Ken’s London Club, in August – one of 12 top 10s during the year.

Lancashire’s David Shacklady, who won twice in September at The Sinclair Invitational and Paris Legends Championship, finished third on the Staysure Order of Merit.

Frenchman Jean-Francios Remesy and Australian Peter Fowler, winners of the Farmfoods European Legends Links Championship and the MCB Tour Championship – Seychelles, respectively, claimed fourth and fifth place on the season-long rankings.

Berkshire’s Barry Lane, who needed a second win in three weeks on the Indian Ocean swing, finished sixth overall, with Peter Baker, from the West Midlands in eighth.

Scotland’s Paul Lawrie finished 11th in his rookie year.

•To see the final Staysure Order of Merit click here.

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Welshman Phillip Price leads the Staysure Tour Order of Merit in the race for the John Jacobs Trophy at the MCB Tour Championship in Mauritius, the final event of 2019. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

PHILLIP Price will go in search of a career-first John Jacobs Trophy when he tees it up at the 2019 Staysure Tour season-finale, the MCB Tour Championship – Mauritius.

The 2002 Ryder Cup hero leads the Staysure Order of Merit by 556.2 points and knows that a 12th top 10 – ninth place or better – of the season would see him crowned Staysure Tour No. 1 for the first time.

Price, who lifted the Staysure PGA Seniors Championship trophy in August, has recorded 10 other top 10 in a very consistent 2019 campaign, which included a share of third place at last week’s MCB Tour Championship – Seychelles.

There are five players hoping to knock 53-year-old Price off the top spot in the year’s final event, held at Constance Belle Mare Plage.

James Kingston, who failed to convert his overnight lead in the Seychelles, Madagascar winner Barry Lane, Lancashire’s David Shacklady, last week’s winner Peter Fowler and Argentinian rookie José Coceres, are pushing Price for the honour of holding the John Jacobs Trophy come Sunday.

But to become the Staysure Tour Order of Merit winner they must triumph in Mauritius and hope Price finishes down the leaderboard.

The Welshman has finished tied fourth on two occasions at the European Tour Destinations venue. But Price is aware of the challenge that lies ahead of him should he wish to end a memorable season with more silverware.

“I think another top 10 would do the trick to win the Order of Merit but I’m trying to think better than that,” Price said. “I like this course and I like this week at Constance Belle Mare Plage.

“If I have a good week, then everything else will take care of itself.

“There is pressure on me because I’m out in front on the Order of Merit and there are a lot of guys who could pass me because there are a lot of points to play for.

“I have to focus on what I need to do and not be worried about everybody else,” added Price, who recorded three victories on the European Tour, having joined via the Qualifying School, in 1991.

“It would be nice to get off to a good start tomorrow because it would settle me down,” said Price.

“I want to have a good week and I want to have a high finish and I want to get involved in the tournament.

“I’d like to win the MCB Tour Championship – Mauritius after coming close a couple of times. I want my mind to be thinking about the top of the leaderboard and not what everybody else is doing.”

After 18 events, the MCB Tour Championship – Mauritius will bring the 2019 Staysure Tour season, and the three event final series MCB Tour Championship, to a close.

Australian Fowler currently leads the race to become King of the Swing, awarded to the top-performing player in the Indian Ocean events – following his share of 20th in Madagascar and his victory in the Seychelles last week.

The Rookie of the Year, meanwhile, will be fought for by three players – 1999 Open winner Paul Lawrie, who currently leads the battle for the award, Sussex’s Gary Evans and American Dan Olsen, who has produced some eye-catching rounds without quite converting his fine form into a win.

The final action of the season at the MCB Tour Championship – Mauritius gets under way at 8.30am local time with Price teeing off at 11.15am – Mauritius is four hours ahead of GMT.

•For live scoring click here.

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Staysure Tour competitor and SkyCaddie user Peter Wilson: Top Ten finisher in the MCB Tour Championship – Madagascar (photo: Andy Hiseman)

9 of the top 15 finishers in last weekend’s MCB Tour Championship – Madagascar event on The Staysure Tour used a SkyCaddie SX500 GPS rangefinder, including the event’s winner Barry Lane.

SkyCaddie’s ground-mapped GPS data was used by the event’s Tournament Directors to set the pins and to create pin sheets for competitors to use, in the absence of the normal Tour yardage charts.

All three MCB Tour Championship events will use SkyCaddie data in this way, after SkyCaddie’s chief mapper in the EMEA region, Steve Winstone, flew out to survey each of the golf courses in preparation for the three-event ‘swing’ which forms the climax to The Staysure Tour’s season.

Also enjoying Top Ten finishes in Madagascar with their SkyCaddie SX500 were Welshman Stephen Dodd and England’s Gary Evans (joint 4^th), South Africans James Kingston and Chris Williams (joint 7^th), and England’s Peter Wilson (also joint 7^th).

Other notable golfers in the field also using SkyCaddie SX500 for their yardages included the current number two on this year’s Order Of Merit, David Shacklady (Ormskirk GC), and 2018’s Rookie Of The Year Paul Streeter (Lincoln Golf Centre).

“We are proud that so many top-class touring pros now choose SkyCaddie for their yardages” said SkyCaddie’s James Holmes. “The new SX500 and SX400 give you so much detail of the hole ahead, they give you a clear advantage and yet are perfectly within the laws of the game.

SkyCaddie SX400

“We are also proud that The Staysure Tour is using our ground-mapped data to set the pins at the MCB Tour Championship events” he said. “This can only happen because we walk every golf course, mapping on foot as we go. No other rangefinder company can compete with this level of accuracy and detail.”

Lane, a first-time SkyCaddie SX500 user, took a one-shot victory in the MCB Tour Championship with a fine 69 on the final day at the International Golf Club du Rova. The win propels him to 3^rd place in the Order Of Merit, with just two tournaments to come – this week’s MCB Tour Championship Seychelles, at Constance Lemuria Golf Club, and next week’s third and final season-ending MCB Tour Championship event, at Constance Belle Mare Plage in Mauritius.

Shacklady and Lane are both chasing Welshman Philip Price, who sits atop the Order Of Merit after a consistent season with 10 Top Tens in his 15 events played.

For information about the new SkyCaddies, visit www.skycaddie.co.uk.

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Wales’ Phillip Price is looking for a strong start to the MCB Tour Championship series in Madagascar to cement his place in the battle to win the John Jacobs Trophy on the Staysure Tour’s Order of Merit. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

MADAGASCAR will host its first European Tour-sanctioned tournament when the MCB Tour Championship – Madagascar takes place from November 29-December 1.

It will be the first Staysure Tour event to take place on the world’s fourth largest island, and the 46th country the over-50s tour will have visited since its inception in 1992.

Phillip Price, who currently leads the Order of Merit, is hoping to claim his first John Jacobs Trophy at the conclusion of the year.

The MCB Tour Championship – Madagascar marks the first event of the MCB Tour Championship final series, which will see the Staysure Tour return to Seychelles for a second successive season from December 5-7, before the regular season-finale takes place in Mauritius, from December 13-15.

The Welshman, who won the Staysure PGA Seniors Championship at Kent’s London Club, in August, will make his Madagascan debut at International Golf Club Du Rova, hoping to continue his good form which sees him top the Staysure Order of Merit.

With 10 top 10s to his name and a 366-point lead over Lancashire’s David Shacklady, who is Price’s closet Order of Merit challenger in the field this week, the 2002 Ryder Cup hero knows he needs to play well in the lucrative final three events of the Staysure Tour campaign.

“Everybody wants to finish first and I’ve played pretty well all season,” Price said.

“There are a lot of challengers close behind me and there are a lot of points to play for over the next three weeks.

“If one of the top six win a couple of events, then I’m going to have to deliver something very good.

“I have a good feeling from last year’s MCB Tour Championship, where I had a second and fourth place finish.

“Madagascar is a new location for me, but I like this part of the world. I’m very familiar with Seychelles and Mauritius and hopefully this week is going to be equally as good for me.”

There is only one man knows who knows the layout at International Golf Club Du Rova, local professional Jean Baptiste Ramarozatovo, who will be making his debut on the over-50s circuit.

Meanwhile the remaining 47 players in the field will hope their pre-tournament practice pays off when the action starts.

Price added: “Marc Farry and his organisation have done a great job to get us here, making everything work properly from the hotel to transportation and we’re lucky to be having a tournament here.

“The course is in good condition, but it is very challenging off the tee, especially around the greens. There are many banks off the greens and a lot of them lead to deep bunkers.”

The first round of the MCB Tour Championship – Madagascar will begin at 8am local time, with Price teeing off at 9:17am. Madagascar is three hours ahead of GMT.

•For live scoring in the MCB Tour Championship – Madagascar click here.

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Markus Brier is bidding to become the first Austrian to win a European, Challenge and Seniors Tour event when he hosts the Murhof Legends – Austrian Senior Open this week. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

MARKUS Brier is the tournament host for this week’s Murhof Legends – Austrian Senior Open, but he will have his sights set on completing a rare triple when he tees it up at Golfclub Murhof, starting on Friday.

In 2002, seven years after joining the paid ranks, the Austrian collected his first professional win on this very course, when he triumphed in the European Challenge Tour’s Austrian Golf Open.

“It still gives me goosebumps,” said Brier as he overlooked the 18th green.

“After being a professional for seven years, it was my first professional win,” he added. “I hadn’t won a pro-am or anything, and it was right here where I had a 15-footer to win it.

“You’re out here to win. Obviously to get my European Tour card was very special but you want to win a tournament and it was very special.”

After winning another Challenge Tour event in Austria in 2004, Brier became his country’s first European Tour winner when he triumphed, at home, in the 2006 BA-CA Golf Open presented by Telekom Austria.

“It was just the week everything went right,” he said. “I had so many lucky shots, and everything went well.

“Every day I had something special. I made a hole-in-one on the first day, made an eagle somewhere on the second day, then on the third day I spun it back 20 feet for eagle.

“I started to think with all these good things happening to me, I need to take my chance, and it came out well in the end.

“Being the first Austrian to win on the European Tour is something you can’t take away.

“There are so many special memories from that week, the whole family was there and it was probably the biggest crowd we’ve had in Austria.”

With the Staysure Tour now arriving in Austria for the first time, the 51-year-old, who has been playing on the circuit for just over one year, is after his first win in senior golf, again, on home-soil.

“It would be very special to win on all tours in your home country,” he said.

“I feel comfortable here. I’ve been coming here for over 30 years and it just makes me feel peaceful and hopefully I can do the same as I did in 2002 and 2006.

“The standard out here is very good. You see guys like Phillip Price and Barry Lane, they’ve won all over the world. You really have to play very, very well and have a bit of luck to win,” Brier added.

“I’ve had a few top 10s already and I’ve also come second and third. I just need a little home advantage this week.

“It’s great to have a Staysure Tour event here. I have so many good memories here, so it’s just perfect.

“It’s a great partnership with the Murhof Gruppe. I’ve been based here for five years now and Gary Stangl and his team have made it possible for us to come here.”

Brier will have inspiration for his home hat-trick when he tees off at 10:45am alongside the two most recent Staysure Tour winners, Paul Lawrie and Lancastrian David Shacklady.

Shacklady, who has won the last two consecutive events, is after a triple of his own, and will look to become the first player since Boonchu Ruangkit in 2010 to win three-straight Staysure Tour titles.

For live scoring click here

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Paul Lawrie claimed his first victory in seven years by winning the Scottish Seniors Open at Craigielaw GC. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

PAUL Lawrie won the Scottish Senior Open to claim his first Staysure Tour title in front of a home crowd at Craigielaw Golf Club.

The 1999 Open Champion battled gusty conditions throughout the final round to record a level par round of 71 to win his maiden over-50s title by two shots ahead of Peter Baker and Peter Fowler.

The Scotsman, who celebrated the 20th anniversary of his Major success at Carnoustie Golf Links in July, made the turn in 33 strokes, which was two-under par, and battled hard in the blustery conditions on the back nine to card a round of 71.

After battling injury last season and having turned 50 at the beginning of the year, Lawrie was delighted to clinch an inaugural win on the over-50s circuit, especially on home soil.

“I’ve always enjoyed playing in Scotland and that is my fourth win in my home country and I’m very proud of that,” said Lawrie who has always been regarded as one of the better foul-weather players on Tour, especially since coming from 10 shots back to beat Jean Van de Velde and Justin Leonard in that infamous play-off at Carnoustie.

“I think a lot of the players struggle to play in their own country with expectations on them,” added Lawrie, who hails from Aberdeen.

“But I’ve always felt comfortable playing in front of Scottish people.

“It doesn’t matter what tour it is, winning is difficult – it’s not easy. Peter Baker did a top effort to get in the house at level par.

“So my job was to get in at one-under – that was the only job I was thinking about, and I managed to finish one better than that.

“I’ve not won since 2012 on the European Tour. Obviously, I’m a senior now and I’m playing senior events.

“I want to be one of the top players on the Staysure Tour and I want to be one of the top seniors, so this win is a massive step to doing that.

“My game has been getting betting for a few weeks and I’ve been telling people that I’m getting there and I’m going to win soon.

“The Senior Open was the first week where I felt my foot and my back were where I needed them to be.

“My surgeon, Gordon Mackay, said it would take a year for my foot to be right.

“I thought my career was over with my foot the way that it was, but Gordon McKay did a great job.”

Baker, the winner of Senior Open Hauts de France in June, recorded a 70 to finish two strokes behind Lawrie in a share of second place with Australian Fowler, another wind specialist.

But the overnight leader was unable to follow his impressive five-under par 66 as he signed for a disappointing four over par 75.

Englishman David Shacklady and Austrian Markus Brier completed the top five as they finished at one-over.

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