Phil Price has added the Wales Golf Tour Pro of the Year award to the Staysure Order of Merit the 2019 PGA Seniors Championship winner picked up in Mauritius in December.
Picture by GETTY IMAGES

WELSH seniors champion Phil Price rates winning the Staysure Seniors Tour Order of Merit in 2019 as being right up there with his Ryder Cup heroics.

Following Ian Woosnam as the only Welsh player to top one of the main golf order of merit tables was also enough to earn 53-year-old Price the Wales Golf Tour Pro of the Year Award.

While Price is best known for beating Phil Mickelson in the singles of the 2002 Ryder Cup helping Europe to victory at The Belfry, topping last year’s European Seniors Tour money list represents reward for consistency.

Price was due to collect the award at the Wales Golf Annual Awards Lunch at 2010 Clubhouse of Ryder Cup venue Celtic Manor earlier this month.

But the event had to be postponed because of the COVID-19 outbreak.

The John Jacobs Trophy, awarded to the European Seniors’ order of merit winner, followed an impressive showing in 17 events.

Price won the Staysure PGA Seniors Championship at Kent’s London Club, in August, and also finished in the top 10 no fewer than 12 times.

His finish at the top of the rankings was confirmed with a tied third at the MCB Tour Championship in Mauritius in mid-December.

Former World No. 1 Ian Woosnam – who claimed a Green Jacket at Augusta in the 1991 Masters – won the European Tour Order of Merit twice, as well as the European Seniors Tour once.

So Price became the second Welshman to top one of those rankings since they started in 1970.

“I wanted to win this order of merit and I rank doing it as one of my top three golfing achievements,” said Price.

“The Ryder Cup is what I will be remembered for and it was special to win that singles match and be part of a winning Ryder Cup team.

“Winning the European Open was also big for me. However winning the John Jacobs Trophy is right up there with those two things.

“Everyone wants to be No. 1, so to do it over 17 events is very important to me.

“I won the PGA which is our biggest event outside the Majors, so it was nice to win that as part of a year which I enjoyed.

“I was leading from August on, but it was a long end of the season through to December.

“The pressure built up more and more because people were congratulating me, but there were a few people chasing me down.

“I had a lot to do going into the last event because if James Kingston won it then I would have had to be in the top 10 to stay top of the money list.

“He was leading going into the final round so I knew I was under pressure to come through.

“I think it was my consistency which won it, most weeks I would turn up and do something.

“I was in good shape, prepared well, a strong mentality and a good ‘B’ game if I was not playing my best.”

The Staysure Tour Order of Merit win was made more special for Price as his son Edward was his caddy at the final event, and the rest of his family were in Mauritius to join in the celebrations.

Price added: “The whole family were there and my son was on the bag. He was great, it was a stressful back nine and he was very supportive.

“It was great to get onto the last green and know it was all over, it was nice to do it together.

“Our children were too young to be part of it when I won on the European Tour, so it was enjoyable to be with everyone this time.”

Phil Price celebrates with his son Edward who caddied at the MCB Tour Championship with Wales Golf past-president Jeff Harries (right)

‘If you join Woosnam as only other Welsh winner, it’s pretty special…’

WALES Golf chief executive Richard Dixon paid tribute to Price after his award was announced.

Richard said: “Congratulations to Phil, a deserved winner of this award for a big achievement in Welsh golf history.

“Any time you are joining Ian Woosnam as the only other Welsh player to have gained an achievement, you know you have done something pretty special.

“Only four years ago we were presenting Phil with a Wales Golf Outstanding Achievement Award, but he has shown he can still compete at the top level.

“Apart from working hard for his own success, Phil has always been an excellent role model and happy to give something back to the next generations of Welsh golfers coming through the ranks.

“We look forward to making the formal presentation of this well-deserved award at an event later in the year.”

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The top five players at the Staysure Tour Qualifying School, who earn their cards for 2020, including Michael Long (centre). Picture by GETTY IMAGES

NEW Zealand’s Michael Long was the only player to card four consecutive sub-70 rounds as he won the Staysure Tour Qualifying School Final Stage by two shots at Pestana Golf Resort.

The Kiwi was rock solid from the outset and saved his best for last, signing for rounds a 66 to finish on 14-under in a pressure-packed week on the Algarve.

Five players earned Staysure Tour cards for the 2020 season and while Long’s earlier rounds of 67, 68 and 69, suggested he would card 70 or more on the final day, he held his nerve to outgun his rivals.

Long said: “I’ve been lucky. I’ve been pretty much exempt on most tours that I’ve played on.

“I think the last time I had a successful tour school was in 1992 or 1991, and that was down in Australia. I’ve failed a couple times in Final Stage on the US tour.

“I can’t believe it really. This is completely out of the blue. It’s a lot of really good players out here, and if you can’t smile now, when can you?

“It’s just nice to come out on top of a top quality field,” added Michael Long.

The 51-year old, who has competed in 99 European Tour events in his career, has eight professional victories to his name.

Sharing second place on 12-under were Scottish amateur Euan McIntosh and Canada’s former PGA Tour player David Morland IV.

The two players spent the majority of Final Stage inside the all-important top five and like Long, will now compete in their rookie seasons on the Staysure Tour.

McIntosh, who won the 2018 Scottish Amateur Championship, said: “I play a lot of high-end amateur events with guys that are going to be winning European Tour events, and I’ve been doing that for the last three years.

“It’s been a really good grounding, these young guys have been amazing.

“They’ve pushed me on to get my golf to the level it’s at now. Without their help, and their competitiveness, I wouldn’t be here right now.

“The strange thing is, I’m sad in a way to be leaving the amateur ranks,” admitted McIntosh, who at the start of 2019 harboured real hopes of playing in a Walker Cup at the age of 50, having been named in Craig Watson’s provisional squad.

Euan said: “I’ve got a lot of friends, because I play for Scotland, and now I’m not going to be doing that ever again.

“It’s great, but there’s a bit of sadness there,” said McIntosh, who won the Tennant Cup a year ago – the oldest amateur strokeplay competition in the world.

But there was disappointment for another Scot – Aberdeen’s Scott Henderson, who missed out on a shoot-out for the final card by a shot, after the 1997 European Tour Rookie of the Year finished with a second consecutive 68.

McIntosh will now turn professional and join Paul Lawrie, Andrew Oldcorn and Gary Orr in the European Senior Tour ranks.

Meanwhile Morland IV will bring the professional experience he has gained from two wins on the Nationwide Tour – the PGA’s feeder tour – as the two players further strengthen the quality of golf in Europe’s senior ranks.

Morland, who had led Long by a shot going into the fourth round, said: “I’ve played all over the world from Asia, South America, Canada, mostly in the US, but I haven’t played that much in Europe.

“So I’m looking forward to it this year. You’re going to have all the top European players that played at the same time frame that I did.

“The quality of golf is there so I’m just looking forward to playing all over Europe.”

Raitt ready for return to big time

SURREY’S Andrew Raitt, who competed in 132 European Tour events between 1999 and 2010, finished alone in fourth place on 10-under par.

That sealed the Weybridge player’s own rookie Staysure Tour season thanks to a final round of 67, which kept him inside the qualification number.

Raitt, who was forced to quit the European Tour in 2007, was delighted to earn another crack at the big time.

“I played the European Tour for seven or eight years but struggled a lot with injuries and stuff like that,” said Raitt, who underwent surgery on a finger injury after being bitten by a dog back in 1995.

“This is a new lease of life. I’ve been looking forward to it and trying to work towards this,” added Raitt, who was only awarded £4,500 in a complicated court battle over the injury, which he pursued for a seven-figure compensation claim, in 2002..

“I’ve had a lot of help from people at home, the golf club have been brilliant so all the members from St George’s Hill, thank you very much.

“It feels good to pay them back and give them something to root for this year.”

Raitt – the 1986 English Schoolboys Champion who claimed the Surrey Amateur Championship in 1993 – ended up with a little finger that was 0.5cms shorter after the operation.

But a High Court judge dismissed his £6million claim which alleged it cost him a career at the top, including his ambition to play in the Ryder Cup.

Raitt’s legal costs were estimated at £100,000.

Suneson seals Staysure return in play-off

THE battle for the fifth and final card required extra holes as Spain’s Carl Suneson fellow countryman Victor Casado and Surrey’s Gary Marks were deadlocked on eight-under after 72 holes.

Suneson birdied the first play-off hole – the par four 17th, to seal a return to the Staysure Tour for a third time.

The Gran Canaria pro – who played for England as an amateur in the late 1980s before adopting his father’s citizenship in 1996 – is the only qualifying school graduate who will not be a rookie in 2020.

Suneson. who played for Engand as an amateur between 1988 and 1989 before turning pro in 1990, said: “To get the fifth card is fantastic.

“There was pressure, but I did it and I’m happy. I wanted to get the play-off finished quickly, and I was able to hit three great shots.

“I’ve had shoulder problems for the last two-and-a-half years, but I’ve been doing physio and slowly getting things tuned in,” added Suneson, whose only professional win in 20 years on the European Tour came in the 2007 Open Saint Omer.

But Suneson did pick up five wins on the Challenge Tour between 1995 and 2006 and his best Staysure Tour finish came in 2019 – his third year on Tour, when he was sixth at December’s MCB Tour Championship in Mauritius, the final event of the year.

•To see the final results from Pestana click here.

Losing out to Els at Johnnie Walker Classic after putting penalty was Long, Long time ago

MICHAEL Long’s career could have been different but he called a penalty on himself when challenging Ernie Els for the 1997 Johnnie Walker Classic.

He accidentally moved the ball while lining up a birdie putt – but after no one noticed, he admitted his trangression to his playing partner before taking two more putts.

Michael Long finished one behind Els at Queensland’s Hope Island after that double bogey.

His most recent was the PGA Tour of Australasia’s 2018 Western Australia PGA Championship.

Long will now look to continue his winning ways in his rookie season against Europe’s best senior golfers.

He joins former US Open winner Michael Campbell on the Staysure as they look to repeat the success of New Zealand legend Bob Charles.

The left-hander won 23 times on the PGA Champions Tour, in the States, including his sole European victory at the 1993 Senior Open, at Royal Lytham.

The post Michael Long stays in the red to secure Staysure card with Raitt, Morland and McIntosh appeared first on Golf North.

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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Sweden’s Jarmo Sandelin won his first Staysure Tour title at the MCB Tour Championship at Mauritius’ Constance Belle Mare Plage. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

JARMO Sandelin recorded a final round of 65 to win his first Staysure Tour title at the MCB Tour Championship – Mauritius… the final event of the 2019 season.

The Swede came from four strokes behind at the beginning of play to clinch his maiden over 50s title, at Constance Belle Mare Plage, where Kent’s Roger Chapman, Colin Montgomerie and Tom Lehman – all Senior Majors winners – have been crowned winners in the past.

It was Sandelin’s first victory since the 2001 BMW Asian Open, thanks to a brilliant seven-under par final round to overhaul overnight leader James Kingston and claim a three-shot victory.

And it meant Sandelin had become the 12th player to win on the European Tour, the European Challenge Tour and the Staysure Tour.

Sandelin started his final 18 holes of the season with four birdies in his opening six holes, including back-to-back gains at the third and fourth.

He reached the turn at two-under after a double bogey at the par-four ninth but responded in stunning style on the back nine.

The 1999 Ryder Cup player made five consecutive birdies from the 11th to the 15th, racing up the leaderboard and passing 36-hole leader Kingston.

Even when Jarmo dropped a shot at the par-three 17th, he responded with a birdie at the 54th hole to set the clubhouse target at 12-under.

With the South African unable to reach the score, Sandelin was crowned the winner of the MCB Tour Championship – Mauritius.

“It’s been a long time since I last won,” said Sandelin. “There has been a lot of practise balls, a lot of tears, and a lot of hard work in the gym.

“It’s nice to final come through and win, especially in Mauritius as it’s the final tournament of the year.

“It was the start I wanted to have. I dropped two shots on the ninth after hitting it into the water, but I bounced back with five straight birdies from 11 to 15, so that was the key.

“I felt after my fifth birdie in a row that I might have a good chance to win,” said the 52-year-old, from Stockholm, who was born in Finland, but grew up in Sweden.

“I then knew that if I made a final birdie at the last then I had a good chance of winning the title.

“All the players on the Staysure Tour are so good and I had a fantastic feeling this week and now I know that my game is good enough to win tournaments.

“I also had my son, Lukas, on the bag, which makes it an even better feeling,” said Sandelin.

Kingston carded a level par round to finish second, but the result was enough to see him crowned King of the Swing as the top-performer in the Indian Ocean – following a share of seventh place in Madagascar and a runner-up finish in the Seychelles.

A stroke behind Kingston in a tie for third was a group of three players, including Frenchman, Jean-François Remesy, who led after the first round, defending champion Clark Dennis and Wales’ Phillip Price.

The latter was crowned Staysure Tour No. 1 and awarded the 2019 John Jacobs Trophy at the conclusion of play after heading the Staysure Tour Order of Merit.

Spaniard Carl Suneson finished in sixth place while fellow countryman Miguel Angel Martin, Lancashire’s David Shacklady, Denmark’s Steen Tinning and Scot Paul Lawrie, were a shot back in a share of seventh.

Former Open Champion Lawrie, who made four birdies in his closing five holes, finished 11th on the Order of Merit, and in doing so, won the 2019 Rookie of the Year award.

•For the final results in the MCB Tour Championship – Mauritius click here.

Jarmo Sandelin after his win at the British Par 3 Championship at Nailcote Hall

Sandelin’s Champions Tour Q-School success

SANDELIN also arrived on the Indian Ocean island in good form, having won the PGA Champions Tour Qualifying School First Stage Qualifier, at Tampa Bay Golf Club, in Florida, in November.

At the final stage just over a week ago, he finished in a share of 15th – only the top five, including Sweden’s former European No. 1 Robert Karlsson – earned a card for the 2020 Champions Tour.

But Sandelin can enter open qualifying events automatically on the USA’s over 50s tour by finishing inside the top 30 at TPC Scottsdale, where Surrey’s Andrew Raitt, finished tied 27th alongside former US Open winner Michael Campbell, who failed to earn a card in his rookie season.

Sandelin also won the Farmfoods British Par 3 Championship at Warwickshire’s Nailcote Hall, in August – which is played over 36 holes against a field of European Challenge Tour and Staysure players – plus some with recent European Tour experience.

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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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Australlian Peter Fowler claimed his seventh Staysture Tour win with victory in the MCB Tour Championship at Constance Lemuria. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

PETER Fowler recorded a final round of 67 to win his seventh Staysure Tour title at the MCB Tour Championship – Seychelles at Constance Lemuria.

The Australian, who won last year’s Willow Senior Golf Classic at Hertfordshire’s Hanbury Manor, started the final round four shots adrift of leader James Kingston.

But Fowler carded a three-under par final round, including a bogey-free back nine, to beat the South African by a stroke.

The 2011 Staysure Tour No. 1 began his final 18 holes at the European Tour Destinations venue with impetus.

Fowler birdied the opening two holes to apply pressure on Kingston, reaching the turn in two-under after a gain at the sixth followed by a dropped shot at seven.

The calm approach remained key for the 60-year-old as players struggled in the Seychelles sun, including Kingston who dropped three shots in four holes.

Meanwhile Fowler maintained his advantage over a bunched chasing pack as he carded eight consecutive pars from the eighth to the 15th.

With players jostling for position, Fowler gained another stroke at the par five 16th to set the target at four-under.

And with Kingston unable to finish with a flourish the Australian was crowned champion in the Seychelles as he survived the physcially punishing and picturesque back nine which has serious inclines for the players to negotiate.

“It’s been a fantastic three days of golf,” Fowler said. “I made lots of birdies this week. I was fortunate to only have one bogey on my card today and that paid off.

“I played quite conservatively on the par fives towards the end but managed to get the job done.

“I opened with two birdies and then birdied the sixth and that really settled me down.

“I played quite well and had a lot of birdie chances but didn’t make them until I got to the 16th. But I kept a lot of bogeys off the card and that was important.Ÿ”

Fowleer made light of his latest victory marking 10 years on the European Seniors Tour.

“The golf ball doesn’t know how old you are,” Fowler added. “Since I’ve turned 60, I’ve said that I still need to work hard.

“If you look at Bernhard Langer and the other senior guys who are doing well around the world they continue to work hard on their fitness, which is important for us because our fitness is dropping.

“But I’m trying to keep mine up there. I’ve proved over the last 10 years that your fitness is key to success.”

Kingston signed for a final round of 72 to claim his third runner-up finish of the year.

That moved him into second place on the Staysure Tour Order of Merit.

Welshman Phillip Price, who tops the Order of Merit, extended his advantage following his third place finish in the Seychelles after his 69 on Saturday.

Lancashire’s Paul Eales also carded a round of 69 to join Price and Argentinian Mauricio Molina in a share of third – two strokes behind Fowler.

A group of four players, including Peter Baker, from the West Midlands, and Simon Brown, Spain’s Miguel Angel Martin and Sweden’s Joakim Haeggman, finished three shots adrift on one-under

Haeggman, the first Swede to play in the Ryder Cup carded the joint low round of the day, with a 66.

All the attention moves to Mauritius where the third MCB Tour Championship in a row will bring the curtain down on the 2019 Staysure Tour, with the John Jacobs Trophy going to the No. 1 player on the Order of Merit after the final round.

•For the final scores from the MCB Tour Championship – Seychelles, click here.

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Roger Chapman will defend his MCB Tour Championship – Seychelles title when he returns to Constance Lemuria for the second leg of the Indian Ocean Swing on the Staysure Tour. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

ROGER Chapman returns to the MCB Tour Championship – Seychelles 12 months after winning the inaugural title at Constance Lemuria.

And the former Kent amateur is relishing the opportunity to reacquaint himself with the stunning Indian Ocean layout.

The two-time Senior Major Champion came from seven shots behind at the start of the final round to lift the trophy in 2018, beating Phillip Price on the first play-off hole after sinking a 30-foot eagle putt.

Chapman, who has four top 10s to his name in 2019, including a share of 10th place at The Senior Open, at St Andrews, is excited to be back on the Indian Ocean island.

“It’s always great to be a defending champion,” said Chapman. “It’s great being in Seychelles and I’m looking forward to defending my title.

“The win meant a lot last year. I was injured at the beginning of the season and had a shoulder operation in the middle of May and did nothing until The Senior Open at St Andrews.”

The Berkshire-based golfer, who was born in Kenya where he lived until he was five, will tee it up in the second staging of the event.

The Seychelles tournament is the second of the three event final series MCB Tour Championship, where the top-performing player will be crowned King of the Swing after the Indian Ocean events.

Chapman, who has five victories worldwide to his name – including the 2012 US Senior Open and US Senior PGA – was crowned both the inaugural King of the Swing and the MCB Tour Championship – Seychelles winner.

The 60-year-old who lives in Ascot. will face a tough test, not just from the players battling for the title, but from the picturesque course which hosted the first European Tour-sanctioned event in Seychelles 12 months ago.

“The course is like an examination,” said the three-time Staysure Tour winner, who believes the Constance Lemuria course, which has serious elevation changes, offers one of the most spectacular views in the world of golf according to the defending champion.

“The paper is there in front of you and you’ve got to do your best,” added Chapman.

“You have to plot your way around this course, like a game of chess, and make sure you hit the fairways.

“The first 12 holes are really, really good and then you get to the 13th tee and you go up, and then you get to the 14th tee and you go up again.

“You think you have to come down sooner or later and then you hit 15, which is probably one of the most beautiful holes in the world.

“The hang time on the shot into the green is close to 10 seconds, which is incredible. Then the par five 16th goes back up the hill before you get to 17 which is a little par three.

“You then arrive at the 18th tee and see the fantastic view but the tee shot puts the fear of God into you.

“It’s not an easy tee shot, especially with the wind. Some guys hit driver, but a lot of guys will take an iron off the tee to make sure they hit the fairway – it’s fraught with danger.”

Chapman will tee off at 11.45am local time alongside the MCB Tour Championship – Madagascar winner Barry Lane.

Also in the field is Europe’s victorious 2014 Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley.

The first round at the MCB Tour Championship – Seychelles gets under way at 9am local time which is four hours ahead of GMT.

•For live scoring at the MCB Tour Championship – Seychelles click here.

Chapman was part of Kent’s golden era

ROGER Chapman was a member of the last Kent team to win the English County Championship in 1978 before their triumph at Huddersfield in September.

Kent took the title by beating Northumberland 5&4 in the final at Frilford Heath.

Chapman’s team-mates included Walker Cup ace Peter Hedges, Paul Hoad, who went on to play on the European Tour and has taught on the circuit, Toby Shannon, who beat Sandy Lyle 10&8 in The Boys Amateur Championship, in 1974.

Chapman, whose only win in 20 years on the European Tour came in Rio de Janeiro, in 2000, was the first Kent player to win the English Amateur Championship in 1979, at Royal St George’s.

He also claimed the Lytham Trophy in 1981, the year he made his Walker Cup debut, where he beat Hal Sutton, twice on the final day, at Cypress Point, in California.

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Berkshire’s Barry Lane became the first winner of a European Tour event in Madagascar with victory in the Staysure Tour’s MCB Tour Championship, at International Golf Club Du Rova. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

BERKSHIRE’S Barry Lane became the first winner of the MCB Tour Championship – Madagascar at International Golf Club Du Rova – his second Staysure Tour victory of the season.

The 1993 Ryder Cup player shot a final two under-par 69 as he came from four shots back at the start of play to clinch his eighth victory on the over 50s circuit.

It was his second title of the year, having won the Senior Italian Open in June.

Overnight leader Clark Dennis could not follow his impressive bogey-free second round of 65, as Lane seized the opportunity to win the first stage of the three-legged final MCB Tour Championship series by one stroke.

The 59-year-old made a steady start to his final round with six successive pars before his first birdie of the day came at the par three seventh.

Lane made the turn at level par after dropping a shot on the ninth, but regained his focus on the back nine as he returned to the clubhouse bogey free to post three-under par for 54 holes.

Dennis, playing in the same group as Lane, had trouble on the home stretch as the American dropped six shots in seven holes, eventually finishing in share of fourth place.

The American was going in search of his sixth Staysure Tour title, and second win of the year after victory in the Winstongolf Senior Open, in Germany, in July.

But five-time European Tour winner Lane picked up shots at the 13th and 15th to move into the lead.

With the clubhouse target having been set at two-under by Spaniard Juan Quiros and Frenchman Jean-François Remesy, Lane knew a par on the final hole would seal a memorable victory on a course which tested the players’ patience to the utmost.

His four meant he became the maiden winner of the first European Tour-sanctioned event in Madagascar, the largest island in the Indian Ocean.

“It feels amazing,” said Barry Lane. “I knew I was one ahead coming down 18 and I still tried to hole the birdie putt, but I knew I could two-putt to win, which is always nice.

“I got off to a slow start, but putted beautifully on the first four holes and then started to play quite nicely.

“But I hung in there. Clark had a nightmare on the 15th and that changed things. This game changes so quickly and that’s the nature of it.

“This week was all about mental ability. Whatever happened you had to accept it and try and do the best you could.

“Mentally, I thought I was amazing this week, because not once in 54 holes did I get annoyed or upset with any shot. I just played and got on with it.

“It’s such a difficult golf course because it’s quite bouncy and if you miss the greens it is so difficult to get up and down.

“During the week I didn’t feel like I was flushing it, but I tried to hit every fairway and every green to give myself a chance.

“It’s great that at 59 years old I am still winning, having won the Senior Italian Open earlier in the year when I was 58.

“I’m very happy to win at 59 and may it continue for another few years,” Lane added.

Quiros and Remesy finished in a share of second place, following their final rounds of 69.

Dennis, meanwhile, carded a round of 75 to join Wales’ Stephen Dodd and Sussex’s first round leader Gary Evans in fourth, two strokes behind Lane.

Home favourite Jean Baptiste Ramarozatovo, who was cheered on by the home crowd, recorded a round of 69 to take a share of seventh.

The three-time winner of the Madagascan Open in the late 1990s finished alongside Argentinian Mauricio Molina, Kent’s Peter Wilson and South African duo James Kingston and Chris Williams on level-par.

Lane now in contention for No. 1

THE 675 Order of Merit points won by Lane leaves the Englishman in with a real chance of claiming the John Jacobs Trophy and being crowned the European Seniors No. 1 for a first time.

With two events to go in the Seychelles and Mauritius, Barry Lane is third on the Staysure Tour Order of Merit, with Wales’ Phillip Price, who finished 18th in Madagascar, on 2,377 points, with Lancashire’s David Shacklady in second 2,033.5 points.

This week’s MCB Tour Championship – Seychelles gets under way on Thursday this week, instead of the traditional Friday start.

•For final scores from the MCB Tour Championship – Madagascar click here.

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Sussex’s Gary Evans is the first round leader at the MCG Tour Championship – Madagascar after a fine round of 68 left him with a one-shot lead on three-under par at International Golf Club Du Rova. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

SUSSEX’S Gary Evans carded an opening round of 68 at the MCB Tour Championship – Madagascar to lead by one shot as the Staysure Tour held a tournament on the Indian Ocean island for the first time in its 27-year history.

Evans rose to the top after his three-under par round saw him finish the day one shot ahead Spain’s José Manuel Carriles, Stephen Dodd, from Wales, Madagascan Jean Baptiste Ramarozatovo and France’s Jean Pierre Sallat.

Evans, who has recorded three top 10s in his rookie season on the Staysure Tour, made a quick start with a birdie on the first hole.

And the player, often regarded as the best Englishman never to have won on the European Tour, bounced back from his bogey on the second with three consecutive gains, including two on par threes, ahead of the turn.

A dropped shot on the 10th was quickly recovered on the par three 11th before he made back-to-back birdies on the par four 15th and par three 16th.

Even with a double bogey on his penultimate hole following a difficult lie in the bunker, Evans was more than happy to sign for a round of 68 and take the lead after round one.

“If you had offered me that score at the beginning of the day, I would have snapped your hand off,” said Evans, who represented Ascot’s Mill Ryde GC for many years as a European Tour player.

“I’m very happy with that and can’t complain at all,” added Evans, who shared the Brabazon Trophy – at the English Amateur Open Strokeplay Championship – back-to-back in 1990 and 1991.

“It is an extremely difficult golf course and it is hard to be aggressive, but I actually played really nicely, especially on the par threes.

“I hit a lot of good shots into the par threes which made life a lot easier. I played the rest of the course quite nicely, but I played those holes really well,” said Evans, who grew up playing as a junior at Worthing GC.

“I could’ve birdied all five of the par threes. On the fourth hole I hit a seven-iron into five feet – and missed the putt. All of my approaches were close and none of them were long putts.

“I drove the ball well and made a couple of small mistakes. It was a shame on 17 because I hit a perfect drive and then hit my wedge on-line with the flag.

“It landed on the front edge of the green and span back, as opposed to going forward, landing in a really bad lie in the bunker.

“You are going to have holes that will bite you because it’s the nature of the golf course. It’s all about patience and a clear mind and executing your game as best as you can.”

Hot on Evans’ heels are a group of four players at two-under, including local professional Ramarozatovo, who became the first Madagascan player to tee it up in a Staysure Tour event.

The island star held the lead during the opening round following three birdies and an eagle, but a double bogey on the 17^th saw him drop back to a share of second place.

Madagascar became the 46th country to host a Staysure Tour tournament since its inception in 1992 as the first stage of the three-legged MCB Tour Championships got under way at International Golf Club Du Rova.

The second round of the MCB Tour Championship – Madagascar gets under way at 8am local time with Evans teeing off at 10:45am.

•For lives scoring in Madagascar click here.

Evans was tipped as the ‘next Faldo’

GARY Evans was tipped by many as the new Faldo when he burst on the amateur scene a decade after the Hertfordshire player became youngest-ever English Amateur Champion at 17, in 1975.

Evans won the Carris Trophy – the English U18 Strokeplay Championship in 1986 – and played in the 1991 Walker Cup for Great Britain and Ireland against the USA, at Portmarnock, with the American team containing Phil Mickelson.

Evans beat David Duval in the Saturday singles, and partnered Andrew Coltart and Jim Payne in the foursomes in a GB&I team that also contained Ireland’s future Ryder Cup players Padraig Harrington and Paul McGinley.

Evans spent several years coaching after quitting the European Tour back in 2006 after shoulder and back injuries, which came on top of a persistent wrist injury.

He appeared in a total of 353 tournaments between 1992 and 2006 earning nearly €3.4million finishing in the top three five times.

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