America’s Marco Dawson was the suprise winner of the 2015 Senior Open at Sunningdale – beating Bernhard Langer and Colin Montgomerie to claim the Claret Jug – the R&A has postponed July’s 2020 Senior Open but has not ruled out holding it later in the year

THE 2020 Senior Open at Sunningdale has been postponed due to the continuing threat posed by the spread of the coronavirus.

Europe’s only Senior Major Championship was scheduled to take place on the stunning Old Course at Sunningdale Golf Club, from July 23-25.

Johnnie Cole-Hamilton, an executive director at The R&A, said: “We have made the decision to postpone the Senior Open presented by Rolex following discussions with all stakeholders – and with public health and wellbeing the absolute priority.

“We will continue to investigate alternative options to host The Senior Open later in the year – if at all possible – and will make an announcement in due course.”

Sunningdale last hosted the championship in 2015 when American Marco Dawson claimed the trophy for the first time, ending Bernhard Langer’s hopes of a third Senior Claret Jug.

And it also denied Colin Montgomerie a first Senior Claret Jug, as Dawson produced two eagles in his final round as he reeled in Monty’s four-shot lead with nine holes to play.

Langer went on to win the title in 2017 at Royal Porthcawl, and Langer would have been the defending champion in August, after his two-shot victory over Paul Broadhurst at Royal Lytham, last summer.

The 62-year-old German has a record of 11 Senior Majors to his name as the 1985 Masters winner – the second European to win a Green Jacket at Augusta after Seve’s historic win in 1980 – continues to defy his age.

Langer spoke last month about how much he was looking forward to returning to the club on the Surrey-Berkshire border.

He said: “I am really looking forward to returning to Sunningdale Golf Club.

“I remember the battle I had with Marco and Colin a few years ago, so it will be good to go back and create new memories.

“To win The Senior Open means a great deal as it is one of the highlights of the year and it was a great feeling to lift The Senior Open trophy last season.

“There are new, younger stars taking part every year, making the event one of the toughest to win, and I expect much of the same this time.

“Sunningdale is a special course with a lot of history and I have been in the mix on the two occasions the championship has been held there – so it would mean a lot to perform well once again.”

Sunningdale also hosted the event in 2009 when Lauren Roberts – the Boss of the Moss – beat Fred Funk and Marc McNulty in a play-off on the famous heathland course.

The Old Course was designed by Willie Park Jnr and opened in 1901, with Harry Colt’s New Course opening in 1923.

Mark Aspland, head of the Staysure Tour, said: “The decision to postpone The Senior Open has been made in the best interests of everyone involved.

“Our priority is ensuring the health and safety of all players, spectators and sponsors, and it is therefore the right decision to postpone the event.

‘We will continue to work closely with The R&A, Rolex and other key stakeholders to reschedule the event at a later date when we have further clarity on the global situation.

“Our thoughts are with everyone right now as we continue the global fight against the spread of coronavirus.”

The decision came on Tuesday as the Cabinet – in the absence of Prime Minister Boris Johnson who is recovering at Chequers after spending three days in intensive care last week suffering from COVID-19 – was preparing to extend the current lockdown in the UK as it entered a fourth week.

Bernhard Langer was looking forward to a return to Sunningdale. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

Five Senior Majors in 2020 are off

ALL five Senior Majors of the season have either been called off or rearranged because of the coronavirus pandemic.

And the first three dates on the European Seniors Tour calendar have also been postponed.

The Murhof Legends – Austrian Senior Open due to be held at Golfclub Murhof, Frohnleiten, from May 14-16,was cancelled last month along with the Italian Senior Open at Argentario Golf Resort & Spa, in Porto Ecole, from May 23-31.

The French Senior Open – presented by Jean Van De Velde – which was set to be played at Golf d’Arras in Anzin-Saint-Aubin, is another casualty.

The KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship – due to be held at Harbor Shores Resort in Michigan’s Benton Harbor, from May 21-24, was the second Seniors Major of 2020 to be called off.

The PGA of America announced it was being cancelled on April 2 – a lockdown order in Michigan was in place until April 13, leaving the organisers not enough time to complete preparations.

PGA of America chief executive Seth Waugh said: “While we are incredibly disappointed, we all understand that protecting public health is the highest priority.

“We are especially disappointed for the Benton Harbor community, our friends at KitchenAid and the fans and volunteers who support this important championship so passionately.”

The Senior PGA will return to Harbor Shores in 2022, the PGA said when it announced the cancellation.

Next year’s Senior PGA Championship will take place at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma, from May 27-30.

US Senior Open at Newport CC moves to 2021

THE 41st US Senior Open – scheduled for Rhode Island’s Newport Country Club from June 25-28 – was cancelled last week.

The announcement came at the same time as the USGA’s decision to move the US Open back to September was taken, as well as calling off the third US Senior Women’s Open.

The men’s US Senior will now be played at Nebraska’s Omaha Country Club from July 8-11, in 2021.

“Canceling this year’s Senior Open championships was a very difficult decision to make,” said USGA chief exectuive Mike Davis.

“Not only are they important pillars of our championship schedule, but we also value our relationships with both Newport Country Club and Brooklawn Country Club, and were looking forward to staging incredible events there this summer.

“Given the ongoing health and safety issues related to COVID-19 and the significant consolidation of schedules into the back half of 2020, including the postponement of the US Women’s Open and US Open, we felt it necessary to make these unfortunate adjustments to our 2020 championship plans,” Davis added.

The only US Senior Open win for Bernhard Langer came at Sahalee Country Club, in Washington State, in 2010, when he finished three strokes ahead of Fred Couples.

The PGA Champions Tour had already cancelled or postponed four tournaments set to take place in the run up to the Senior PGA.

They included the Regions Tradition – the year’s first Seniors Major, which should have been played at Greystone G&CC in Birmingham, Alabama, from May 7-10.

It has been rescheduled for September 24-27.

The next PGA Tour Champions event on the schedule is the American Family Insurance Championship at Madison, Wisconsin, from June 5-7.

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MICHAEL Campbell will make his first Staysure Tour appearance outside of a Senior Major when he tees it up at the Staysure PGA Seniors Championship, at London Golf Club, on Thursday.

The 2005 US Open champion – who finished two shots ahead of Tiger Woods at Pinehurst – turned 50 at the beginning of the year and will make his first regular Staysure Tour appearance this week.

Campbell last played a full European Tour season in 2013, with his last start coming at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in January 2014.

During his break from the sport, the Kiwi was back home, spending time with his family, and with son Thomas on the bag this week, he is excited to be teeing it up in Kent.

Campbell said: “He’s pretty excited about this week and it’s his first time on the bag.

“Turning 50 and joining the senior ranks came at a perfect time for me. I spent over 20 years on Tour and needed a rest from playing and a chance to reconnect with my boys.

“My two sons were 12 and 15 when I stopped playing for a while, so it was nice to have a normal life.

“I would go to the groceries store and cook dinner and have a normal life,” said the player whose UK base while on Tour was in Brighton.

“I’d been an absent father over the years, spending so much time away from them, so those six years I made sure I was there, especially for things like watching them play sport.”

Now back playing competitive golf, the eight-time European Tour winner is eager to enjoy his time on the over-50s circuit after teeing it up in the Senior Majors earlier in the year.

“I’m excited to play,” said Campbell. “I’ve had a strange schedule this year, playing only three times at the three Senior Majors, so I’ve thrown myself into the deep end after not playing for six years.

“My game is slowly coming back and I just need to play more tournaments and being here at London Golf Club is great.

“The course looks great and having spoken to a few of the guys it will be a great test of golf, especially with the weather conditions this week.

“These guys on the over-50s circuit can play golf, that’s what I really noticed in the tournaments I’ve played this year.

“For me, it’s nice to be out here playing against these guys because when I wasn’t playing for six years, I really missed competing. It’s nice to get the competitive juices flowing again.

“One of the things I noticed about this Tour is that it’s more relaxed and not as intense as the European Tour, which is nice. It’s also nice to see all my friends again.

“I saw Bernhard Langer for the first time in six years, plus Retief, Monty, Vijay, because I grew up playing against these guys in the 1990s and early 2000s.

“It’s nice to be back on the same golf courses as these guys and back competing against them.”

Campbell will face a tough test if he is to succeed at the Staysure PGA Seniors Championship with last year’s winner Philip Golding, from Hertfordshire, hoping to defend his title.

And Colin Montgomerie, who set the course-record last year with a nine-under par opening round of 63, will be looking to clinch his 10th Staysure Tour victory.

The first round will begin at 7.45 am, with Campbell teeing off alongside Montgomerie at 9.05am.

Follow live scoring here.

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BERNHARD Langer continued his historic dominance of over-50s golf by winning The Senior Open for a record fourth time.

The German set a new benchmark for Senior Major Championship victories – with 10 – when he last won The Senior Open in 2017 at Royal Porthcawl,

And with his win at Royal Lytham & St Annes he became the oldest Senior Open champion as he collected his 11th Senior Major – and his 41st professional title since turning 50.

A delighted Langer, who also led Europe to victory in the 2004 Ryder Cup, said: “It’s always special to walk down 18 in a Major, but especially over here.

“The people are so knowledgeable about golf, and it’s tremendous how they even came out in these conditions and cheered us on in the rain.

“It feels very special, whether it’s The Open or The Senior Open, to walk down 18 is always a wonderful feeling.

“Now having won 11 Senior Majors, it means a great deal. Nobody has won more than nine if I’m correct – not even the great Jack Nicklaus or Gary Player or Tom Watson, who retired from this championship today.

“There’s a lot of great players who have played this game and have played Majors, and I’ve been blessed to have won more than any of them.”

Despite heavy rainfall, which suspended play for over five-and-a-half-hours on the final day – and then returned for the final nine holes of the championship – Langer remained unphased.

He put on a masterclass as he took control of the tournament with back-to-back birdies on the inward nine, ultimately carding a four-under par 66 to turn a three-shot deficit into a two-shot victory from 2016 champion Paul Broadhurst, who is attached to Northamptonshire County.

The final round of The Senior Open will also be remembered as Tom Watson’s farewell to competitive links golf.

The five-time Champion Golfer of the Year and three-time Senior Open winner announced after his third round that he would be bowing out at the conclusion of his 18^th Senior Open appearance.

The American never missed a cut in The Senior Open and remains one of only three men—along with Gary Player and Bob Charles—to win both The Open and The Senior Open.

Watson bows out being considered by many to be the greatest links golfer of all time.

Watson, whose five Open wins all came in Scotland, said: “The crowds on 18 were very warm and appreciative. The crowd that ended at the ninth hole, which was the farthest point on the golf course, that went all the way out there to watch my final hole, that was very, very special.

“There will be other people who will take the reins and they will do what I did. Life is full of passages, and I’ve passed through my career here, starting in 1975 to here in 2019. It’s amazing.

“I’ll always respect the way the game is played over here. The game of golf is played here with a passion, unequalled, and it’s part of the fabric of life that people have when they play golf here in the UK

“That’s what I’ve always appreciated,” added an emotional Watson who famously beat Nicklaus in the Duel in the Sun at Turnberry, in 1977, and almost won a sixth Claret Jug in 2009, aged 59 – but lost to Stewart Cink in a play-off, also over Ayrshire’s Ailsa course.

Europe’s only Senior Major will head to Sunningdale Golf Club, on the Berkshire-Surrey border, when The Senior Open returns in 2020.

For full results in the 2019 Senior Open click here

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WINSTONgolf Senior Open winner Clark Dennis after the American fired a superb 63 to come from six shots back to pip Spain’s Masters champion Jose Maria Olazabal in Germany.
Picture by GETTY IMAGES

CLARK Dennis came from six shots behind to win his fifth Staysure Tour title at the WINSTONgolf Senior Open after a stunning nine-under par 63 in the final round.

The American made five consecutive birdies in his last six holes to set the target at 15 under par, and with overnight leader José María Olazábal bogeying the 16th hole and unable to move back to the summit, Dennis became the first American to triumph at the WINSTONgolf Senior Open.

It was the 53-year-old’s lowest round of the week and lowest round of the season at WINSTONgolf in Vorbeck, as he won for the first time since he equalled the Tour’s low 54-hole score to win the MCB Tour Championship – Mauritius last December.

“It’s one of the best final rounds of my career,” Dennis said. “I played fantastic today. Most rounds you look back on them and say I could’ve done this or that, but aside from hitting it in the water on the first and making a par there, the round could not have been any better.

“I figured I was playing for second place. I told my wife that I probably needed to birdie the last six holes to have a chance and I almost did it.

“I had a birdie putt on 18 which went close, but those type of runs are never expected, they just happen.”

Dennis began his final round with three birdies in his opening five holes, making the turn at three-under par.

Olazábal, who was hoping to win his first Staysure Tour title, was six shots ahead of him after nine holes, but the following eight holes saw the American reel in the Spaniard before passing him.

A gain on the par three 11th got the ball rolling on the back nine before he made five successive birdies from the 13th hole to wipe out Olazábal’s lead, narrowly missing out on a birdie at the last, but setting the target in the clubhouse at 15 under par.

With Olazábal dropping a shot on the par four 16th and unable to birdie the final two holes, Dennis was crowned the WINSTONgolf Senior Open Champion.

“Olazábal is a gentleman,” Dennis said. “I’ve played with him before and he’s an absolute gentleman. I kind of felt bad, keeping him from winning his first Staysure Tour, title but I had to do what I did.

“Olazábal and Langer are the best of all time. They’re both two-time Masters Champions. They are incredible players.

“To be able to compete against them is great but to beat them is even better because you know you have to play your best golf to beat those guys because they’re fantastic players.”

The Spaniard finished a stroke behind Dennis for his best finish on the Staysure Tour, with James Kingston of South Africa two further shots back in third place after his final round of 66, six under par.

Home favourite Bernhard Langer finished at 11-under, chipping in for birdie on the last, to join England’s Jamie Spence in a share of fourth place.

Dennis and his fellow competitors will now travel to Royal Lytham & St Annes for the final Senior Major Championship of the season, The Senior Open, from July 25-28.

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Mexican Esteban Toledo is looking to record his first European Seniors Tour victory after Bernhard Langer invited him to play in the WINSTONgolf Senior Open, at Vorbeck. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

ESTEBAN Toledo recorded his lowest round in Europe to take the lead at the end of day one at the WINSTONgolf Senior Open after an eight-under par 64.

The Mexican, making his debut appearance at WINSTONgolf in Vorbeck, made 10 birdies in his round of 64, despite not having played the course in competition before.

The round included five successive gains from the 12th hole to lead by two shots after the opening round.

The signs for a good round were there to see after the 56-year-old started with three birdies in-a-row. A bogey followed on the next hole but two gains in his next three holes saw him make the turn at four under.

A dropped shot on the par-three 11th could have upset Toledo’s rhythm, instead it spurred him on, recording five consecutive birdies to race up the leaderboard and claim top spot at the end of the first day.

With a lead of two shots and 10 birdies on the card, Toledo was thrilled with his opening day’s work and to be playing at the WINSTONgolf Senior Open.

“This is the best round I’ve shot in Europe,” said Toledo, the first Mexican to win on the US Seniors Tour. “I made a lot of putts and hit the ball pretty straight.

“I made two bogeys, a three-putt on 11 and got the wrong club on the fifth, but the rest of them I never put myself in a position to make bogey.

“I think playing with Paul Wesselingh and the amateurs kept me relaxed which really helped me. I kept the ball on the fairway and hit a lot of great second shots and made a lot of putts.

“This golf course is beautiful, and I want to thank Erwin and Langer Sports Marketing team for inviting me because I received a tournament invite for this week.

“All my life I have wanted to come to Germany and I’m really happy to be here,” added Toledo who won four times on the PGA Champions Tour between 2013 and 2016, having only won once on the Web.com Tour.

“It’s a beautiful golf course which Mr Pon has helped create. I’m having a great time in Germany, but I know there are a lot of good guys behind me.

“So I’ve got to step it up over the next two days because there is still a long way to go. I hope I can win here in Europe because I’ve never done that in my life.”

Two shots behind Toledo and hoping to put the pressure on over the next 36 holes is a chasing pack of four players.

American Dan Olsen, Thailand’s Thaworn Wiratchant, last month’s Senior Open Hauts de France winner Peter Baker, and 2012 Ryder Cup Captain José María Olazábal, who recorded his first sub-70 round on the Staysure Tour, all signed for a six-under par round of 66.

Home-favourite Bernhard Langer, looking to claim victory on home soil for the first time since 2001, is two strokes further back at four-under.

The second round of the WINSTONgolf Senior Open begins at 9am local time with Toledo starting his second round at 9:50am.

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he majestic Sunningdale clubhouse where the 2020 Senior Open will be hosted the Staysure European Tour has announced. Picture by KEVIN DISS

SUNNINGDALE Golf Club will host The Senior Open for the third time when Europe’s only Senior Major Championship returns in 2020.

The Old Course at Sunningdale first hosted The Senior Open in 2009, when America’s Loren Roberts defeated compatriot Fred Funk and Ireland’s Mark McNulty in a play-off.

Another American, Marco Dawson, was triumphant when the Senior Major returned in 2015, finishing one stroke ahead of Bernhard Langer.

In addition to two Senior Opens, Sunningdale has also hosted the British Masters, the European Open, The Seve Trophy, The Walker Cup, AIG Women’s British Open and has been a qualifying venue for The Open.

The R&A’s executive director of championships Johnnie Cole-Hamilton said: “The Senior Open continues to grow in stature and Sunningdale will be an outstanding venue for the 2020 championship.

“The top senior players in the world will relish the challenge presented by the Old Course and we can look forward to an excellent week of world-class golf.”

The European Tour’s Staysure chief David MacLaren said: “We are very pleased to announce The Senior Open’s return to the incredible Old Course at Sunningdale.

“The Senior Open offers us the unique opportunity to visit both traditional Open-rota venues and other world-class golf courses in the British Isles.

“Sunningdale is consistently ranked as one of the best courses in the world, not just the United Kingdom, and we are all looking forward to returning next year.”

Among those who will be eligible to compete in their first Senior Opens are five-time Major Champion Phil Mickelson, 2003 US Open champion and 2018 USA Ryder Cup Captain Jim Furyk and 2003 Masters winner Mike Weir.

Nick Howe, chairman of Sunningdale’s tournament committee, said: ‘’We are delighted The Senior Open is returning to Sunningdale in 2020.

“It is the third time we will have held this prestigious event and we are very much looking forward to hosting the best senior golfers in the world and seeing how they navigate the challenges of The Old Course, now ranked the No. 1 course in England.’’

About The Senior Open

The Senior Open Presented by Rolex will return to Royal Lytham & St Annes for the first time since 1994 when the 33^rd edition of the Championship is staged from July 25-28.

Royal Lytham & St Annes hosted The Senior Open for four consecutive years from 1991-4.

Bobby Verwey, John Fourie, Bob Charles and Tom Wargo were the winners of Europe’s only Senior Major Championship on the Lancashire links during this time.

Royal Lytham & St Annes has hosted The Open on 11 occasions and hosted the Ricoh Women’s British Open in 2018.

Miguel Ángel Jiménez became the third consecutive European winner of The Senior Open after his one-stroke victory over defending champion Bernhard Langer on the Old Course at St Andrews in 2018.

Paul Broadhurst started the run of European victories at Carnoustie in 2016.

In 2017, Langer became the first golfer in history to win 10 Senior Major Championships, as he joined Gary Player and Tom Watson as the only three-time winners of the Senior Open Trophy with his victory at Royal Porthcawl Golf Club in Wales.

The Senior Open was introduced in 1987 at Turnberry in Ayrshire when Neil Coles, the former chairman of the board of directors of the PGA European Tour, won the inaugural title.

This led, two years later, to the formal inception of the European Senior Tour. In 2018, the Senior Tour was rebranded with Staysure becoming the first title sponsor of what is now known as the Staysure Tour.

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