Just two players have won the Rookie of the Year award on both The European and Senior Tours, and if Paul Broadhurst now goes on to emulate the feats of Carl Mason – the first man to achieve the double – he will have enjoyed some career in the over-50s ranks.
Mason was named the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year in 1974, subsequently scooping the Senior Tour equivalent in 2003 after winning four titles in his debut campaign. Broadhurst was always unlikely to replicate that remarkable achievement – especially as he only turned 50 in mid-August – but a win in the Prostate Cancer UK Scottish Senior Open, and two further top ten finishes from just four appearances, was not to be sniffed at.
As he reflected on his maiden campaign and looked ahead to a first full season on the Senior Tour, Broadhurst revealed that the drive and determination to win burns just as brightly as it did during a European Tour career which yielded six victories and an appearance in The 1991 Ryder Cup.
I came onto the Senior Tour expecting to do well.
Paul Broadhurst
He said: “I came onto the Senior Tour expecting to do well, which was probably a very dangerous attitude to have! Obviously I got off to the dream start with the win in Scotland, and it was great to get that winning feeling back – I’d really missed it.
“But I’ve since learned you’ve got to be right at the top of your game to compete on the Senior Tour. If I bring my ‘A-game’, I know I’m well capable of winning; but if I don’t I’ve got no chance, because someone else always will.
“As soon as I finished up on the main Tour, I started getting ready for the Senior Tour. I had worked pretty hard on my game for the past few years, so it was nice to reap the rewards straight away. But I definitely won’t be taking it easy now, once you’ve won once you want more.”
Top of the agenda for Broadhurst in 2016 is a debut appearance in The Senior Open Championship Presented by Rolex, due to be held at Carnoustie in July.
Over the past 150-plus years, Carnoustie has gained a reputation as one of the toughest tests in golf, leading to its ‘Carnasty’ moniker. But the Championship Course holds few fears for Broadhurst, who finished in a tie for 12th place behind Padraig Harrington in The 136th Open Championship.
He said: “It’d be nice to play well in the Senior Majors this year, especially the Senior Open. I like Carnoustie, I’ve played nicely in the Scottish Open there in the past and did well in The Open in 2007, so I certainly know how to get it round.
“If you can avoid the bunkers you’ll give yourself a chance of making a score, but that’s much easier said than done – especially if the weather is bad. So the Senior Open will definitely be the highlight of my year. I’m also pretty confident of getting into the US Senior PGA Championship as well, so it’d be nice to get the season off to a good start there.”
Off the course, Broadhurst’s year got off to a very good start as he celebrated his 25th wedding anniversary with wife Lorraine in Las Vegas and Hawaii.
The couple have four children, one of whom, 18 year old Sam, is hoping to follow in his father’s golfing footsteps.
He explained: “Sam is in his first year of a golf scholarship at Lincoln Memorial Uni, in Tennessee. He’s ranked about eighth in NCAA Division II, his stroke average is just over 70 and he’s already set a course record, so he’s doing pretty well. Obviously it’d be great if he made it as a pro but I certainly won’t be putting any pressure on him, whatever he wants to do is fine by me.”
