The European Senior Tour completes a three week stretch on British soil this week, when Close House, in Newcastle upon Tyne, hosts the prestigious ISPS Handa PGA Seniors Championship for the first time.
Following the SSE Enterprise Wales Senior Open and last week’s Acorn Jersey Open, the players will compete in the longest running tournament on the Senior Tour schedule, which is also the only four round event outside the Majors.
Spaniard Santiago Luna is the defending champion after his two stroke victory over Steen Tinning at The Stoke by Nayland Hotel, Golf & Spa 12 months ago.
Luna finished tied 28th in Jersey last week and he will be hoping a return to the north east of England inspires another strong performance, having finished runner up to Tinning at the 2013 English Senior Open at Rockliffe Hall.
The player he succeeded as champion, Paul Wesselingh, is also looking forward to returning to the region where he secured his maiden Senior Tour title in the 2012 ISPS Handa PGA Seniors Championship at De Vere Slaley Hall, en route to winning the Rookie of the Year award.
Wesselingh successfully defended that crown at De Vere Mottram Hall in 2013, claiming the first of four wins that year as he went on to win the Order of Merit. He has since added two more titles to his collection, including the SSE Enterprise Wales Senior Open a fortnight ago, and the 53 year old, who finished tied 20th in Jersey on Saturday, can move into sixth place on his own in the list of Senior Tour career victories with a win at Close House.
The Englishman is trying to match the record of compatriot Carl Mason, who has won the ISPS Handa PGA Seniors Championship at three different venues – De Vere Carden Park in 2004, The Stoke by Nayland Hotel, Golf & Spa in 2007 and De Vere Slaley Hall in 2009.
Australian Peter Fowler, the 2011 Order of Merit winner, will be aiming to continue his fine start to the 2015 campaign, following his tied second place in Wales and victory last week in Jersey.
The tournament will be played over the 6,813-yard par-71 Lee Westwood Colt course, which was designed as a tribute to iconic English golf course architect Harry Colt.
Free tickets for the event are available atwww.closehouse.com/pgaseniors.
