Paul Curry’s home village of East Bergholt in the south of Suffolk boasts John Constable, a renowned artist of the Romantic era of the late 18th century, as its most famous son and certainly Curry displays hints of romanticism when he talks of his return home after over a decade-long hiatus.
Having spent 11 years living and plying his trade in the United States, the Englishman returned to his home village in June and promptly made his European Senior Tour debut in The Senior Open Championship last month at Walton Heath Golf Club, where he finished tied for 44th.
Was it something of a homecoming, then, for the European Tour winner?
"I suppose it was," he replies. "It was like it was 1982 again, I was seeing a lot of people that I used to travel with on The European Tour but hadn’t thought about for years.
"It was really nice in that sense. I don’t think I played too badly at The Senior Open either, which helped."
Having carved out a fruitful career on The European Tour in the 1980s and 1990s, his best year coming in 1994 when he won the Jersey European Airways Open and finished 33rd in the Order of Merit, Curry gained a US PGA Tour card in 2000 through Qualifying School and uprooted to Florida.
Since then, he has played on numerous Tours on the other side of the Atlantic, from the Nationwide Tour to the NGA Hooters Tour and has since been playing in local mini-tours around Orlando.
"It’s definitely a step up again for me in the Senior Tour,” he admits. “You try to stay competitive on those tours in Orlando but nothing compares to being out there on the Senior Tour in front of the TV cameras and the big crowds.
"It’s different out there in America too, socially. When you play in Europe you’re likely to see some players out at Heathrow airport or the hotel but in the US, you could be the only player in a hotel before an event and it just hasn’t got the same camaraderie.
"It’s good to see everyone again in the same place, see who’s got hair left and what injuries they have!"
The affable Curry is certainly looking forward to getting back in the mix of competitive European golf, especially given that he intends to approach his game with a much more positive outlook this time around.
"I think when I look back on my career, you don’t enjoy it as much when you’re really concentrating so much on getting results. You don’t get to enjoy the whole experience of it.
"I think when you take a step back and see the bigger picture you realise, well things are not so bad after all, it’s a great life and it should be enjoyed.
"So that’s my plan this time around, to enjoy it a little bit more and who knows, maybe the results might come then, but I won’t get too anxious over the results."
A little bit of reflective romanticism, perhaps, for the second most famous son of East Bergholt.
Curry will make his second appearance since joining the European Senior Tour at the Cleveland Golf/Srixon Scottish Senior Open at Fairmont St Andrews on August 19-21.
