On the heels of a thrilling win by Team Europe at The 42ndRyder Cup, the Farmfoods European Senior Masters returns for its second edition. With a host of Ryder Cup legends ready to compete for a different type of European bragging rights, we shine the spotlight on five in particular.
1)Peter Baker- serving as tournament host for the second straight year, the Englishman has experienced both the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat in the hotly-contested biennial competition. As a player in The 1993 Ryder Cup at The Belfry, Baker was called on heavily, competing in four of the five sessions. Despite securing points in his two fourball matches as well as defeating Corey Pavin in his singles match, Team USA lifted the trophy, which still stands as their most recent win on European soil. Ultimately, Baker would get his revenge, in the form of a comprehensive win at The 2006 Ryder Cup where he served as a vice-captain, helping Team Europe to a record-equalling 18 ½ - 9 ½ victory over the Americans at The K Club.
2)Ian Woosnam- the World Golf Hall of Fame Member understands the unique team competition as well as any player possibly can. The pride of Wales competed in every Ryder Cup from 1983- 1997, and propelled Europe to victory on five separate occasions. He served as vice-captain of the winning side for The 2002 Ryder Cup at The Belfry, before delivering one of the most successful captaincies in Ryder Cup history in 2006. In total, ‘Woosie’ delivered 16 ½ points as a player and lifted the trophy with Team Europe an astounding seven times.
3)Costantino Rocca- last week, Italian superstar Francesco Molinari took down Tiger Woods at The Ryder Cup, defeating him on all three of the occasions they clashed. That roaring success might be down to the wisdom his fellow countryman, Rocca, passed down from his days toppling one of the greatest players in history at the high-stakes team event. In The 1997 Ryder Cup at Valderrama – the only previous Ryder Cup to be held on continental Europe – Team Europe took a 10 ½ - 5 ½ lead into Sunday Singles. However, the European side was quickly overrun by a sea of red on the board, and had it not been for Rocca’s win over Woods, Team USA would have won The Ryder Cup. In the end, the first Italian to play in The Ryder Cup delivered a most-crucial point in Europe’s 14 ½ - 13 ½ victory. Rocca’s three Ryder Cup appearances yielded two wins for Team Europe, and his 53 per cent winning percentage sets him among Team Europe’s all-time best.
4)Gordon Brand Jnr-as we have learned from the past three editions of The Ryder Cup, winning in hostile territory is a monumental task. At The 1987 Ryder Cup, Europe had yet to win the competition on foreign soil, but Team Europe, which featured Scotland’s Gordon Brand Jnr, would finally deliver a historic breakthrough victory, thanks in large part to Brand Jnr’s scale-tipping victory in the Friday Fourball session with José Rivero and a halved Sunday Singles match. The win would prove to be extra-valuable when Brand Jnr re-joined Team Europe for The 1989 Ryder Cup at The Belfry. For only the second, and most recent, time the five sessions ended in a 14-14 tie. However, the defending champions only need to retain The Ryder Cup with 14 points, to the challengers’ 14 ½ and so, Europe retained ownership of the biennial trophy.
5)Eamonn Darcy- Darcy holds the unique distinction of competing in The Ryder Cup for the original Great Britain & Ireland squad, which he did twice in 1975 and 1977, as well as for Team Europe, which he also did twice. Darcy played alongside Brand Jnr in The 1987 Ryder Cup for Team Europe’s historic victory on American soil, where the two Staysure Tour Members were paired together on Saturday afternoon for the Fourball session. Despite losing in that match, Darcy got his revenge in Sunday Singles. After coughing up a five-point lead to the Americans in the early matches, Darcy was able to stop the bleeding when he defeated Ben Crenshaw on the final hole to win the match 1UP. Crenshaw famously broke his putter in frustration on the sixth hole that day and gave Darcy all he could handle whilst putting with a 1 iron, but the Irishman prevailed and earned the 13thpoint for Team Europe, which set the stage for Seve Ballesteros’ knock-out punch.
