As the Staysure Tour returns to England for the second time this season, here are five golfers to keep an eye on at this year’s Willow Senior Golf Classic…
Barry Lane
Defending champion Barry Lane set a new 54-hole record and shot the lowest round ever recorded on the Staysure Tour at last year’s Willow Senior Golf Classic, finishing an astonishing 22 under par.
Lane dropped just one shot over his rounds of 67-60-67 as he won his sixth title on the over-50s circuit. His second round was the first time a Staysure Tour member carded a round of 60, 12 under par, a total which has not yet been bettered.
The Englishman has six top-20 finishes so far this season, including a tied-runner up result at the Shipco Masters promoted by Simon’s Golf Club and a tied sixth place finish at the Senior Italian Open.
Clark Dennis
The 2017 John Jacobs Trophy winner enjoyed his debut at last year’s Willow Senior Golf Classic so much that he decided to make Hanbury Manor Marriott Hotel & Country Club his home when travelling to Europe for the 2018 season.
The American, who earned his card at Qualifying School last year and then went on to become Staysure Tour Number One, uses Hanbury Manor as a base when he flies over to take part in tournaments on this side of the Atlantic.
With a victory already this season at the Senior Italian Open, added to two further top tens and a tied 12th place finish at the Staysure PGA Seniors Championship, Dennis is going in search of a win on ‘home’ soil.
Phil Golding
Phil Golding doubled his tally of victories on the Staysure Tour to four in 2017, winning both the Swiss Seniors Open and Travis Perkins Masters, and then secured his fifth title at the Staysure PGA Seniors Championship earlier this month. His third-place finish at the 2016 edition of the Willow Senior Golf Classic was his fifth top ten of that season.
Three of his five wins on the over-50s circuit have come on British soil, with his first title coming at the Speedy Services Wales Senior Open in 2013.
As a golfer who knows how to win at home, expect Golding to challenge come Sunday.
Jarmo Sandelin
The Swede seems to be edging ever closer to a maiden victory on the Staysure Tour.
He enjoyed an encouraging debut season on the over-50s circuit in 2017, recording seven top ten finishes. His best result since turning 50 came earlier this year at the Swiss Seniors Open where he finished just one stroke behind Jean-François Remesy.
The 1999 Ryder Cup player accepted a sponsor’s invitation on the European Tour to compete in last week’s Nordea Masters, ideal preparation for the event at Hanbury Manor.
Jean-François Remesy
Arguably the in-form golfer on the Staysure Tour, Remesy broke his over-50s duck at the Swiss Seniors Open earlier this year and has not looked back since.
He finished in a share of ninth place at the Senior Italian Open presented by Villaverde Resort just three weeks before his success in Switzerland, and he followed up his victory with a runner-up finish at the WINSTONgolf Senior Open the following week.
The 54 year old is on course for his best finish on the Order of Merit since joining the Staysure Tour and will be keen to add to his trophy cabinet.
