Rick Gibson might not be able to catch runaway leader Colin Montgomerie in the European Senior Tour Order of Merit, but the Canadian is hoping to consolidate second place with a strong finish to the 2014 season in the MCB Tour Championship.
Gibson has a cushion of €40,169 from Englishman Barry Lane, who is looking to finish runner up for the third time in four seasons.
It has been a breakthrough year for Gibson on the Senior Tour in his third campaign after coming through the 2012 Qualifying School.
The 53 year old finished 34th on the Order of Merit in each of his first two seasons, but gained his maiden victory at the start of 2014 in the Bad Ragaz PGA Seniors Open, in Switzerland. He followed that by finishing third behind Bernhard Langer and Montgomerie in The Senior Open Championship Presented by Rolex at Royal Porthcawl, and was runner up to Montgomerie in the Russian Open Golf Championship (Senior).
Now he is hoping for another impressive performance in Mauritius to round off the year, ensuring he finishes runner up to John Jacobs Trophy winner Montgomerie once more, with Lane needing to win or finish second to stand any chance of usurping him.
“Finishing second in the Order of Merit would be nice, to stay where I am,” said Gibson. “That’s definitely a goal. I’d really like to give myself a chance to win this week though. I came in a day earlier to feel a bit better after the long trip. I’ve been in the hunt a few times this year and I’ve enjoyed it so much, so it would be great to get the adrenaline pumping again.
“It’s obviously always better to finish second than third, but I’m not thinking about the Order of Merit too much. I guess if I had a chance to catch Colin it would be in my mind more, but I really just want to give myself a chance to win this week. I’ve been able to get myself into position a few times this year, so hopefully I can do it again. Everyone want to finish the year on a high, especially so close to Christmas.
“That said, finishing second would be a big achievement for me. I’ve played really well in a couple of tournaments with big prize money and had a couple of other dodgy results. I’ve played well when it matters though, and that’s the way it works. Whatever happens, it will go down as a great year. But I’m not satisfied yet. I feel I have some work still to do on my swing, and hopefully there is better things to come from me.”
Lane has an impressive track record at Constance Belle Mare Plage, having finished in the top ten three times in four appearances, including runner up in 2012. Gibson finished tied 23rd in his debut last year, but he feels the Legend Course could prove to his liking this time round.
“I think this course suits me,” he said. “I think you have to keep it between the trees and there aren’t too many tee shots where the big hitters feel they can reach back and launch one. There’s not a whole lot of advantage to hitting it further here, so it lends itself to a control player.”
