Challenging for an Order of Merit crown, contending for a Major and trying to keep your card are all among the most stressful and demanding experiences of professional golfer’s life, yet one man took on all three challenges in 2011.
Englishman Barry Lane spent a rather busy campaign balancing life on both The European Tour and European Senior Tour, as the 51 year old showed no sign of a diminishing appetite for the game that has been his livelihood for the past 30 years.
Lane will pass the 700 career appearances mark in 2012, having played 678 times on The European Tour – a record second only to Sam Torrance - and 20 times on the Senior Tour but few seasons have been as eventful as 2011 for the former Ryder Cup player.
In his second campaign on the Senior Tour, Lane won two times and pushed Australian Peter Fowler all the way in the Order of Merit, eventually having to settle for second place after his challenge ran out of steam in the final event, the MCB Tour Championship in Mauritius.
At the same time, he also battled to keep his card on The European Tour, often against players half his age, and made an impressive nine cuts in a row in the middle of the season, during which time he also finished as the leading European in The Senior Open Championship, in fifth position.
Ultimately his bid to make the top 115 on The Race to Dubai also ended in disappointment, as the demands of a split-schedule spread the five-time European Tour champion too thin and he ended the season in 153rd position, but the season will undoubtedly be remembered as a success for Lane.
“I really enjoyed playing both tours, even though it was very tough mentally,” he said. “I love playing with the younger guys because I enjoy competing and then on the Senior Tour you get to play with old friends and good players and it is a bit more relaxed, so you get the best of both worlds.
“The main problem is getting a good balance between the two schedules. I did seven weeks in a row at one point, as there were some tournaments that I love and didn’t want to miss, and I was in contention for two or three of those so it was quite tough. I wanted to keep my card on the main Tour and it would have been a big achievement to have done so in just 13 events – which is only about a third of the schedule.
“In hindsight maybe I should have played a little more in March and changed a couple of events here and there. Playing both obviously affected my Senior Tour challenge as Peter Fowler got off to a good start which meant I was always playing catch up but it was a good battle.
“I played 28 events overall – 13 on The European Tour and 15 on the Senior Tour - which is a lot for a man over 50 but I enjoyed it a lot. I messed up a couple of times when I should have won – probably at Woburn (the Travis Perkins plc Senior Masters) I should have done – but overall it was a very good year and nice to be in contention for the John Jacobs Trophy.”
Lane’s two Senior Tour victories in 2011, at the Cleveland Golf/Srixon Scottish Senior Open and Casa Serena Open, both came after opening rounds of 67 and the importance of a fast start is one of the main differences he found between playing on the two Tours.
“It’s more relaxed on the Senior Tour but it is a short week so you have to get off to a good start otherwise you are seven or eight behind straight away,” said Lane. “Even though it is only one round difference, you need to be much quicker out of the gate as you can lose it in the first round, whereas on the main Tour you don’t tend to lose it in the first round as you have another three rounds.
“So your attitude becomes a little different but you still have to just go out and play the golf course.”
Despite his obvious enjoyment of a split schedule last season, Lane plans to focus on the Senior Tour in 2012 to give himself the best possible chance of improving one place in the Order of Merit and becoming the first Englishman since Carl Mason in 2007 to capture the John Jacobs Trophy.
“I will probably play every event on the Senior Tour next year,” he said. “I missed about six or seven last year but I will play a full schedule in 2012. It was great for Peter to win the Order of Merit last year – he is a great guy and works so hard so I was pleased for him – but hopefully I can do it next year.”
