The curtain was raised on the MCB Tour Championship in typically Mauritian fashion as a quintet of European Senior Tour stars – including two-time winners David Frost and Paul Wesselingh – struck balls from a pristine white beach to a green floating in the Indian Ocean.
Following a press conference held at this week’s host venue, Constance Belle Mare Plage, Frost, Wesselingh, Australian Peter Fowler, tournament host Marc Farry of France and England’s Barry Lane swapped their golf shoes for flip flops and made their way to the adjoining beach to try their luck in hitting the target, floating some 70 yards from the shore.
Given that Fowler grew up near Sydney’s famous Manly beach, it was little wonder that he felt right at home with the sand between his toes and duly found the ‘green’ with his second attempt to claim the bragging rights from his peers.
Fowler, who is currently second on the Senior Tour Order of Merit behind the runaway leader Colin Montgomerie, said: “This is a special place to play golf, and the resort in general is a special place to stay. But there’s obviously a more serious side to the week, and we’re all here to do a job and try to win the tournament.
“I’ve had a couple of decent results here in the past, but it’d be very nice to see my name right at the top of the leaderboard come Sunday night. Hopefully this isn’t my only victory of the week!”
The real action gets underway on Friday, when Frost and Wesselingh will both have the chance of becoming the first player in history to win the season finale three times.
Three-time Senior Major Champion Montgomerie, meanwhile, is bidding to win the €420,000 event for the first time, having finished in a tie for sixth place in each of his last two appearances.
Given that Fowler grew up near Sydney’s famous Manly beach, it was little wonder that he felt right at home with the sand between his toes and duly found the ‘green’ with his second attempt to claim the bragging rights from his peers.
Fowler, who is currently second on the Senior Tour Order of Merit behind the runaway leader Colin Montgomerie, said: “This is a special place to play golf, and the resort in general is a special place to stay. But there’s obviously a more serious side to the week, and we’re all here to do a job and try to win the tournament.
“I’ve had a couple of decent results here in the past, but it’d be very nice to see my name right at the top of the leaderboard come Sunday night. Hopefully this isn’t my only victory of the week!”
The real action gets underway on Friday, when Frost and Wesselingh will both have the chance of becoming the first player in history to win the season finale three times.
Three-time Senior Major Champion Montgomerie, meanwhile, is bidding to win the €420,000 event for the first time, having finished in a tie for sixth place in each of his last two appearances.
