Carl Mason will go in search of an elusive Scottish double when he tee up in the Prostate Cancer UK Scottish Senior Open at Archerfield Golf Links from August 27-29.
The 62 year old Englishman won the 1994 Scottish Open during a long and successful career on The European Tour, but despite claiming a record 25 victories on the European Senior Tour the closest he has come to winning its Senior equivalent came in 2004, when he finished tied second behind home hero Bill Longmuir at The Roxburghe.
“I love coming to Scotland and have a lot of great memories of winning at Gleneagles in 1994,” said Mason, whose win in the 2011 OKI Open de España Senior by Cleveland Golf/Srixon broke Tommy Horton’s long-standing record of 23 career Senior Tour victories. Later that year, he also added the Benahavis Senior Masters to his resumé.
He added: “It is always one of my favourite tournaments, and the move to Archerfield and the agreement with Prostate Cancer UK should help to raise its profile across the country.”
Mason will arrive in East Lothian with high hopes of completing the long-range double – separated by a 21 year gap – after a fine start to the 2015 season which saw him finish third in the ISPS Handa PGA Seniors Championship and claim top ten finishes at both the Swiss Seniors Open and the SSE Enterprise Wales Senior Open.
“It gets harder to win the older you get but I still think I’ve got the game to do it,” said Mason. “I’m looking forward to coming to East Lothian, it’s a lovely part of the world.”
Mason will face a strong field at Archerfield, headed by defending champion Mark Davis, the Englishman who claimed his maiden Senior Tour victory in last year’s tournament at Fairmont St Andrews. Former Ryder Cup Captains Sam Torrance and Mark James are also in the starting line-up, whilst Australia’s Peter Fowler will be chasing a hat-trick of titles in 2015 after winning both the Acorn Jersey Open and the ISPS Handa PGA Seniors Championship earlier this year.
Six-time European Tour winner Paul Broadhurst also makes his European Senior Tour debut after turning 50 earlier this month.
This year’s Prostate Cancer UK Scottish Senior Open is the first to be played at Archerfield Links Golf Club, with the East Lothian course becoming the sixth different venue to host the long-running event.
With a prize fund of £250,000, the tournament will have a field of 60 Senior Tour professionals, who will play alongside an amateur partner for the first two rounds before the professionals only contest the final round on Saturday August 29.
Archerfield Links has held the Ladies Scottish Open since 2010, while it also hosts an annual charity Pro-Am event each June in conjunction with Senior Tour player Ian Woosnam.
The Fidra Links course, which will host the Prostate Cancer UK Scottish Senior Open, was designed by Senior Tour Committee Chairman, David J Russell, one of Woosnam’s vice captains in The 2006 Ryder Cup.
