Carl Mason returns to the country which has provided him with some of the most memorable moments of his career when he joins a strong field at the Benahavis Senior Masters in Spain this week.
The Englishman has celebrated two of the biggest career landmarks in Spain, the first at the Open de Andalucia in 1994, which was his first European Tour victory, and the second coming 17 years later at the OKI Open de Espana Senior by Cleveland Golf/Srixon last May, when he broke Tommy Horton’s record for most European Senior Tour’s wins with his 24th victory.
Indeed, six of his 26 professional wins in Europe of have come on Spanish soil and one of those came in the inaugural Benahavis Senior Masters in 2009, so needless to say he is thoroughly looking forward to returning to La Quinta Golf & Country Club this week.
“It’s a tournament that’s been good to me, I've come first and second so far so I quite enjoy the course and the place,” said the 58 year old.
“It just suits my eye or something, I don’t know why I do so well there, I can’t put a finger on it but sometimes it happens that you just see the course and get a feel for it.”
Having claimed 24 Senior Tour titles, it would seem reasonable to assume that Mason is a born winner but he earmarks his maiden European Tour victory in Spain as the moment when he turned a corner in his career.
“It seems a long time ago now but that was a special moment for me. In those days I struggled with myself more than anything else,” he said.
“I had had plenty of chances before to win but I kind of beat myself, I put too much pressure on myself and I would finish second a lot.
“But then I just hit a shot with a one iron over the water during the front nine on the final round, I was playing with José Maria Olazábel and Gordon Brand Jnr, and it was just a wonderful shot and I just thought ‘this is it, I have nothing to worry about if I can hit a shot like that’.
“So that was a big turning point in my career really and then you realise it’s not a case of playing great golf when you’re in the lead, you just have to relax and just play, nothing fancy and avoid mistakes and I just learned to do that.
“That was good to do that and I was glad to get that particular monkey off my back and I’ve been a lot more relaxed since so Spain has been great to me, I’ve always enjoyed it.
“I wasn’t putting well enough in Portugal but I've been playing well,” he continued, “I should have been up there really if I’d putted properly but my form feels good and my game is not bad at all so I'm quite happy about that.”
Mason joins a strong field in Spain and that field received a big boost this week when Barry Lane announced that he will be choosing the Benahavis Senior Masters ahead of the Portugal Masters on The European Tour as he looks to overtake Peter Fowler in the Senior Tour Order of Merit.
The Englishman is currently trailing Fowler by €23,503 and this week provides Lane with a perfect opportunity to take pole position in the race for the John Jacobs Trophy.
Brand Jnr, meanwhile, will be hoping to bounce back after the disappointment of a triple bogey on the final hole in Portugal which saw him drop out of contention as Mark Mouland emerged victorious. The Welshman is also present this week as he searches for a second successive victory.
Juan Quirós leads the home challenge alongside four Spanish former Ryder Cup players; José Maria Cañizares, Antonio Garrido, Manuel Piñero and José Rivero.
Cañizares played on four Ryder Cup teams (1981, 1983, 1985 and 1989), once proving a hero when, in 1989 at The Belfry, his putt to beat Ken Green on the 18th ensured a 14-14 draw which kept The Ryder Cup in European hands.
Piñero was also a member of the 1985 team, claiming four points out of five as the European Team clinched the title for the first time on a score of 16½ to 11½.
He will have local knowledge on his side this week, having designed the La Quinta Course which hosts the Benahavis Senior Masters for the third consecutive year.
Garrido is another former Ryder Cup star, having played alongside Seve Ballesteros to become the first Continental Europeans to play in golf’s marquee team competition in 1979, while Rivero was on the winning team in both his appearances in 1985 and 1987.
