Having recently moved to Switzerland, Paul Wesselingh is hoping to deliver a ‘home’ victory in the Swiss Seniors Open.
Wesselingh, who originally hails from Liverpool, has relocated from Derby to Wolfhausen, a small town located just a 45-minute drive from this week’s host venue, Golf Club Bad Ragaz.
The 53 year old knows the course well, having beaten his fellow Englishman Kevin Spurgeon in a play-off to take the title in 2013, the year he finished top of the Senior Tour Order of Merit.
That performance, allied to his recent win in Wales, gives Wesselingh every reason to believe that he can secure a ninth Senior Tour title this week.
He said: “I’m feeling pretty good about my game at the moment, and obviously the win in Wales gave me a lot of confidence. There are some small adjustments to be made to my swing, but in general I’ve been fairly solid so far this season.
“I’ve got many great memories of Bad Ragaz, it’s a beautiful place. I think one of the key factors to scoring well is accuracy off the tee. It’s a very tight course so you need to be in a good position from the tee, and then as with all events you also have to putt well. So if my driver and putter are in good working order this week, then hopefully I’ll have a chance.”
Wesselingh namechecked his compatriot Carl Mason as one of his main rivals for the title this week, not least because he has already won the tournament on three previous occasions.
Having spent the winter practising in Florida, Mason hit the ground running at the start of the season with a tie for eighth place behind Wesselingh in Wales, and followed that up with a top five finish in the ISPS HANDA PGA Seniors Championship.
A fourth victory in the Swiss Alps is therefore very much on the cards, although Mason is wary of the threat posed by Wesselingh and the in-form Australian Peter Fowler, who have been paired together in the first round.
He said: “I was able to play lots of golf over the winter in America, which kept me in good shape. So I’ve started the season quite nicely, and hopefully I can go for a fourth win in Bad Ragaz, which has always been one of my favourite venues.
“Peter is the man on form so he will be tough to beat, and Paul is also a big danger. But Bad Ragaz has been good to me down the years, so here’s hoping that run continues this week.”
