England’s Paul Wesselingh forced Ian Woosnam to wait at least another year for a long overdue victory in his homeland when he captured the SSE Enterprise Wales Senior Open title at The Celtic Manor Resort by two shots.
The 53 year old from Derby conquered the Roman Road course thanks to an astute game plan and a hot putter as he took the title and £37,500 first prize with a closing 67 seven under par total of 203.
Woosnam, who shared the overnight lead with Wesselingh, briefly raced to the front but the damage was done for the Welsh favourite – without a win in his native country for a quarter of a century – when he bogeyed the 11thand Wesselingh then birdied the 12th.
The former Masters Champion closed with a 69 for 205, the same aggregate as Australian Peter Fowler, who birdied four of the last six holes to grab a share of the runner-up prize.
Despite the crowds providing strong support for Woosnam, who was seeking a transatlantic double in the space of a month after winning in the United States, it was another frustrating finish for the Welshman. He took defeat on the chin and admitted: “Paul played really well and I just didn’t play good enough golf today. I hit too many wrong clubs.”
The Englishman, who has now won eight Senior Tour titles in the three years since he joined the ranks of the over-50s, confessed that victory had been a bit of a shock to him. He said:
“I honestly thought Ian would win. I played with him in the third round of the Senior PGA Championship last week and he played so well that I felt I would have to hang on to his coat-tails to stay with him today!
“As it turned out, I had a perfect game plan. I knew with the windy conditions I had to keep the ball under control and not to go for any tricky pins. I had been putting so well all week I had confidence in my short game and didn’t worry if I was 30 or 40 feet away.
“The day turned around the 11thand 12th. Woosie’s second shot spun off the green at the 11thand he took a bogey then I birdied the next to move two ahead. That was it, really.”
Not for the first time, Woosnam found himself in the final group in Wales and was unable to close the deal. He added: “I didn’t manage to read the wind very well on any of the three days. I did appreciate the support of the Welsh galleries and the tournament is good for Wales. Hopefully I will be back again to try to win for everyone supporting me.”
The SSE Enterprise Wales Senior Open proved to be an excellent showcase for The Celtic Manor Resort and for golf in Wales, following the success of The Ryder Cup and also the Senior Open Championship Presented by Rolex at Royal Porthcawl.
The Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism, Ken Skates, said: "I'd like to congratulate Paul on winning this year's Wales Seniors Open. We are proud to continue to support this event, which once again proved to be an exciting tournament, with fans attending The Celtic Manor Resort getting the chance to view some great golf. Wales continues to prove itself to be a quality golfing host nation."
