Roger Chapman’s coronation as European Senior Tour Number One at the MCB Tour Championship will start alongside defending champion Tom Lehman and former Ryder Cup player Barry Lane.
Double Senior Major Champion Chapman will receive the John Jacobs Trophy at Constance Belle Mare Plage after sealing the Senior Tour Order of Merit title. He startsthe event with an unassailable €100,382 lead over Lane, who is trying to finish runner up for the second consecutive year.
Lehman won the MCB Tour Championship title last year by one stroke from South African David Frost, and the American will be looking for a similarly fast start to 12 months ago when he opened with a seven under par 65 to establish a first round lead of three shots.
The trio will tee off their first round at 10.50am on Friday and will be followed at 11.00am by the group of Frost, 2011 Order of Merit winner Peter Fowler and Tim Thelen, the American who is third in this year’s money list.
Englishman Paul Wesselingh, the winner of the ISPS Handa PGA Seniors Championship, is trying to overtake Fowler and break into the top four on the Order of Merit, and he will begin the final event of the 2012 season alongside SSE Scottish Senior Open winner Anders Forsbrand and Gary Wolstenholme, a two-time winner this year.
Denmark’s Steen Tinning kicks-off his Senior Tour career alongside Australian Mike Harwood and Welshman Mark Mouland.
