After a stellar debut season on the Staysure Tour in 2017, where he became the first American to lift the John Jacobs Trophy as the Order of Merit champion, Clark Dennis showed his golfing class once again with a strong sophomore campaign in 2018.
The 52 year old emerged from the off season with no drop in form as he cruised to a tied second place finish at the season-opening Sharjah Senior Golf Masters presented by Shurooq.
His next top ten came two events later at the Shipco Masters promoted by Simon’s Golf Club, where his six under par total earned him a tied seventh place finish, which gave him critical momentum as he prepared to defend his Senior Italian Open presented by Villaverde Resort title the next week.
In that defence, the Fort Worth, Texas, resident was tested beyond the regulation 54 holes as he and Argentinian Rafael Gomez found themselves heading to a play-off after both finishing on 13 under par for the week.
Dennis was not to be denied however, and won the Senior Italian Open in a play-off for the second consecutive year with a par on the first extra hole.
Despite missing the cut at the U.S. Senior Open Championship and a mid-season dip in form, the three-time Staysure Tour winner re-established himself at the top of tournament leaderboards when he finished in a tie for second place, two shots back, at the Willow Senior Golf Classic at Hanbury Manor Marriott Hotel & Country Club, which also serves as his home-away-from-home while competing in Europe.
The next month, he nearly found the winner’s circle again as he finished two shots off the pace, settling for the runner-up position at the Travis Perkins Masters, which was played at the famed Woburn Golf Club.
Clearly trending in the right direction, it all came together for Dennis at the MCB Tour Championship – Mauritius.
Dennis proved why he is one of the top names in global over-50s golf, as he went the entire tournament without carding a single bogey. His three consecutive clean scorecards were also peppered with circled numbers, signifying birdies.
The 52 year old bettered par on 22 of the tournament’s 54 holes — with an eagle and 21 birdies — on his way to posting sublime rounds of 63-66-64. The virtuoso 23 under par performance was good enough for an eight-shot win, which was the largest margin of victory on the Staysure Tour in 2018, while his nine under par opening-round of 63 was also the lowest start by a winner all year.
Dennis birdied the final three holes of the week to finish with a three-day total of 193 strokes around the Legends Course at Constance Belle Mare Plage. The closing gains helping him match the all-time Staysure Tour record for lowest 54 hole tournament score.
With many more years of elite golf left in him, the only question Dennis has left to answer is a Major one.
