As the Staysure Tour’s finest gather in Mauritius for the eighth MCB Tour Championship, here are five golfers to keep an eye on in the first event of the inaugural Indian Ocean Swing…
Paul Broadhurst
Soon to be crowned Staysure Tour Number One for the second time in his over-50s career, Paul Broadhurst returns to a happy hunting ground this week, having finished inside the top ten in his three appearances at the MCB Tour Championship.
Broadhurst’s best finish in this event was in 2016 when he was runner-up to Barry Lane, and the 1991 Ryder Cup player certainly has what it takes to go one step further and lift the coveted trophy.
The two-time Senior Major Champion has turned into one of the most feared competitors on the over-50s circuit since joining the Staysure Tour in 2015. After winning on his first start at the Scottish Senior Open, he went on to win The Senior Open Presented by Rolex at Carnoustie and secured his second Senior Major success at the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship earlier this year.
Adding to five wins on the European Tour, Broadhurst has eight victories on the over-50s circuit in both Europe and the United States and has won a title every year since 2015.
Paul Streeter
Quickly making his mark on the Staysure Tour is rookie Paul Streeter who won his second title of the season at last week’s Costa Blanca Benidorm Senior Masters in Spain.
Securing his card at this year’s Qualifying School, Streeter won his first event on the Duke’s Course at Woburn as he finished two strokes ahead of 2017 Staysure Tour Number One Clark Dennis.
Since his victory, he has finished inside the top 20 at the last five events, including a runner-up result at the Scottish Senior Open, tied fifth finish at the Paris Legends Championship and defeating Senior Open champion Miguel Angel Jiménez in a play-off last week in Benidorm.
Having opened up a gap of more than €30,000 over David Shacklady, Streeter has one hand on the Rookie of the Year title.
Markus Brier
Markus Brier is quickly becoming one of the names to watch on the Staysure Tour after recording a string of impressive results in his debut year.
Starting the season with a tied eight finish at the Swiss Seniors Open, he has finished inside the top five at the last four events.
The Austrian finished third at the Scottish Senior Open and then recorded back-to-back runner-up finishes at the Farmfoods European Senior Masters and Paris Legends Championship, finishing two strokes behind Santiago Luna and one stroke behind Gary Orr on those occasions.
Across those four appearances, he has a stroke average of 69.3. As demonstrated last year, if you can consistently score under par, the Legend Course presents a fantastic opportunity this week.
Thaworn Wiratchant
The defending champion cannot be discounted this week after his record-breaking performance in 2017. The all-time winner on the Asian Tour, Thaworn Wiratchant, is at home on these lush greens, dropping just three strokes as he finished 23 under par.
He then went on to secure back-to-back victories as he opened the 2018 season with a win at the Sharjah Senior Golf Masters presented by Shurooq.
An impressive performance on the Old Course at St Andrews saw him finish in a share of sixth place at The Senior Open Presented by Rolex and he recorded a top 20 finish in his last start on the Staysure Tour at the Paris Legends Championship.
Wiratchant also proved earlier this season he can still cut it on the European Tour, finishing in a share of 50thplace at the Maybank Championship in Malaysia.
Barry Lane
One of the Staysure Tour’s most consistent performers, like Wiratchant, Lane will hope to become the second player to win the MCB Tour Championship twice.
Finishing inside the top seven on the Order of Merit six times in the last seven seasons, Lane is just outside the top 15 but is on course to record his lowest stroke average in a season – currently 69.02.
After four years out of the winner’s circle, lane recorded his first victory since the 2012 Speedy Service Wales Senior Open at the 2016 MCB Tour Championship, and then won last year’s Willow Senior Golf Classic – with two events still to play Lane could certainly secure a Staysure Tour win for the third consecutive season - adding to his Fujifilm Senior Championship victory in Japan last month.
