Rick Gibson will be celebrating a major anniversary when he tees it up in this week’s Dutch Senior Open at The International near Amsterdam.
It was 20 years ago this week that Gibson was part of the Canadian team that defeated America in the final of the 1994 Dunhill Cup at St Andrews and it is something he will never forget.
“I was thinking about it yesterday when we were playing in the wind and rain in the pro-am,” he said. “The year we won was the first time Ray Stewart and I ever saw St Andrews and at the start of the week the conditions were a bit like we’ve been experiencing this week.
“Dave Barr had played there at least three or four times and he was a great help because it quickly became obvious the Old Course was his favourite course in the world. He was our giant killer that week as he took down (Bernhard) Langer, (Nick) Price and (Tom) Kite. We all played three times and lost twice but Dave was our rock. He was a very underrated player.”
The Canadian team were rank outsiders at the Home of Golf back in 1994 but the same cannot be said about Gibson this week in Amsterdam where he is trying to consolidate third place on the European Senior Tour Order of Merit.
Gibson has enjoyed a spectacular season winning the Bad Ragaz PGA Seniors Open in Switzerland, finishing second behind Colin Montgomerie at the Russian Open Golf Championship (Senior) and claiming a tie for third at the Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex.
Overall he has had five top-ten finishes in ten starts in 2014 and is therefore keen to add two more in the remaining events, starting this week in The Netherlands.
“It has been a very special season for me and certainly a lot better than my first two years on the Tour.
“Last year I was still doing some coaching but this year I played a lot more tournament golf at home in the Philippines before coming here to Europe and I think that is what has made the difference.
“My goal this year was to win around €100,000 but I have got €222,000 so I have exceeded all my expectations.
“This week the course might be playing a bit long for me which is why for the first time since St Andrews in 1994 I have being practising using a distance ball.
“There have been a couple of golf courses this year where I have thought about it but then decided against it. This week I’m going to give it a go.
“It means I need to make a few adjustments but it has got to help if I’m hitting a six iron rather than a four iron into the greens. I’m not one of those players who like to spin their chips as I like to get the ball rolling at the hole, so maybe it’s not such a big adjustment for me as it would be for some of the other guys.
“I think the key round here is to get your driver working well. You’ve got to get yourself into position so you don’t have too many long shots into the greens.
“Last year I left myself with too much work to do after my drives so that’s what’s driven me to use a ball that will go a little bit further. It will be interesting to see what happens.”
Gibson is one of seven players currently in the top ten on the Senior Tour Order of Merit who are playing at The International.
Barry Lane, Phil Golding, Cesar Monasterio, Tim Thelen, Miguel Angel Martin and Andrew Oldcorn are also in the field and they are joined by Ian Woosnam who closed with a 66 at last week’s French Riviera Masters and has the added advantage of having designed the course this week together with Bruno Steensels.
“I’m looking forward to it,” said the Welshman. “For the first time in a while I felt good on the course during the last round in France and I’m hoping I can keep it going here.”
Two other former Ryder Cup captains Mark James and Sam Torrance are also playing in The Netherlands, as is Ireland’s Des Smyth, who makes his second appearance on the Senior Tour since being part of Paul McGinley’s backroom staff at the recent Ryder Cup at Gleneagles. He will hope that experience inspires an even better performance than his tie for 22nd last week in France.
This is the second year in a row the Dutch Senior Open has been held at The International, with last year’s event won by Simon P Brown, who carded rounds of 72 and 71 before being declared the winner when the last round was abandoned after torrential rain flooded the course.
Brown finished two shots in front of Ross Drummond 12 months ago, while José Manuel Carriles, Paul Eales and Marc Farry were tied for third, and last week’s winner Phil Golding was tied sixth alongside Phil Jonas, Gordon Manson, Paul Wesselingh and Miguel Angel Martin, with all but Wesselingh in the field again this year.
