England’s David Gilford aims to follow in the footsteps of his fellow Ryder Cup player, Paul Broadhurst, next month when he marks his debut on the European Senior Tour by competing in the French Riviera Masters.
Gilford turns 50 today (Monday) and becomes eligible to play on the Senior Tour at Terre Blanche Hotel Spa Golf Resort, a European Tour Destination, from October 2-4, with his sights trained on emulating his former European Tour sparring partner, Broadhurst.
Broadhurst was 50 in August and celebrated in style two weeks later by winning the Prostate Cancer UK Scottish Senior Open at Archerfield Links on his first start as a Senior golfer. Now Gilford has an opportunity to make an equally impressive debut in Provence.
I don’t think we ever lose that competitive edge.
David Gilford
“I am looking forward to the competition and meeting up with some of my former colleagues on The European Tour,” admitted Gilford. “I don’t think we ever lose that competitive edge and Paul underlined that at Archerfield a few weeks ago.”
In the gallery for the second round in Scotland were four holidaymakers from Shropshire – namely Gilford, wife Donna and their 11 year old twins, Joseph and Benjamin. He explained: “We were on holiday in the Gleneagles area and the weather wasn’t great, so the boys and I went to have a look at the Senior Tour.
“I watched Paul and Barry Lane in the second round and ‘Broady’ was seven under for the day at one stage while Barry seemed to be playing just as well as ever. So I know what to expect when I get started!”
Gilford arrives on the Senior Tour with a strong pedigree, having played in two Ryder Cups and with six European Tour titles to his name, including the European Open at East Sussex National in 1994. He said: “That was the highlight of my victories. It was a really strong field and I led by two shots going into the final round and shot 67 to win by five. That was very satisfying, although I have fond memories of all my wins.”
In recent years, Gilford has played in the odd Pro-Am and mini-tour events after winding down his main Tour career. He smiled: “There comes a time when you get too old or just not good enough to compete on the main Tour. I reached the stage when I didn’t fancy facing 25 year olds hitting the ball 40 yards past me. That’s what is great about the Senior Tour – it offers a chance to start all over again at 50 and to get the competitive juices flowing again.”
Gilford will always remember his two Ryder Cup appearances, at Kiawah Island in 1991 and at Oak Hill four years later, for very contrasting reasons. The first ended in defeat, with Gilford being the unlucky European to be in the envelope who missed out on the singles when Steve Pate was injured. The second was a rousing victory, with Gilford contributing three points out of four.
"I was actually playing better going into Kiawah than before Oak Hill, but things turned out differently, which just goes to show the unpredictability of team golf," he said. "Seve Ballesteros and I won our opening fourball and then Bernhard Langer and I gained a point in the Saturday morning foursomes. I beat Brad Faxon in the singles and it was an incredible experience to finish on the winning side.”
Now Gilford switches his attention to the 50 and over brigade next month in France, where a top four finish would be sufficient to clinch a place in the season-ending MBC Tour Championship. “I don’t know what to expect, but hopefully I can make a good start,” he said.
