Making his European Senior Tour debut at the 2016 SSE Enterprise Wales Senior Open, James Kingston admitted that there were a lot of nerves when he stepped up to the first tee at The Celtic Manor Resort.
The South African, who became eligible for the Senior Tour after turning 50 last November, had played just two European Tour events since January 2015 and was concerned that a lack of practice would be his downfall.
Despite his nerves, Kingston carded a one under par 69 for his best round since August 2014, matching his playing partners Juan Quiros and Steen Tinning.
“I must say, after not having played regularly over the last 16 months, I didn’t know what to expect,” he said.
“But I’m delighted with that score. I hit a few shots loose and was a bit rusty, so to shoot under par in the first round of my first event is great.
“Even if I were out there playing with my mates back home, I would have been nervous. It doesn’t matter if you hit the odd shot well in a practice round or practice a lot, it’s completely different when you step on the tee.
“Our whole group played nicely. We were three or four shots apart at some stages, so it was nice to walk off with the same score.”
Kingston took time away from golf to concentrate on his business in South Africa, but in returning to the sport he is planning on playing a full schedule in 2016.
“My son is looking after the business at home,” he said. “I’m going to play a full schedule and if I play often, hopefully I’ll get to where I want to be.
“When you join a Tour, you want to come up and be competitive. That’s why these guys play. They love the game, and as long as that competitive element is there it’ll always be like that.
“All of the newcomers step into the same predicament. You look around and you know the faces, but because you’ve not seen some of them for ten years or so, you can’t put a name to them. It’s nice seeing guys who I knew from the main Tour and catching up with them again.
“The break did me good, but to be competitive you need that sharpness. The lack of playing took that away from me, but I’m delighted to have gotten off to a decent start.”
