Paul Wesselingh, Steen Tinning and Carl Mason were honoured at the annual European Senior Tour Awards Dinner on Thursday evening, as players, sponsors and guests celebrated the successes of the 2013 season.
On the eve of the Travis Perkins Masters, being held this week for a 14th consecutive time on the Duke’s Course at Woburn Golf Club, the Awards Dinner took place in the magnificent Sculpture Gallery at Woburn Abbey by kind permission of His Grace The Duke of Bedford.
European Tour Chef Executive George O’Grady presented 2013 Order of Merit winner Wesselingh with the John Jacobs Trophy, while the Englishman also received the Rolex Player of the Year Award from Richard De Leyser, Managing Director of Rolex UK.
After being named Rookie of the Year in 2012, Wesselingh won four times in 2013 and topped the Order of Merit with earnings of €311,614 to complete a remarkable journey from a long time club professional to the Senior Tour’s Number One player. In collecting the two awards, he spoke emotively about his pride at competing alongside some of the game’s most iconic names on the Senior Tour.
“I’ve got a club professional background which I am very proud of and I spent many hours watching the legends of the game who I now share this room with,” he said. “It was always my dream to play with the guys and now I’m living the dream, playing with them on the Senior Tour.
“It is a great honour to receive this award and the encouragement I have received from the players has been amazing. It is incredible to think that just two years ago I was selling Mars Bars in the club shop and now I am receiving this award.”
On behalf of John Jacobs, one of the game’s great teachers and who so famously combined teaching and playing, O’Grady paid tribute to Wesselingh’s outstanding achievements.
“John Jacobs managed to unite the aspects of the club professional, the teaching professional and the playing professional, and Paul has done that too, first winning club professional championships and now the Senior Tour Order of Merit,” said O’Grady.
“To John Jacobs, Paul encompasses all facets of the professional game and he has done it in such style. John Jacobs has asked me to present this award, which he got so much pleasure from seeing Paul win.”
Tinning received the 2013 Rookie of the Year Award from Senior Tour Managing Director Andy Stubbs in recognition of a fine maiden campaign in which he won twice and finished runner up to Wesselingh in the Order of Merit.
In accepting the award, the Dane said: “It is a great honour for me to be standing on this stage with this award. It was a fantastic year from me. I left The European Tour in 2003 and had to get a real job, which was no fun!
“Getting back inside the ropes was a wise decision for me. I’ve come back to a lot of friends on this Tour and it is nice to be the baby again.”
Mason, the most successful player in the history of the Senior Tour with 25 titles, accepted the Lawrence Batley Award from Batley’s daughter Rita Firth for being the leading player on the 2013 Senior Tour Order of Merit over the age of 60, after finishing in 12th position.
“It’s 50 years ago that I first won my age group prize,” said Mason. “Isn’t this a wonderful game that at 60 years old I can win another? I hope it is not the last.”
