After a stunning breakthrough victory in Germany at the start of the summer, American Tim Thelen is on a mission to complete a ‘Deutsche Double’ at this week’s Pon Senior Open.
Casting his mind back to his glorious victory at the Berenberg Masters two months ago, Thelen admits that taking down Bernhard Langer, Barry Lane, Peter Fowler and Mark Mouland coming down the final round stretch has boosted his self-belief to near-unprecedented levels.
The American always knew he could mix it with the Senior Tour’s finest, but he never knew he could beat them until that wonderful final round performance on the outskirts of Munich, where a final round of five under par 67 – that included three birdies in the last four holes – ensured he took the scalps of some of the very best in the Senior game.
Such was the immediate effect of that brilliant performance, it took just seven days until Thelen’s next win came along at the Bad Ragaz PGA Seniors Open in Switzerland.
“I would say I am very close to being as confident as I have ever been on a golf course after my two wins this summer,” confirmed Thelen, currently fifth in the Senior Tour Order of Merit.
“I played some good stuff as a club professional back in the States at certain times in my career but right now the confidence is also very strong.
“Up until this summer I knew that I could compete with these guys because I had enjoyed some good results but I never knew if I could beat them and win.
“Being able to beat the likes of Bernhard, Barry, Peter and Mark down the stretch gave me a huge boost of confidence and I managed to win the next week in Switzerland as a result of that.”
Thelen is delighted to be back in Germany and looking forward to tackling the outstanding Winston Open course at Winston Golf.
“I am striking the ball great after working on my game for the last few days. I have to say the facilities here are second to none and I have been able to do a lot of work on the game and it feels pretty good.
“I think this week will be decided on who has the hottest putter though – the greens here are pretty tricky so you really have to find the right spot on the greens or you are going to three putt.
“It’s going to be a week where you have a lot of patience and bring your best iron play because you are going to have be really dialled in to give yourself chances for birdies.
“It would be great to do the ‘Deutsche Double’ as you say. I feel very comfortable playing in Germany: my first tournament on the Senior Tour was in Germany and I finished third and then obviously won the Berenberg Bank Masters a couple of months ago so I feel great here.”
