Gary Wolstenholme is hoping his love affair with Woburn Golf Club can spur him on to greater success this year as he returns to the scene of his European Senior Tour debut at the Travis Perkins plc Senior Masters.
The 51 year old made his Senior Tour debut at Woburn last year after a long and successful amateur career in which he racked up two Amateur Championship wins and a record six Walker Cup appearances, becoming the all-time highest points scorer for Great Britain and Ireland.
Just two weeks after his debut, he clinched his first professional victory at the Casa Serena Open but he accredits much of his success in 2010 to his third place finish in the Travis Perkins plc Senior Masters.
“I’m inspired always when I come to Woburn, I love this place,” said Wolstenholme. “It’s one of my favourite courses anywhere in the world, it’s just a beautiful walk even if you don’t play very well.
“So I want to do well here because it was the place where I first started on my Senior Tour career last year and I had a good finish, I finished third.
“In a lot of ways it was a win for me,” he continued. “It was my only invite at that stage and I had to make the most of my opportunity.
“There were six events left, I was certain I was going to have to go to Qualifying School and for whatever reason I managed to play well enough to finish third which was a thrill for me.
“But it got me into the next tournament in Casa Serena, where I thought I would do well but I did not think I was going to win.
“Fortunately though, I had putted better than I had putted in any tournament and I won, so all of a sudden things changed completely and it was just a dream start for me so I want to feed a little bit off that and get into it this week and try and get that form back again.”
Wolstenholme will have to be at his very best to overcome one of the strongest Senior Tour fields of the season over the Duke’s Course at Woburn.
Order of Merit leader Peter Fowler and the man closest to him, the in-form Barry Lane, are joined in the field by former Masters Champion Ian Woosnam, Sam Torrance and the Senior Tour’s most successful player, Carl Mason.
Mason is another player who holds a lasting affinity with Woburn, despite relinquishing a three shot halfway lead on the final day last year, allowing Des Smyth to take the title from his grasp.
But Mason hasn’t let that experience sour his love for the Buckinghamshire parkland, where he had already won the Travis Perkins plc Senior Masters twice, in 2006 and 2007.
“Last year was disappointing because I had played so well and my only mistake really was the four putt on the 14th, which was completely out of the blue and really made the difference so one mistake cost me dearly,” said Mason.
