Paul Broadhurst will begin his defence of the John Jacobs Trophy in the United Arab Emirates at the inaugural Sharjah Senior Golf Masters presented by Shurooq.
The 51 year old, who became only the second English winner of the Senior Open Championship Presented by Rolex in 29 years, finished top of the European Senior Tour Order of Merit in 2016 after amassing nearly €400,000.
The John Jacobs Trophy was the latest edition to his growing trophy cabinet, alongside the Rookie of the Year Award and Prostate Cancer UK Scottish Senior Open, which he claimed in 2015.
Magnus P Atlevi, last season’s top Rookie, joins Broadhurst in the field for the Senior Tour’s first event in the UAE since 2000. Atlevi finished second to the Senior Open champion on the Order of Merit after a wonderful debut season.
All of last year’s winners on the Senior Tour are in this week’s field, and will play for $425,000 at Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club in the Emirate of Sharjah – which will host a professional golf tournament for the first time.
Roger Chapman, winner of both the U.S. Senior Open and the US Senior PGA Championship in 2012, is another Major Champion who is teeing it up next month.
Also present will be all of last year’s top 20 in the Order of Merit and former European Tour Number One Ronan Rafferty, who played in the 1993 Ryder Cup.
A host of former Ryder Cup players are all also set to participate in the first tournament of the 2017 season including Barry Lane, Jose Rivero and Costantino Rocca.
Brendan McGovern, the winner of Qualifying School Final Stage earlier this month, will join the four other Q-School graduates in the Middle East in March.
Clark Dennis and Peter Wilson, who both finished in the top five at Pestana Golf Resort, will make their Senior Tour debuts, with Wilson making his over-50s debut.
