Greats assemble at Walton Heath

BY Bruce Young | European Seniors Tour | 2011 Senior British Open | Preview | 20 Jul 2011

The Senior Open Championship will be played this week in its traditional date the week after the Open Championship. The event is the first of two consecutive major ‘Open’ championships with the US Senior Open to be played next week at the Inverness Golf Club in Toledo in Ohio.

Over the last few years – with the exception of when Sunningdale Golf Club staged the event in 2009 – the Championship has been taken to many of Britain’s greatest links golf courses. Carnoustie, Royal Troon, Muirfield and Turnberry are but a few of those used of late.

This year however it is back at an inland course with Walton Heath playing host. The W Herbert Fowler designed course, opened in 1913 lies almost directly to the south of London and although it has held several high end amateur events and the Ryder Cup in 1981, this will be the first year it has staged the Senior Open Championship.

Bernhard Langer is the man to defend his title, having beaten American Corey Pavin by one shot at Carnoustie last year. Langer would go on to win the US Senior Open the following week and although his form in 2011 has been hampered by a thumb injury he is such a fine player he could again do well.

Langer missed the cut at last week’s Open Championship in his first start for four months but he is such a fine player he could still do well this week.

One man who did not miss the cut last week and who will start as one of the favourites this week is the ageless Tom Watson. Watson might be better suited on one of Britain’s traditional links courses where he has enjoyed so much success, but he will still be considered one of the players to beat this week despite the fact he is now 61.

Watson showed again last week at Royal St Georges that in the right environment he can challenge a field much younger than him and if he was to do it against a field more in keeping with his own age group this week then few would be surprised.

Watson however is not alone as a former winner of the Open Championship playing this week. He will be joined by Mark Calcavecchia, Nick Price, Tom Lehman and Sandy Lyle.

Tom Lehman also played well last week at the Open where he shared 22nd position with Watson. Leham leads the Champions Tour money list this season having won three events earlier in the season and his chance of extending that winning record this week appears very good.

Nick Price will surprisingly play this event for the first occasion. For a range of reasons he has not played the Senior Open previously but as the 1994 Open Champion and as a player in fine form at present his chances look very good.

Another player in very good form this season and with some history at the Open Championship is John Cook who went so close to winning in 1992 before Nick Faldo ran him down. Cook has won three times this season on the Champions Tour.

Australian representation is headed by Peter Senior although Peter Fowler has played well in Europe this season and might just be a factor.

Senior started the season on the Champions Tour well but the last two or three starts have not been quite as good. He played well in this tournament last year however as he tends to do on the tougher golf courses and this week offers yet another chance to break through for his first Champions Tour victory.

This is a much stronger field than Fowler has beaten in two events this season but there is little doubt that he is playing his best golf at this level.

Other Australians in the field are Rodger Davis, David Merriman, Mike Harwood, Noel Ratcliffe and Wayne Smith.

Discuss this article in our forums