The Zone Interactive Golf Magazine (UK) The Zone Issue 25 | Page 37
GOLF NEWS
C
olin Montgomerie, the man who said he would never play seniors golf, has already had two top 10 finishes on the Champions Tour and deposited more than £100,000 in his bank account. What's more, he has done so with a smile on his face. And why not? Monty, 50, really doesn't need the money, but has realised that he can make himself a small fortune if he dedicates himself to his game for a further four or five years. He may also find that playing this wonderful game without throwing temper tantrums endears him to the American galleries and makes him an even better competitor. The Scot has never been blessed with a svelte figure, but he is incredibly supple, and that appears to be the key to remaining competitive beyond the age of 50. Bernhard Langer looks the same now as he did when he was in his prime. And he is not the only player who could continue to make a good living on the main tour Jay Haas, Fred Funk, Fred Couples, Mark O'Meara and Kenny Perry can all say the same. Vijay Singh has turned 50 but is still trying to remain competitive on the PGA Tour, but he will play an increasingly busy Champions Tour schedule next year, and he will pocket a small fortune. Another small fortune. Let's consider why these guys do what they do, shall we? Hale Irwin won 20 PGA Tour titles, including three US Opens, and played in five Ryder Cup matches. He was one of the most ferocious competitors America has ever produced, and he loved to win. He remains one of just six golfers to have won tournaments on all six
continents where golf is played - and would have done so in Antarctica had anybody ever thought to stage a tournament in that part of the world. During his career he won $6m on the PGA Tour, a sum not to be sneezed at. But then he turned 50 and he was unstoppable. He won seven senior majors and 45 senior tournaments in total. He also finished second 43 times and was third on 23 occasions. Irwin has played in 411 tournaments on the Champions Tour, missing just four cuts. And here is the most incredible statistic of all - to date, he has won a recordbreaking $26,721,072, more than four times as much as he accumulated during a glittering career on the main tour. Remember, too, that most tournaments are played over 54 holes on courses that measure less than 7,000 yards. It's also a transformational experience for some of those who compete on the European Seniors Tour. Take the case of Gary Wolstenholme. One of the best amateur golfers Great Britain has ever produced, Wolstenholme struggled throughout his amateur career to make ends meet, holding down a series of jobs that he didn't enjoy. In his late forties, and having been told that he would not be selected to represent his country again, he took the dec ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????M??????Q????I????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????]???????????(??()Q!i=9???%MMU???((0