Golf: Second shot at glory for old pros

Sir Bob Charles' superb second placing in the Welsh Senior Open at the age of 69 has given the European senior tour an unaccustomed burst of publicity.

While the USPGA Champions Tour showcases many of the game's greats after they turn 50, the European equivalent has a much lower profile and more modest prize fund.

Total tournament purses range from 150,000 ($265,000) to the 1 million ($2.59 million) at stake in the Senior British Open at Aberdeen this month, where many of the Americans will also be competing.

The top lifetime earner on the European senior tour, Englishman Tommy Horton, has won 23 titles for a total reward of 1,450,000. In contrast, Hale Irwin has won US$21 million ($31 million) since turning 50 and Sir Bob's senior earnings in the US are just under US$9 million.

The left-handed icon is 22nd on the European list after picking up 598,000 over the past 19 years. Of the other Kiwis in the list, Simon Owen is 35th with 428,000 and Barry Vivian 53rd with 287,000.

In Europe many of the senior players are far from household names. Horton, now 64, was a Ryder Cup player and won eight European Opens in his younger days. But Aussie Noel Ratcliffe, who is second on the senior earnings list, was a modest performer in his youth.

Third on that list is Englishman Neil Coles, now 70, who was an outstanding competitor at the peak of his career and set a world senior record by winning a tournament at the age of 67 and 276 days. He is chairman of the board of the EPGA.

The purses are growing fast and the leading player of the past two seasons, Englishman Carl Mason, should soon top the career earnings table. He has headed the order of merit since joining the tour and leads this season's earners after his win at Royal St David's last week.

He played for 23 years on the main European tour with only two victories, both in 1994. Leading up to his 50th birthday, he worked as a senior tour referee for two years.

In 2003, he became the most successful rookie in senior tour history when he secured the order of merit title just four months after turning 50. He became the fastest player to secure four victories (11 starts), the only other senior professional after Horton to win four titles in a season.

He also lost in a playoff to American Tom Watson in the Senior British Open at Turnberry in July 2003. Last season he won five times and had eight other top-five finishes.

Mason has won the last two tournaments this season and will be going for a hat-trick when he plays at Woodbury Park in Devon this week as former world motor-racing champion Nigel Mansell hosts the pros on his own course. Mansell, who has tried unsuccessfully to qualify for the tour, will be playing.

As also will Sir Bob, who could set all kinds of records if he could win at the age of 69.