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**truebluefan** · 02-18-2008, 01:15 AM

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**truebluefan** · 03-28-2008, 12:38 PM

England’s Carl Mason will start the defence of his Order of Merit title with a visit to the newest event on the European Seniors Tour, the inaugural Azores Senior Open, at Batalha Golf Course.

The Azores, formed of nine Atlantic Ocean islands, joins Poland, Russia, the Czech Republic and India as one of five new destinations added this year to an ever-expanding Schedule.

Mason, the current holder of the John Jacobs Trophy, has welcomed the addition of the five new tournaments, which he believes will increase the global appeal of seniors golf.

He said: “The Seniors Tour has changed beyond all recognition since I started playing in 2003. I’m really excited about playing in all these new places – we’ll certainly be racking up some air miles this year. But it can only be a good thing for the seniors game.

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**truebluefan** · 03-28-2008, 12:39 PM

England’s Carl Mason has spoken of the tough task he faces in bidding to get his season off to a winning start at the inaugural Azores Senior Open, the newest addition to the European Seniors Tour Schedule.

A strong Atlantic wind and undulating greens should make for testing conditions at Batalha Golf Club, the venue for the €325,000 tournament, which starts on Friday.

After the season-opening event, the DGM Barbados Open, Mason currently trails leader Bill Longmuir of Scotland – who is also in action in the Azores – by €28,435 on the Order of Merit.

Mason, Italy’s Costantino Rocca and Spain’s Juan Quiros dominated the Order of Merit last season, filling the top three places, but none were confident of mastering the conditions and contours at Batalha Golf Club.

Speaking after Thursday’s Pro-Am tournament, Mason said: “I could certainly do with a bit less wind over the next few days – if it blows as hard as it did today, I’d probably be happy with a sub-80 score!

“It was tough going out there, and some of the greens were quite hard to read, but it’s the same for everybody. I only arrived on Wednesday night, so I haven’t had much chance to practise. But I’m swinging well and striking the ball nicely, which is half the battle won.”

The ever-smiling Rocca was in jovial mood, despite the potential pitfalls which await him and his fellow competitors on the 6,925 yards, par 72 course.

The Italian said: “Whether I win, Carl wins, Juan wins, or anyone else wins, we will all have fun on and off the course. We are like a big family here. We are all very competitive and want to do well, of course, but afterwards we will all shake hands and have a good time. We have a great spirit.”

Rocca, like Mason, is making his maiden appearance of the season at the Azores Seniors Open, which is one of several tournaments added to this year’s Seniors Tour Schedule.

The Azores, formed of nine Atlantic Ocean islands, joins Poland, Russia, the Czech Republic and India as one of five exciting new destinations added this year to an ever-expanding itinerary.

The Batalha Golf Course is located on the island of Sao Miguel, the largest of the Azores’ nine islands. The course, which is renowned for its breathtaking sea views, is one of only three in the region – though construction on a fourth is due to start next year.

The English duo of Bob Cameron – whose namesake, coincidentally, designed the course – and Nick Job also feature in a strong field. The pair finished second and third respectively behind Longmuir at the DGM Barbados Open.

**truebluefan** · 03-29-2008, 12:11 PM

Scotland’s Martin Gray stands at the top of the leaderboard on day one of the inaugural Azores Senior Open after a three under par round of 69.

The man from Fife, who leads by one shot from America’s Chuck Milne, was one of the few players in the field to master the undulating greens at Batalha Golf Club in Sao Miguel, one of the nine Atlantic islands which form the Azores.

Gray, who made five birdies and two bogeys in benign weather conditions, has three runner-up finishes to his name but is yet to record a win on the European Seniors Tour.

But the Scot is hoping to change that record on his second outing of the 2008 season. He said: I haven’t won before – I think I must have finished second about 20 times in my career. But it’s not something that really plays on my mind at my age. I just go out and try to enjoy myself.

“My putting stroke was back to its good old self today, because I’ve been struggling a bit with my putter in recent years. So how well I putt over the next two days will dictate whether or not I can get that first win on the board.

“I saved a couple of pars today and sank all the five footers, which meant I earned the nickname ‘Tiger’ from my playing partner Delroy [Cambridge]. I'm not sure about that though. It’ll be nice just to be in contention come Sunday afternoon, but there’s still an awful lot of golf to be played between now and then.”

Gray leads Milne by one shot after the American posted four birdies en route to a round of 70.

The man from Washington was pleased with his day’s work, saying: “My round really kicked into gear with a 30ft putt for birdie on the sixth green. I didn’t do anything special on the back nine, but I hung in there.

“It’s hard to make birdies out there, so I wouldn’t be at all surprised if level par wins the tournament. It’s a tough golf course, so it’s crucial not to make any mistakes, or else you’ll get punished.”

Argentina’s Luis Carbonetti is a further shot behind Milne on one under par, whilst Spain’s José Rivero produced one of the highlights of the day when he holed his tee shot on the par three eighth.

Rivero’s compatriot Juan Quiros, who finished in third place on last season’s Order of Merit, is also in contention on one under par, alongside Chile's Angel Fernandez.

But the man they all have to catch is Gray, who would like to see the Azores Senior Open become a regular fixture on the Schedule.

He said: “The course is very tough, particularly on the greens. Unless you hit it close, you’re just hoping to get down in two most of the time. I was fortunate in that I managed to find the middle of the green on most holes, and sunk a few putts. It was nice to putt like Carl Mason for a change.

“If the weather stays good, I would expect a few more players to break 70 over the next couple of days. But it depends where they put the pins. They were quite generous today, which gave us a reasonable chance of attacking the flag. So if they leave them where they are, we might have half a chance of some low scores. If they start putting them on the slopes, it might make life very difficult for us.

“But overall it's great to be here, because it’s a lovely island. It’s very reminiscent of Scotland in places with the small fields, the wind and the cows. It's almost like being back at home. I would hope it becomes a regular event on the Tour, because I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my stay so far.”

**truebluefan** · 03-30-2008, 02:21 PM

Scotland’s Martin Gray continued his dominance on the second day of the inaugural Azores Senior Open at Batalha Golf Club, where he leads England’s Nick Job by four shots.

The man from Fife will enter unchartered territory should he maintain his lead tomorrow, having never won a European Tour event since turning professional in 1972.

Gray shot his second consecutive round of 69 to lead the inaugural event from Job, who finished the day on two under par after also carding a 69.

A magical eagle on the par five 12th – a hole he also birdied yesterday – was the highlight of a sublime round, which was marred only by a three putt for bogey on the 18th green.

The 56 year old said: “It was a disappointing end to the round, because a five shot cushion would have been really nice. But overall I have to be pleased with 69 in the conditions, because the wind kept changing all the time, which really kept us on our toes.

“A four shot lead is obviously a healthy one – but if the wind’s blowing hard again, that can disappear in an instant. So I’m not going to get ahead of myself – I haven’t even thought about winning yet.

“I’ll just try to do the same things again tomorrow, and see where it gets me. Nerves certainly won’t come into it – I’m far too old for that. I’ve been in this position a fair few times before – hopefully this time, I can take advantage of it.”

Having dropped a shot on the par five fourth, Gray’s round really kicked into gear with a birdie on the ninth hole. Further birdies followed on the 10th and 11th, before that spectacular eagle on the 12th hole.

Gray said: “I hit a nice drive off an elevated tee, and left myself about 260 yards from the green. It was downhill with the wind behind me, so I cut a four wood nicely onto the green, and left myself a 20ft putt. I struck it nicely and knew it had a chance, so I was delighted to see it drop in. I’ve putted well all week, and if I can continue that tomorrow, I may have a chance.”

America’s Bob Boyd, Australia’s Stewart Ginn and Argentina’s Luis Carbonetti are in a tie for third place on one under par, whilst Domingo Hospital of Spain lies one shot further back on level par.

**truebluefan** · 03-31-2008, 11:44 AM

Australia’s Stewart Ginn surged through the field to capture his first European Seniors Tour title with a two shot win from England’s Nick Job at the inaugural Azores Senior Open.

Ginn, who hails from Melbourne but is based in Kuala Lumpur, started the day at Batalha Golf Club five shots off the lead held by Scotland’s Martin Gray, but steadily set about reducing the deficit with five birdies en route to a round of 68.

As Gray’s challenge faltered with a glut of bogeys and Job came unstuck with a three putt on the final green when needing a birdie to take the tournament to a play-off, Ginn finally tasted victory after nine years of trying.

The 59 year old had some words of consolation for Gray, saying: “I do feel for Martin, because he played so well over the first couple of days. It’s not a nice feeling. We’ve all been there, and I’m sure he’ll come back from it even stronger.

“But it’s probably about time I won. I’ve finished second more times than I can remember, so it was just a case of getting over the line today. I’ve played nicely all week, but the difference today was that I sunk a few putts. I picked up a few birdies after the turn, and it was then I knew I had a chance of winning.

“Sadly I won’t be able to celebrate properly tonight, because I’ve got to catch an early flight tomorrow. But I’m sure I’ll have a few drinks when I get home. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the tournament, and I’d like to congratulate Nick and all the other guys for playing so well today.”

Job’s round of 71 saw him finish the tournament on three under par, two shots clear of Argentina’s Luis Carbonetti, Seniors Tour debutant Domingo Hospital of Spain, and Italy’s Costantino Rocca, who shot a 69.

Earlier in the day, England’s Bob Larratt set a new course record with a six under par round of 66.

Larratt, the professional at Kibworth Golf Club in Leicester, carded seven birdies and a solitary bogey to break the record held jointly by Canada’s Brad Fritsch and America’s PJ Cowan, who both shot rounds of 67.

After feeling the effects of bronchitis the 55 year old struggled with his game through the first two days, but was delighted to finish the tournament on a positive note.

He said: “A round of 66 is always pleasing, but more so on a tough course like this. I decided to be much more positive and attack the flags today, and got the rewards. Perhaps if the tournament had lasted another day I might’ve had a chance of winning it!”

Another man with reason to celebrate was Spain’s Jose Rivero, whose reward for his hole-in-one at the eighth yesterday is to receive 200 bottles of wine – one for every yard of the hole – courtesy of sponsors Hardys.