The remarkable success of Denis O'Sullivan in his debut season on the European Seniors Tour has heightened interest in the sixth Qualifying School at the Hardelot GC in Northern France on October 28th to 31st. Entries closed last weekend in the hunt for 20 cards for what promises to be an even stronger circuit next year.
With two regular tournaments and a special event remaining, O'Sullivan has been runner-up on three occasions and is currently ninth in the seniors' money list with earnings of £53,215 from 14 events. The Is Molas Seniors Open starts in Sardinia on Thursday; the Senior Tournament of Champions is at Buckinghamshire GC on October 23rd to 31st, and the Praia D'el Rey representative matches for the European Cup winds up the season in Portugal on November 13th to 15th.
Winner of the Irish Close title at Westport in 1985, O'Sullivan later declined the role of Irish amateur team captain. Instead, he went to the Seniors' Qualifying School last year and graduated impressively.
"I'm a player not a watcher," he said. "To captain the Irish team would have meant an end to my competitive career so I turned professional instead. It has been a whole new experience for me and I'm enjoying it enormously."
O'Sullivan's strokeplay skills - he won the East of Ireland title - are reflected in the fact that he hasn't missed a cut. Indeed he scored so well in the Elf Seniors Open in France last month that he tied the lowest figure for the season with a six-under-par opening 36 of 132. And he went on to complete 54 holes of the same event in 199 - eight under par.
One of his most pleasing performances, however, was to be runner-up to John Morgan in the inaugural West of Ireland Seniors Championship at East Clare on August 14th to 16th. "I know I'm going to win sometime but I cannot force it," he said. "I must have the patience to let it happen."
Ireland has had two tournament winners so far this season. Joe McDermott, who gained a tour card by holing his second shot on the final hole at Hardelot last year, captured the AIB Seniors Open at Woodbrook in May. And Paul Leonard had a spectacular breakthrough in the Efteling European Trophy in Holland last month when he took top prize of Stg £16,600.
Another outstanding Irish performance came from Eddie Polland, who got into a three-way play-off for the Shroder Senior Masters at Wentworth on August 2nd, only to lose to Brian Huggett. Then there were seven-under-par 63s by David Jones in the Phillips PFA Golf Classic and by Liam Higgins in the CS Private Banking Seniors, both of which matched the lowest round of the season so far.
There have been five first-time winners on this season's tour - Robert Lendzion (Beko Classic), McDermott (Irish Seniors Open), Bob Shearer (Jersey Seniors Open), Bill Hardwick (Ryder Seniors Classic) and Leonard (Efteling European Trophy).
Tommy Horton has remained a dominant figure, however, winning on three occasions - the El Bosque Seniors Open, the De Vere Hotels Classic and The Belfry PGA Seniors Championship. In the process he achieved the largest winning margin of nine strokes at El Bosque.
Kelly Robbins carded a 70 on the closing day to claim the £80,000 winner's prize at the £500,000 Tournament of Champions in Alabama on Sunday. For Robbins, who won by four strokes, it was her second victory of the year, her first since winning the USLPGA Inaugural season opener, and the eighth of her career.
Juli Inkster finished second on 280 after a 69 and Sherri Steinhauer was another stroke back. Defending champion Annika Sorenstam of Sweden, a four-times winner this year, was fourth on 283.
Britain's Alison Nicholas had to settle for a share of sixth after a final round two-over-par 74. The 36-year-old finished on three-under-par at 285, nine shots adrift of Robbins.
