Hertfordshire senior tour pro Phil Golding has set his sights on retaining the Travis Perkins Masters title he in won in style at Woburn last year, with the 55-year-old from Bushey looking forward to teeing it up in what is almost a home draw.
The tournament, which is one of the highlights of the Staysure Tour’s summer schedule, returns to the Duke’s Course at Woburn from August 31- September 2, where Golding will be looking to bag his sixth senior tour title after edging out American Clark Dennis and Ireland’s Brendan McGovern in a dramatic finish at the same venue 12 months ago.
Golding recalled the drama of last year’s tournament, when he found himself seven shots behind Dennis with 11 holes remaining, but managed to get the job done by a combination of some fine play and a disappointing finish by the American. He said: “I was four strokes behind going into the final round, and I thought I was playing for second place after dropping seven behind, despite birdieing two of the first five holes. However, for some reason, things didn’t go well for Clark and I just kept going. You never know what can happen in golf and, sure enough, the cards fell my way when I birdied the 16th and Clark had a third double bogey at the same hole.”
Golding, who will be arriving in high spirits and good form having recently won the Staysure PGA Senior Championship, added: “I am really looking forward to defending my title. The Duke’s Course is a perfect venue for senior golf; the weather has tended to be kind to us and the public have turned out in large numbers to spectate. There is nothing better than playing in a top-class tournament with a good ambience and lots of people watching at a world-class venue steeped in tournament history.”
The winner of this year’s event will pocket £57,000 – £3,000 more than Golding picked up for his victory last year, and the champion will again receive a bonus of £10,000 thanks to the generosity of the Duke of Bedford, the president of Woburn Golf Club.
Visiting golf fans can enjoy ‘Free Friday’ on August 31, with no admission charge for the first round to mark 15 years of sponsorship by Travis Perkins, the UK’s largest builders’ merchant.
Tickets for the final two days are priced £10 in advance and £15 on the gate. Priority parking is available in advance for £10 daily, including a free programme and draw sheet, while general public parking is free of charge. Under-16s are also admitted free.
For tickets, visit www.europeantour.com/tickets.