AS the sun shined on Slaley Hall yesterday, Sam Torrance issued a “roll up and enjoy the fun” call to the golf lovers of the North East and Cumbria.
Europe’s winning Ryder Cup captain of 2002 joins other big names Ian Woosnam and Sandy Lyle in The De Vere Collection PGA Seniors Championship.
“We’re the people most golf fans grew up with,” said Torrance. “We’re the names that the middle aged folk, around 40 to 50, remember..
“They grew up with our golf, they grew up with us playing in Ryder Cups and Opens and Masters and they will have a lot of fun coming here and watching us.
“We’re still pretty good and pretty competitive but the Seniors Tour offers a lot of fun and enjoyment as well.
“All the players at Slaley are good players that are still trying their hardest. We still want to do what we used to do and we’ve got a test of golf on our hands.
“It is a good course and I have never seen it like this. It is normally wet here and very soft, but this is the first time I have known such good weather before the Seniors championship at Slaley. I believe it will play quite tricky, very bouncy. You will have to go out there and hit good shots to win it.
“There are some great holes on the course and at the ninth, for example, you can’t get through there without at least two good shots.”
Nobody enjoyed a pitching contest for ex-Ryder Cup players from the hotel terrace to the 18th green more than Torrance, as you can see from our picture.
It was won by Des Smyth and the picture captures the moment Torrance punched the air after he spoke when Woosnam was at the top of his backswing, resulting in a grinning Woosnam missing the green.
Smyth was equally happy when presented with a case of wine and only too pleased to hand Torrance one of the bottles of wine as a pay-off for his ill gotten gains.
Later, Torrance reacted to a recent comment by current Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie who called him a “brilliant” Ryder skipper and said he will draw on the experience of Torrance before this year’s showdown in Wales in October.
Montgomerie said: “The four rookies in the singles never lost because Sam got them to believe they were part of the team, to go out there believing in themselves. That is what I have to find out from Sam. What he said at the time or what was done.”
Before the action started against America at The Belfry in 2002, Torrance ordered his players to “leave their egos at the door” when they played for the team, something he has always been given credit for.
“In fact,” revealed Torrance, “I picked Alex Ferguson’s brains before the Ryder Cup and that was his expression.
“The way he put it to me was ‘You have no stars in your team, each one is equal to each other.’ What he was saying there was a huge factor in that Ryder Cup win.”
Watch out for Ryder Cup favourites
TEN Ryder Cup players tee up on Slaley Hall’s Hunting Course today for the PGA Seniors Championship.
Spectators can now simply turn up and enjoy free tournament entry, with only a £5 car park fee to pay.
If any of them are among your particular golfing favourites, this is when and where they will be starting the first of the tournament’s four rounds:
FIRST TEE
8.10 Gordon Brand Junior, Sam Torrance; 12.50 Sandy Lyle, Barry Lane; 1.00 Constantino Rocca; 1.10 Ian Woosnam.
TENTH TEE
8.05 Des Smyth; 12.45 Eddie Polland; 1.15 Gordon J Brand, Eamonn Darcy.
