Seniors’ Tour challenge at Saunton Classic

Three members of the European Seniors Tour will be competing in the Saunton Classic over the outstanding East and West links courses in North Devon.

Each one has been a big winner. George Ryall (Players Club) triumphed in Holland, Kevin Spurgeon (Ferndown) was a champion in Mauritius while Gary Emerson (Remedy Oak) won the Russian Open on the main European Tour.

Yet the seniors who are just as likely to provide the stiffest challenge in a highly-competitive field are two Scots, home professional Albert MacKenzie and Iain Parker, the club professional at nearby Royal North Devon.

Both compete in national seniors’ tournaments and no player has more knowledge of the dramatic venue than MacKenzie who finished tied third in the Marston’s West Region PGA championship over the two courses last August.

Parker is playing more frequently now and has just won the Devon PGA winter Order of Merit for the first time. He is first on the tee at 7.30am on Wednesday playing alongside home assistant John Morgan in an event being played in a four-ball professional/amateur format.

But James Ruth (China Fleet) and last year’s runaway Order of Merit winner Liam Bond (Marriott St Pierre), the two players who went head-to-head in the 2013 championship, want to start with a victory in the first of this season’s six Order of Merit tournaments.

Both players are already showing top form. Ruth won the Cornish Festival this month while one-time leader Bond finished third behind Ryder Cup man Paul Broadhurst.

Former Tour men Sion Bebb, newly-installed as club professional at Morlais Castle Golf Club, Stuart Little (Minchinhampton New Golf Club) and David Dixon (Enmore Park Golf Club) are always strong contenders.

Paul Hendriksen (Dinnaton Golf Club) has been another consistent player, former PGA Cup player Richard Dinsdale (Parc Golf Academy) and Nick Brennan (Bowood) who made his PGA Cup debut last year plus the formidable Dorset heavyweights Michael Watson (Wessex Golf Centre), Lee Thompson and Mark Wiggett (Dudsbury Golf Club) and Martyn Thompson (Parkstone Golf Club) can never be ruled out.

Paul Mitchell (Bristol & Clifton Golf Club) has made his mark as coach to European Tour winner Chris Wood but is a talented player and makes a rare playing appearance while his pupil is playing in the Far East.