Wanganui pro Simon Owen faces formidable opposition when he starts his 2005 European Senior golf season in the $700,000 Irish Seniors Open this weekend.
Owen missed the first four European events of the year but has automatic entry to this weekend's 54-hole tourney at The Heritage course in Killenard after placing
15th on the 2004 Order of Merit.
His opposition includes defending champion Carl Mason (England), 2003 winner Noel Ratcliffe (Australia) and 2001-02 champion Seiji Ebihara (Japan).
The winners of the first four European tourneys this year ? Denis O'Sullivan (Ireland), Luis Carbonetti (Argentina), Bob Lendzion (USA) and Gary Watine (France) ? are also in the field.
Add in England's Neil Coles, Tommy Horton and Malcolm Gregson, the Spanish trio of Victor Garcia, Antonio Garrido and Manuel Pinero plus Australians Terry Gale, David Good, Ian Stanley and Bob Shearer and there is real class overseas talent.
Horton has won more than $2.5m on the European senior circuit.
It will be a first European Seniors start for American Bob Byman, who has won on the US PGA open circuit as well as taking the Dutch Open twice and the Scandinavian Open. He turned 50 on April 21.
Naturally there will be a strong Irish presence this weekend including Joe McDermott, the only Irishman to have won the event, back in 1998.
Former Ryder Cup international Des Smyth, 51, recent winner of two titles in America, makes his first Irish Senior Open start and has targeted the title to add to his six Irish PGA victories and eight wins on the European circuit.
Ireland also has title contenders in the form of Eamonn Darcy, Christy O'Connor Jnr and Liam Higgins.
It all adds up to a real testing weekend for Owen who was ninth equal in the event last year, winning $17,000.
