Mason gunning for a Hat-trick

England’s Carl Mason will bid to become the first player to win a European Seniors Tour title for three consecutive years when he tees up at Woburn Golf Club for the Travis Perkins plc Senior Masters from August 29-31. With the return of tournament sponsors Travis Perkins plc, the prize fund on offer to this year’s field has been increased to £250,000, giving Mason further scope to improve his standing on the all-time career money winners list – which he currently heads with earnings of €1,642,960. Mason first triumphed over the tree-lined 6,896 yard, par 72 Duke’s Course at Woburn Golf Club in 2006, before successfully defending his European Senior Masters title last year – and in the process becoming the richest golfer in the history of the Seniors Tour. After he and Italy’s Costantino Rocca had tied on an aggregate total of six under par 210, Mason birdied the first extra hole to register his 17th Seniors Tour victory and claim a winner’s cheque for €49,713 and an additional Woburn Golf Club bonus of £10,000 presented by the Duke of Bedford. That took his career earnings to €1,512,836 and saw Mason surpass compatriot Tommy Horton, the previous record holder, as the leading Seniors Tour money winner of all time. Mason will return to Woburn this year, hopeful of setting yet another record in a career already overflowing with “firsts". He said: “I always enjoy playing at Woburn – along with Wentworth, it’s one of the country’s great courses. It’s beautiful, and it helps that I’ve got a good record there. The course really suits my game. “The Senior Masters is always a tournament I look forward to anyway. It’s always an honour to defend your title, and I guess this year there’s an added incentive for me to win the tournament three times running. “It would obviously be an honour to become the first player on the Seniors Tour to achieve the feat. I feel privileged to have set and broken records, because it’s a great feeling – even if it’s not something I necessarily set out to do when I joined the Seniors Tour.” Mason is unlikely to have it all his own way this year, however, as a number of former winners are expected to confirm their attendance in this year’s field, including European Team Ryder Cup Captain Mark James of England, who beat Scotland’s Sam Torrance in a play-off in 2005, and Jamaica’s Delroy Cambridge, who finished fourth at the season-opening DGM Barbados Open in March. Andy Stubbs, Managing Director of the European Seniors Tour, said: “We’re delighted to be returning to Woburn Golf Club for the European Senior Masters, and to welcome back Travis Perkins plc as sponsors on the Seniors Tour. “We’ve seen some epic battles over the Duke’s Course in recent seasons and, with Carl Mason looking to win the tournament for the third year running, we should be in for another feast of golf this year.” The Duke of Bedford said: “We are delighted Carl has confirmed he will be returning to Woburn again in August. He will be bidding to win the trophy for the third consecutive year against a very strong field who will be out to prevent the hat-trick – but he definitely has a favourite’s chance of pulling it off.” Golf was first introduced at Woburn by the late 14th Duke of Bedford in 1973, with the construction on his estate of the Duke’s Course in 1976 and the Duchess Course two years later with the third course, the Marquess Course, opening in June 2000. Woburn Golf Club first hosted a professional tournament on The European Tour in 1979, when Australia’s Graham Marsh won the Dunlop British Masters over the Duke’s Course. His aggregate total of five under par 283 through 72 holes saw Marsh edge out Japan’s Isao Aoki and England’s Neil Coles. Woburn Golf Club subsequently staged a further 15 British Masters until 2002, when England’s Justin Rose won, and has hosted the European Senior Masters on seven occasions since 2001. The 2008 Travis Perkins plc Senior Masters will be the 48th professional tournament held at Woburn Golf Club in its 32 year history.