Of the leading 11 players heading to Tuesday’s fifth of six rounds at the Infinitum club, all bar three are in their 20s and with one player, England-born amateur Joshua Berry aged 18 and the other two in their 30s.
Overall, in the 78-players to make Monday’s fourth round cut there is a handful of players in their 40s who still have the chance of finishing top-25 tomorrow (Tuesday) and regain full 2024 DP World Tour status. They include past Tour winners in Frenchman Gregory Bourdy, who is aged 41 and Scotland’s four-time Tour winner Marc Warren who is a year older than Bourdy.
As well, 44-year-old Englishman Richard McEvoy and 40-year-old South African Thomas Aiken, and though each well down the board, they are still in with the chance of regaining main tour status.
Taking a look at those who missed the cut there are five players who will not be seen full-time next season on the DP World Tour and they include the likes of Frenchman Gregory Havret, England’s Ollie Fisher, and the Tour’s only player to shoot 59, along with fellow Brit David Howell, who currently chairs the board representing the players, and also Spain’s Alvaro Quiros.
Havret, 46, posted at one-under tally and four shy shots of making the cut, the 40-year-old Quiros was at one-over, Fisher, 35, signing for a five-over total, the 48-year-old Howell was cut at seven-over while a second Spaniard in Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, aged 43, retired after three rounds.
You could argue players like Havret and aged in their late-40s, are just awaiting turning 50 to join the Legends or Champions Tours but there’s Scotland’s David Drydale, and at age 48, who lost his DPWT card last year but bit the bullet and earned his Asian Tour card and is set to retain ’24 season membership with three events remaining these last few weeks on the Asian Tour.
Looking at the DP World Tour and the leading 116 players on this year’s Race To Dubai, and who are regularly competing on the Tour (Not including Padraig Harrington aged 52), and the oldest is the current pair of 43-year-old’s in Oliver Wilson and Justin Rose while a third Englishman in the 42-year-old Ross Fisher dramatically last week sealed the 116th and last card for the ’24 season.
And in speaking of Havret, let me share some memories of this great French golfer.
In 2007, Havret not only shocked the golfing world but also Phil Mickelson in defeating ‘Lefty’ in a play-off for the Barclays Scottish Open crown along the shoreline of Loch Lomond.
Three years later the affable Frenchman found himself in the penultimate pairing on the final day with Tiger Woods at the 2010 US Open at Pebble Beach. Woods went into day four sharing third place and Havret a shot back in fourth.
Of course, playing a final round of any tournament let alone a major championship, you’d assume there would not be much talking among players and this even more the case when your final day partner has already captured three prior US Opens, and the last just two years earlier to make it then 14 career Major Championships.
While it was overnight leader Dustin Johnson who imploded, Havret could have easily captured the US Open, posting a closing 71 to grab second place on his own, and with eventual champion, Graeme McDowell signing for a 74 and just one shot better than Havret while Woods shot a 75 to share fourth.
And Havret afterwards revealed he and Woods chatted their heads off, and with Woods very interested in the World Cup, that at the time the pair were walking along the Pacific Ocean shoreline, was being staged in South Africa, and that Spain was then a month away from winning.
