Four former Ryder Cup players and six former champions head the field in this week’s Madeira Islands Open.
The four Ryder Cup players are Welshman Phil Price and Sweden’s Niclas Fasth who were members of the victorious 2002 European Team.
Making up the foursome is England’s Oliver Wilson, who was a member of haplessly led Nick Faldo 2010 team while Sweden’s Jarmo Sandelin was controversially afforded just a Singles match in the Mark James captained losing 1999 team at Brookline.
The six former Madeira Islands winners teeing up this week are Spain’s Santiago Luna (1995), Sandelin (1996), Fasth (2000), Welshman Bradley Dredge (2003), Argentina’s Daniel Vancsik (2007) and Scotland’s Alastair Forsyth (2008).
Bradley Dredge captures his first European Tour win nine years at Maderia Islands. (Photo - www.europeantour.com)
In winning nine years ago Dredge recorded a third round 60 that did not count as a European Tour equal low due to preferred lies in effect.
However it has not stopped the Welshman remembering the occasion and his first Tour victory.
“I always enjoy coming to the island of Madeira,” he said.
“The course has improved every year so I’m looking forward to going back there. The food is always really great in the nice restaurants there and we stay in a good hotel.
“It’s always nice to come back to a place where I’ve played well in the past.
“The 60 stands out obviously, and having that chance to shoot 59. I had a putt from about seven or eight feet on the 17th which unfortunately I missed. I missed the fairway on the last and although I was on the green in two, I was 40 feet away, so I didn’t really have a chance for birdie there.
“You always remember those kinds of rounds. I remember walking up the 16th fairway with my caddie Rick, and we were counting how many under par I was. It’s not often you’re ten or 11 under and have to count up the birdies on both hands. I was 11 under and then I birdied the 16th.
“It was on the 16th that I thought shooting 59 was within reach. I hit it close on the 17th and had a good chance, but it wasn’t to be. I don’t think it would have counted officially as a record anyway because we were playing preferred lies.”
The tournament was first sanctioned in 1993 with England’s Mark James winning at the Campo de Golf de Madeira course.
The Santo de Serra course is perched high on the volcanic island of Madeira and played host to the tournament from 1997 to 2008 but for the three years the event moved to the Porto Santa course with Northern Ireland’s Michael Hoey winning last year by two strokes.
However this year the tournament returns to the Santo de Serra layout.
While Hoey has elected not to defend his title there is a number of former European Tour winners teeing up this week.
They include Dutchman Maarten Lafeber, South African Darren Fichardt, the Scotland trio of Raymond Russell, Gary Orr and Scott Drummond, Welshman Stephen Dodd plus Austrian Marcus Brier.
As well, England’s John Parry and Frenchman Jean Francois Lucquin, who defeated current World No. 1 Rory McIlroy to win the 2008 European Masters, will tee up.
And notably, England’s Nick Dougherty, a winner of three European Tour events, and looking to return next year to full European Tour membership in 2013 after losing playing rights last year, is competing in the event for a three time but for a first occasion since he had to withdraw from the 2004 tournament.
