Tag: Senior Open

Danish star says it’s ‘humbling’ being named honorary life member of DP World Tour before Senior Open

The star is scheduled to be a vice captain for the European Ryder Cup team next year at Bethpage.

Yes, Thomas Bjorn was pleased with a 71 on Thursday, one that put him just a few shots off the lead after the opening round of play at the Senior Open at Carnoustie.

But while Bjorn’s productivity in difficult conditions gave him reason to smile, the recent honors bestowed on him are what truly had him appreciative.

Bjorn, Paul McGinley and Miguel Angel Jimenez were all granted honorary life memberships to the DP World Tour on Wednesday, raising the total number of golfers with that status to 62.

“Honorary life membership is recognition for those who have contributed so much to the tour both inside and outside the ropes,” said Guy Kinnings, the DP World Tour’s CEO. “These three players have given everything to the tour and have shaped the tour with both their play and their personalities.”

Bjorn, who has 15 European Tour wins to his credit, is scheduled to be a vice captain for the European Ryder Cup team next year at Bethpage. He said the honor is one that has hit him hard.

“It’s humbling in a lot of ways. You know, when you set out on a career, you have your hopes and dreams about where it’s going to go, and mind far exceeded anything I’ve ever dreamed of in my career, and I’ve been around for a long time. I love that tour, you know, what was The European Tour, what is the DP World Tour,” he said. “I love everything about that tour, and it’s given me a life. It’s given me an unbelievable way of seeing the world and doing things, and you know, I’ve dedicated a lot of time to the tour in my time, as well, and to get that recognition from your board and from people around the tour is humbling, and it’s something I’ll treasure a lot.

“I think when you know you’re coming to the end of your career in some way, it’s nice that you can look back at things and say, well, you know, I did a lot, or I dedicated a lot to the tour; and it’s not in my world — it’s not for my achievements on the golf course. It’s a lot more for the things I’ve done off the golf course and for the tour.

“So yeah, humbling experience but happy.”

Thomas Bjorn of Denmark, pictured here on April 9, 2024, is named as Luke Donald’s second European 2025 Ryder Cup Vice Captain at IMG Studios on April 16, 2024, in London, England. (Photo by Ben Hoskins/Getty Images)

On Thursday, Bjorn posted a pair of bogeys and a birdie on the front but played clean on the way home en route to a 34 that put his three shots behind leader Stephen Ames. Since Bjorn had thumb issues early in the week and needed an injection to play — skipping a practice round — Thursday’s score only served as a cherry on top of Wednesday’s announcement.

“Got out there and just tried to make pars to be honest with you, just get myself around the golf course. It’s better than it’s been, so that’s a lovely round to have in the bank, really,” he said.

“For me, where I was yesterday, could only go around wrong if I played. It was nice to get through it. So try and build from here and get a little bit better.”

Alex Cejka beats ‘brutal’ conditions, Padraig Harrington to take Senior British Open

This victory was as much about perseverance as it was shotmaking.

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Alex Cejka sat over a short putt with a chance to clinch the Senior British Open yet he took nothing for granted. With wind and rain whipping through Royal Porthcawl Golf Club, Cejka had seen his share of misjudged shots over the past few hours to think this was a gimme.

For example, Cejka witnessed Padraig Harrington flub a chip while just off the green on the pivotal hole. He watched players and fans trying to steady themselves through incredible gusts along the Bristol Channel shores.

Still, Cejka took an extra look at the putt and knocked it home, earning his third PGA Tour Champions title — all majors — when he topped Harrington by making birdie on the second hole of a playoff.

The 52-year-old German — who won the Regions Tradition and the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship in 2021 — realized this victory was as much about perseverance as it was shotmaking.

“I still can’t believe it. It was a really, really long week, really, really long weekend, and really, really long day today, playing those two extra holes. But I’m just delighted. I didn’t really make great shots down the stretch but I somehow made incredible pars,” Cejka said. “Going into the playoff, I really thought if I pull a couple good swings off, I might have a chance against Pádraig. It’s really difficult but it’s one on one. I’m so pleased. I still can’t believe it.”

While Cejka’s victory will be the headline, the real story was the unrelenting weather, which caused fits for many of the players. Colin Montgomerie finished the day with an 88, and that didn’t even qualify as the highest score of the day — that honor was reserved for Patrik Sjoland, who finished the day with an 89.

A total of 26 players came in with scores of 80 or higher on Sunday and Rob Labritz’s 71 was the low score of the day, although it followed a third-round 86.

Cejka finished the day with a 76, stumbling home with a pair of bogeys on the final three holes to slip into the playoff with Harrington, who needed a birdie on the final hole to force the extra golf. The Irishman had a 20-foot eagle putt that would have won the tournament on No. 18, but the ball stopped short while rolling into a heavy wind.

“You’ve got to take those opportunities. You’ve got to really give those a go,” Harrington said. “I’ll look back at that and really feel like I should have run that. But obviously, the one on the first playoff hole could have gone in but that would have been a decent break.

“Obviously, second shot then on 18, second time around, sometimes that happens to me. I’m trying to hit a three-quarter 9-iron, and you get over the ball and you’re focused on the shot and end up hitting a normal 9-iron, which is too much. So that was disappointing in the end.”

As for the conditions, Cejka said this was simply a battle of attrition.

“It’s brutal. You can’t hold a balance, even when you’re putting, and you’re trying to punch drivers,” he said. “You have wet hands, wet grips. You have a 40-mile-an-hour crosswind, so it wasn’t easy as you can see on the scores. They were brutal the last two days. I’m just so glad it’s over and I’m glad I have the trophy.”

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Bernhard Langer calls recent pro golfer cheating scandal ‘foolish’ and ‘stupid’

“How can you think you’re going to get way with changing a scorecard?”

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During last week’s Ottawa Open on the PGA Tour Canada, Justin Doeden cheated.

Doeden, after his playing partner signed the scorecard, changed his score on the last hole of his second round from a seven to a five. This put him one stroke above the 36-hole cut number and would have sent 13 other players home early.

Players noticed the discrepancy during lunch and reported it. Tournament officials discovered Doeden used an eraser to change the score, but he withdrew from the tournament during the investigation. He didn’t respond to a request for comment but did confess in a social media post Monday.

On Wednesday, Bernhard Langer was asked about the scandal during his pre-tournament press conference at the Senior Open being held this week at Royal Porthcawl in Bridgend, Wales.

“It’s obviously very disappointing when anybody cheats because the game of golf was built and founded on honesty and integrity and that’s what we try to teach our younger generations, and that’s what we all try to be, role models for that and uphold the rules,” he said.

“Let’s face it, golf is very unique in that way. What other sport penalizes yourself? If you’re a soccer player, and you kick the other guy, you go, I didn’t touch him, I didn’t do anything, would you ever say, I tripped this guy, you need to give a penalty. You’ll never see that, ever. Any other sport, tell me any sport, tennis, you always think it’s in.

“You never say, it’s out.

“What I’m trying to say is golf is very unique where we penalize ourselves. I’ve done it to me. I had a 3-foot putt, I lined it up, I put my putter behind it, looked at the hole, I put it back. The ball moved marginally. Nobody saw it, not even a TV camera could pick it up, but I knew the line wasn’t where I had put it. I called for a ruling, and well, the rule is, you address it, you get a one-shot penalty, and that cost me $330,000, and I called it on myself. You don’t see that in any other sport.

“But to me it’s foolish, especially changing a scorecard is ridiculous, really. I mean, how can you think you’re going to get away with changing a scorecard? You’re not just breaking a rule. You’re actually stupid.”

Langer was 2 over through the first 12 holes of his opening round at Royal Porthcawl, seven back of Miguel Ángel Jiménez who posted a first-round 5-under 66.