England’s Mark James might have won the Son Gual Mallorca Senior Open, but the course came out well too.

James and Ireland’s Eamonn Darcy had both finished with a ten under par total of 206, three shots clear of their field, but it was James who, at the third playoff hole, made a birdie four on the 544 yard eighteenth, the longest hole on the course, to win the title.

 “I played well down the stretch and to hole that putt will give me a lot of confidence going to America for the US Senior PGA Championship in a week. You aren’t going to hole too many putts on this course so I hit it really close,” said the former Ryder Cup captain. 

Also delighted with their start on the Senior Tour were the owners of Golf Son Gual whose Thomas Himmel-designed course garnered much praise from competitors.

Another former Ryder Cup captain Ian Woosnam, who won the Masters in 1991, even went as far as comparing the greens with those at the home of the Green Jacket. “It’s a bit like Augusta,” he said. “There are a lot of slopes on the greens. You’ve got to get the ball on the right side of the hole – if you don’t you’ll be struggling. Miss it on the wrong side and you’re dead. You’ve got to know how far you’re hitting the ball to ensure you get in the right position.”

Runner-up Darcy added: “I thought the course was really good. It has some great holes on it. The greens had a beautiful surface on them; all in all it’s a really good course. I’m told it’s only eighteen months old – that’s hard to believe.”