European Senior Tour
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (April 2011) |
Current season, competition or edition: 2016 European Senior Tour | |
| Sport | Golf |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1992 |
| Countries | Based in Europe. Current schedule includes in the United States and Mauritius. |
| Official website | http://www.europeantour.com/seniortour |
The European Senior Tour is a professional tour, for male golfers aged 50 and over, run by the PGA European Tour.
The Tour was founded in 1992. In 2008 it had a total prize fund of €7,729,284, so it is much further behind the U.S.-based Champions Tour in relative prize money than the main European Tour is behind the PGA Tour. The highest profile seniors event in Europe is the Senior British Open Championship, which is co-sanctioned by the Champions Tour. The European Tour co-sanctions the Senior PGA Championship and the U.S. Senior Open. Prize money in latter does not count towards the Order of Merit, but from 2007 the former is an official money event.[1]
Schedule
Past tour schedules
The table below summarises the development of the tour since 1999, which was the year that the euro became the currency of record for the tour. Individual tournaments have purses fixed in a mixture of British pounds, euros and U.S. dollars, so year on year changes in the total prize fund reflect exchange rate fluctuations as well as prize fund movements in constant currencies.
| Year | Tournaments | Total purse (€) |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 13 | |
| 2015 | 12 | 12,030,299 |
| 2014 | 14 | 6,957,767 |
| 2013 | 16 | 5,089,169 |
| 2012 | 16 | 7,454,025 |
| 2011 | 22 | 8,971,738 |
| 2010 | 21 | 9,043,584 |
| 2009 | 16 | 7,045,769 |
| 2008 | 18 | 7,729,284 |
| 2007 | 19 | 8,305,947 |
| 2006 | 17 | 6,346,453 |
| 2005 | 21 | 7,019,820 |
| 2004 | 20 | 6,340,626 |
| 2003 | 20 | 6,041,828 |
| 2002 | 19 | 5,497,811 |
| 2001 | 20 | 6,539,844 |
| 2000 | 20 | 4,714,254 |
| 1999 | 17 | 3,266,041 |
Order of Merit winners
The winner of the Order of Merit is awarded the John Jacobs Trophy.
| Year | Order of Merit leader | Country | Earnings (€) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Paul Broadhurst |  England |
|
| 2015 | Colin Montgomerie |  Scotland |
679,147 |
| 2014 | Colin Montgomerie | Scotland |
624,543 |
| 2013 | Paul Wesselingh | England |
311,644 |
| 2012 | Roger Chapman | England |
356,751 |
| 2011 | Peter Fowler |  Australia |
302,327 |
| 2010 | Boonchu Ruangkit |  Thailand |
266,609 |
| 2009 | Sam Torrance | Scotland |
170,696 |
| 2008 | Ian Woosnam |  Wales |
320,120 |
| 2007 | Carl Mason | England |
412,376 |
| 2006 | Sam Torrance | Scotland |
347,525 |
| 2005 | Sam Torrance | Scotland |
277,421 |
| 2004 | Carl Mason | England |
354,743 |
| 2003 | Carl Mason | England |
350,242 |
| 2002 | Seiji Ebihara |  Japan |
330,211 |
| 2001 | Ian Stanley | Australia |
287,025 |
| 2000 | Noel Ratcliffe | Australia |
163,167 |
| 1999 | Tommy Horton | England |
138,944 |
| 1998 | Tommy Horton | England |
127,656 |
| 1997 | Tommy Horton | England |
158,427 |
| 1996 | Tommy Horton | England |
133,195 |
| 1995 | Brian Barnes | Scotland |
63,620 |
| 1994 | John Morgan | England |
57,209 |
| 1993 | Tommy Horton | England |
56,935 |
| 1992 | John Fourie |  South Africa |
47,857 |
Leading career money winners
The table below shows the top ten career money leaders on the European Seniors Tour as of the end of the 2015 season.
| Rank | Player | Country | Earnings (€) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carl Mason | England |
2,658,381 |
| 2 | Bernhard Langer |  Germany |
1,688,487 |
| 3 | Nick Job | England |
1,602,022 |
| 4 | Sam Torrance | Scotland |
1,550,312 |
| 5 | Tommy Horton | England |
1,527,506 |
| 6 | Tom Watson |  United States |
1,520,688 |
| 7 | Bill Longmuir | Scotland |
1,428,735 |
| 8 | Colin Montgomerie | Scotland |
1,419,056 |
| 9 | Noel Ratcliffe | Australia |
1,390,556 |
| 10 | Denis O'Sullivan |  Ireland |
1,373,049 |
There is a full list that is updated after each tournament on the European Tour's website here.
References
- ^ Strong Seniors contingent head to the United States europeantour.com, 21 May 2007.