European Senior Tour
The European Senior Tour is a professional tour for male golfers aged 50 and over, run by the PGA European Tour. The tour was relaunched as the Legends Tour in 2020, having been known as the Staysure Tour in 2018 and 2019 after UK-based insurance company Staysure became the first-ever title sponsors of the tour in December 2017.[1][2]
Current season, competition or edition: 2021 European Senior Tour | |
 | |
| Formerly | European Senior Tour |
|---|---|
| Sport | Golf |
| Founded | 1992 |
| Countries | Based in Europe. Current schedule includes tournaments in the United States, the United Arab Emirates, and Mauritius. |
| Most titles | Tommy Horton (5 titles) |
| Official website | http://www.europeantour.com/staysure-tour/ |
History
The Tour was founded in 1992 after calls from 60 leading professionals five years after the first Senior Open Championship in 1987. The highest profile event in Europe is the Senior British Open Championship, which is co-sanctioned by PGA Tour Champions and was played on the Old Course at St Andrews for the first time in 2018. 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 since 2007 the former has been an official money event.[3]
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 (€) |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 19 | |
| 2018 | 19 | |
| 2017 | 15 | |
| 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.[4][5]
| Year | Order of Merit leader | Earnings (€)[lower-alpha 1] |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 |  Stephen Dodd | 1,830.4 |
| 2020 | No winner | |
| 2019 | Phillip Price | 2,887.8 |
| 2018 |  Paul Broadhurst (2) | 547,793 |
| 2017 |  Clark Dennis | 222,055 |
| 2016 | Paul Broadhurst | 399,285 |
| 2015 |  Colin Montgomerie (2) | 679,147 |
| 2014 | Colin Montgomerie | 624,543 |
| 2013 | Paul Wesselingh | 311,644 |
| 2012 | Roger Chapman | 356,751 |
| 2011 | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Peter Fowler | 302,327 |
| 2010 |  Boonchu Ruangkit | 266,609 |
| 2009 | Sam Torrance (3) | 170,696 |
| 2008 | Ian Woosnam | 320,120 |
| 2007 | Carl Mason (3) | 412,376 |
| 2006 | Sam Torrance (2) | 347,525 |
| 2005 | Sam Torrance | 277,421 |
| 2004 | Carl Mason (2) | 354,743 |
| 2003 | Carl Mason | 350,242 |
| 2002 |  Seiji Ebihara | 330,211 |
| 2001 | Ian Stanley | 287,025 |
| 2000 | Noel Ratcliffe | 163,167 |
| 1999 | Tommy Horton (5) | 138,944 |
| 1998 | Tommy Horton (4) | 178,719 |
| 1997 | Tommy Horton (3) | 221,798 |
| 1996 | Tommy Horton (2) | 186,473 |
| 1995 | Brian Barnes | 89,068 |
| 1994 | John Morgan | 80,093 |
| 1993 | Tommy Horton | 79,709 |
| 1992 | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} John Fourie | 66,998 |
- From 2019, the tour used a point-based system instead of prize money.
Leading career money winners
The table below shows the top ten career money leaders on the European Senior Tour as of the end of the 2018 season.
| Rank | Player | Earnings (€) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Bernhard Langer | 2,811,071 |
| 2 | Carl Mason | 2,757,126 |
| 3 | Colin Montgomerie | 1,943,628 |
| 4 | Nick Job | 1,653,634 |
| 5 | Peter Fowler | 1,652,178 |
| 6 | Barry Lane | 1,571,534 |
| 7 | Tom Watson | 1,570,663 |
| 8 | Sam Torrance | 1,560,985 |
| 9 | Tommy Horton | 1,527,506 |
| 10 | Bill Longmuir | 1,472,192 |
There is a full list that is updated after each tournament on the European Tour's website here.
References
- "Ground-breaking joint venture creates new Legends Tour". PGA European Tour. 1 September 2020.
- "Staysure to become first title sponsor of the European Senior Tour". PGA European Tour. 7 December 2017.
- "Strong Seniors contingent head to the United States". PGA European Tour. 21 May 2007. Archived from the original on 7 October 2007. Retrieved 27 May 2007.
- "John Jacobs Trophy winners". PGA European Tour. 14 October 2014.
- "European Senior Tour Order of Merit winners 1992 - 2015". PGA European Tour. 14 October 2014.