The Legends Tour’s flagship tournament – the Staysure PGA Seniors Championship hosted by Colin Montgomerie – got underway on Thursday as high winds proved a real challenge at Trump International.
In a star-studded field that includes three Ryder Cup captains, five Major winners and 12 former Ryder Cup players, it was Sweden’s Michael Jonzon – a two-time winner on the DP World Tour – who seized the first-round lead after grinding out an impressive round of 70.
He sits one clear of Sean Whiffin, who was the only other player to break par on a day where 30kmh wind gusted across the Aberdeenshire dunes.
Dutchman Maarten Lafeber notched a stunning back nine, picking up four shots to surge through the field and also reach -1 before a bogey at his last hole dropped him to level par, alongside Jean-Francois Remesy and Carlos Balmaseda. A large group at +1 includes former BMW PGA champion Simon Khan who made the only birdie of the day on the difficult 9th – his final hole of the day.
Some of bigger names in the field struggled in the morning wave, with both José María Olazábal and Paul McGinley at +5 and tournament host Colin Montgomerie two shots further back after an opening 79.
Starting on the difficult 10th, Jonzon hit the turn in two-under and maintained that position with a level-par back-nine, capped by an excellent up-and-down at the last for a closing par four. And after a difficult start to his 2025 season – with just one top-20 coming at the OFX Irish Legends in May – the Swede is hopeful that his luck, and form, is beginning to turn.
“I haven’t had the best of starts to the season, but I’ve worked hard,” said Jonzon. “It’s been quite often the other way, where you lip out and now it’s nice to get a sort of lip in and keep that momentum.
“I’m very pleased with a 70. It’s a tough course in any conditions and with the wind today it’s very challenging. There’s a lot of crosswinds and the fairways are quite narrow in places so if you miss it by only a few yards it’s a lost ball. It’s very much an emphasis on trying to keep the ball in play, even if it leaves longer shots into greens.”
In addition to controlling ball flight, Jonzon highlighted the importance of a strong mental approach in the most challenging conditions the players have faced on the Legends Tour this season.
“Even if you don’t make a big mistake, you’re going to drop shots, so you just have to be aware of that from the start and not let it bother you too much. In a way, it gets easier in these conditions because it keeps you just playing one shot at a time and you deal with the score later.”
On a day when just two players broke par and the scoring average soared, Sean Whiffin was another who managed to tame the conditions with a battling 71 to sit at -1. The 2023 Legends Tour graduate took advantage of the early holes of the front nine, with birdies at holes one, two and three.
“You have to just take advantage of the holes that are gettable and then it’s damage limitation,” said Whiffin, who qualified for the tournament courtesy of a top-15 finish at the Senior PGA Professional Championship earlier in the year. “It’s so tough out there, you’re trying to keep it straight. I think I got the best of the conditions given how the wind picked up and hopefully I can continue to play well.”
Carlos Balmaseda is among the group at level-par after a battling 72 that was held together by a superb par at the 8th, his penultimate hole. “That was huge for me,” said Balmaseda. “Definitely the best par of the day. I drove in the hazard, had to take a penalty and then hit a 210-yard hybrid to 10 feet and holed it. It really felt like a birdie. The conditions were really challenging, you just have to commit to hitting your lines off the tee, even when you’re aiming 50 yards to the side of the fairway. It’s a very uncomfortable feeling but you just have to trust your swing and commit to the shot.”
Local favourite Paul Lawrie was well placed at -1 but gave up three bogeys over the closing seven holes to fall back to +2 alongside fellow Ryder Cup players Peter Baker, Steven Gallacher and Phillip Price. “It was a good day but it just doesn’t feel like it just now,” said the 1999 Open Champion. “Obviously I’m a bit hacked off to get around in two-over when I’ve actually controlled my ball really well today and then I’ve just hit a couple of shots that you can’t hit. But overall, I’m pretty happy – I’m right in there.”
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