Jarmo Sandelin has had a brilliant career, representing Europe in the 1999 Ryder Cup, winning five times on DP World Tour between 1995 and 2001, and picking up Legends Tour titles at the 2019 MCB Tour Championship and here in Switzerland, but a successful title defence is one thing missing from his CV. The Swede is hoping to put that right this week.
“It’s always great to come to a place where you’ve won before, especially as defending champion,” said the 58-year-old. “You always look forward to those weeks, and the pressure is on. I haven’t defended any of my titles yet, so I’m looking forward to a good week. It would be great to achieve something new in my life.
“I remember being very focused and taking it one shot at a time last year. I had a good feeling on the greens. The course is very technical – it’s not about strength – so anyone who gets the feeling on the greens will have a chance. Normally I’m a great putter, so the course suits my game.”
The lowest winning score here was -16 by Carl Mason in 2007, and -15 has been the number on five occasions. Sandelin, who won at -10 last year, believes scoring will be very good this week: “I think it’s going to take a low score to win this year – maybe -15.”
If he is going to lift the stunning crystal trophy for a second time, he’ll have to overcome a talented field stacked with previous Swiss Seniors Open victors, multiple winners from around the world and a few players with their eyes firmly set on the number one position on the Order of Merit.
Four of the top-six in the season-long points race are in action in Switzerland, but with number one Scott Hend taking a week off, there’s an opportunity for someone to overtake him at the summit. Peter Baker can move into top spot with victory or a runner-up finish with no more than one other player, while James Kingston requires the win or solo-2nd. Keith Horne, who won the Reignwood Legends Championship in China last week, and Simon Griffiths need to take the title to have a chance to finish the week as top dog.
The six other former winners in the field, as well as Sandelin, are Adilson da Silva, James Kingston, José Cóceres, Jean-François Remesy, Philip Golding and Juan Quiros. Quiros holds the course record of 61, alongside Andre Bossert, Angel Fernandez and three-time victor Carl Mason.
There are also 10 former Ryder Cup players competing, including Sandelin, Baker, Joakim Haeggman, Costantino Rocca, Stephen Gallacher, Niclas Fasth, Phillip Price, Thomas Levet, Jean van de Valde and David Gilford.
The Swiss Seniors Open is the longest-running event on the Legends Tour schedule, with the first tournament held in 1997. All 26 iterations have been staged at Golf Club Bad Ragaz, in the canton of St Gallen in the east of Switzerland, close to the borders with Liechtenstein and Austria.
The course dates back to 1905, and it’s a tree-lined par-70 that measures 6,165 yards. It’s surrounded by spectacular mountain scenery, but the layout is actually pretty flat as it sits in a floodplain of the River Rhein. Bad Ragaz is a strategic test that requires discipline and accuracy off the tee, but you can really attack the pins with some short clubs once you find the short grass. The course is lush and receptive after rain earlier in the week, so scoring should be low, especially with good weather and very little breeze forecast for the tournament days.
The 54-hole Swiss Seniors Open gets underway on Friday 11th July. Visit the homepage to see the full Order of Merit standings and round one tee times, and to find out more about the tournament. You can follow all the action throughout the week on the Legends Tour website and social media channels.
