Carl Mason
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Stuart Carl Mason (born 25 June 1953) is an English professional golfer. Mason was something of a journeyman on the European Tour. After twenty years of trying he finally won on tour for the first time in 1994. His biggest successes, however, came after turning 50. He picked up 25 tournament victories on the European Senior Tour and headed the Order of Merit three times, becoming the leading career money winner on the tour.
Career
In 1953, Mason was born in Buxton, Derbyshire. He won several amateur tournaments before turning professional.
Mason turned professional in 1973, following an outstanding amateur career playing out of Goring & Streatley Golf Club, and was a rookie on the European Tour the following year. He finished in 67th place on the Order of Merit that year and was a recipient of the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year award. He made the top 100 on the European Tour Order of Merit twenty three years in a row up to 1996, with a best ranking of 19th in 1994. In 1980, he finished tied for 4th with Jack Nicklaus in The Open Championship held at Muirfield.
Despite those successes, Mason only won twice on the European Tour, both times in 1994. His first victory came at the 455th attempt, in the Turespana Masters Open de Andalucia, and the second in the Scottish Open just a few months later. He also won three times on the Safari Circuit in Africa.
Senior career
After a spell working for the PGA European Tour as a tournament referee, he joined the European Senior Tour on turning fifty. He was immediately successful as a senior, winning four of his first eleven events and topping the Order of Merit in 2003 and 2004. He was Order of Merit runner-up in each of the following two seasons before recapturing the top spot in 2007. That year, after winning the European Senior Masters, he surpassed Tommy Horton as the highest career money earner on the European Seniors Tour. The next week he won the PGA Seniors Championship, and went on to finish the 2007 season with earnings of €412,376, a new record for money won in a season on the tour, breaking his previous record of €354,775 set in 2004.
In 2010, he won his 23rd EST event, which placed him in a tie with Tommy Horton for the most EST wins. In May 2011, Mason who his 24th event, the OKI Open de Espana Senior. He won his 25th event at the Benahavis Senior Masters in October 2011.
Amateur wins
- 1973 Berkhamsted Trophy, Hampshire Hog, British Youths Open Amateur Championship, West of England Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship, West of England Amateur Championship
Professional wins (30)
European Tour wins (2)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 Feb 1994 | Turespaña Masters Open de Andalucía | −10 (67-70-71-70=278) | 2 strokes | Spain José María Olazábal |
| 2 | 9 Jul 1994 | Bell's Scottish Open | −15 (67-69-61-68=265) | 1 stroke | England Peter Mitchell |
Safari Circuit wins (2)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 Mar 1984 | Zambia Open | −12 (69-70-69-72=280) | 2 strokes | England Roger Chapman |
| 2 | 1 Mar 1987 | 555 Kenya Open | −9 (72-68-67-68=275) | Playoff | England Gordon J. Brand, England Roger Chapman, England Martin Poxon |
Other wins (2)
- 1975 Lusaka Open
- 1999 Farmfoods British Par 3 Championship
European Senior Tour wins (25)
| Legend |
|---|
| Tour Championships (1) |
| Other European Senior Tour (24) |
European Senior Tour playoff record (3–2)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2003 | Senior British Open | United States Tom Watson | Lost to par on second extra hole |
| 2 | 2004 | De Vere PGA Seniors Championship | Japan Seiji Ebihara, England Jim Rhodes | Won with birdie on second extra hole Rhodes eliminated by par on first hole |
| 3 | 2007 | Sharp Italian Seniors Open | England Tony Allen, United States John Benda, New Zealand Simon Owen | Owen won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 4 | 2007 | European Senior Masters | Italy Costantino Rocca | Won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 5 | 2009 | Benahavis Senior Masters | Scotland Gordon Brand Jnr | Won with birdie on second extra hole |
Playoff record
Champions Tour playoff record (0–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2003 | Senior British Open | United States Tom Watson | Lost to par on second extra hole |
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Open Championship | CUT | 62 | T24 | T50 |
| Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Open Championship | T4 | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | T56 | T44 | T57 |
| Tournament | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Open Championship | T39 | T67 | CUT | T22 | CUT |
Note: Mason only played in The Open Championship.
CUT = missed the half-way cut "T" indicates a tie for a place
Team appearances
Professional
- World Cup (representing England): 1980
- Hennessy Cognac Cup (representing Great Britain and Ireland): 1980 (winners)
- UBS Cup (representing the Rest of the World): 2003 (tie), 2004
See also
External links
- at the European Tour official site
- at the Official World Golf Ranking official site