Carl Mason
Encyclopedia
Stuart Carl Mason is an English
professional golf
er.
Mason was born in Buxton
, Derbyshire
. He won several amateur tournaments, before turning professional and becoming 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, have come after turning 50. Since then he has become the highest career money winner on the European Seniors Tour
, picked up 25 tournament victories and headed the Order of Merit three times.
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
.
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.
.
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
Yellow background for top-10.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
professional golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
er.
Mason was born in Buxton
Buxton
Buxton is a spa town in Derbyshire, England. It has the highest elevation of any market town in England. Located close to the county boundary with Cheshire to the west and Staffordshire to the south, Buxton is described as "the gateway to the Peak District National Park"...
, Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
. He won several amateur tournaments, before turning professional and becoming something of a journeyman on the European Tour
PGA European Tour
The PGA European Tour is an organization which operates the three leading men's professional golf tours in Europe: the elite European Tour, the European Seniors Tour and the developmental Challenge Tour. Its headquarters are at Wentworth Club in Virginia Water, Surrey, England...
. After twenty years of trying he finally won on tour for the first time in 1994. His biggest successes, however, have come after turning 50. Since then he has become the highest career money winner on the European Seniors Tour
European Seniors Tour
The European Seniors 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...
, picked up 25 tournament victories and headed the Order of Merit three times.
Regular career
Mason turned professional in 1973, following an outstanding amateur career playing out of Goring and 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 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 NicklausJack Nicklaus
Jack William Nicklaus , nicknamed "The Golden Bear", is an American professional golfer. He won 18 career major championships on the PGA Tour over a span of 25 years and is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional golfers of all time. In addition to his 18 Majors, he was runner-up a...
in The Open Championship
The Open Championship
The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico...
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
Scottish Open (golf)
The Scottish Open, which has been sponsored by Barclays Capital since 2002, is one of the richer golf tournaments on the European Tour. It is currently played at Castle Stuart Golf Links in Inverness in the North of Scotland...
just a few months later. He also won three times on the Safari Circuit in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
.
European Seniors Tour
After a spell working for the PGA European Tour as a tournament referee, he joined the European Seniors 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 in each of the following two seasons before recapturing top spot in 2007. That year, after winning the European Senior Masters, he surpassed Tommy HortonTommy Horton
Thomas Alfred Horton, MBE is an English professional golfer.Horton was born in St Helens, Merseyside. He played on the European Tour for many years with moderate success, winning four titles and finishing fifth on the Order of Merit in 1976 and tenth in both 1974 and 1978. He has been more...
as the highest career money earner on the European Seniors Tour. The next week he won the PGA Seniors Championship
PGA Seniors Championship
The PGA Seniors Championship is a European Seniors Tour golf tournament for men aged fifty and above. It was founded in 1957, and became part of the European Seniors Tour on its founding in 1992. It was played at the Royal Dublin Golf Club in the Republic of Ireland that year, but since 1993 it has...
, 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
Tommy Horton
Thomas Alfred Horton, MBE is an English professional golfer.Horton was born in St Helens, Merseyside. He played on the European Tour for many years with moderate success, winning four titles and finishing fifth on the Order of Merit in 1976 and tenth in both 1974 and 1978. He has been more...
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
Benahavís Senior Masters
De Benahavís Senior Masters is a golftournament of the European Seniors Tour.The Senior Masters is held at La Quinta Golf & Country Club near Marbella, Spain....
in October 2011.
European Tour wins (2)
- 1994 Scottish OpenScottish Open (golf)The Scottish Open, which has been sponsored by Barclays Capital since 2002, is one of the richer golf tournaments on the European Tour. It is currently played at Castle Stuart Golf Links in Inverness in the North of Scotland...
, Turespana Masters Open de Andalucia
European Seniors Tour wins (25)
- 2003 (4) The Mobile Cup, The Daily Telegraph Turismo Andaluz Seniors Match Play Championship, Merseyside English Seniors Open, Estoril Seniors Tour Championship
- 2004 (5) Tobago Plantations Seniors Classic, AIB Irish Seniors Open, The Daily Telegraph Turismo Andaluz European Seniors Match Play Championship, De Vere PGA Seniors Championship, ADT English Seniors Open
- 2005 (2) De Vere Northumberland Seniors Classic, Ryder Cup Wales Seniors Open
- 2006 (3) European Senior Masters, English Seniors OpenEnglish Seniors OpenThe English Seniors Open is a European Seniors Tour men's professional golf tournament. It was first played in 2003 and each of the first three stagings were won by Englishman Carl Mason...
, Seniors Open of PortugalSeniors Open of PortugalThe Seniors Open of Portugal was a men's professional golf tournament on the European Seniors Tour. It was first played in 2005. The prize fund was €300,000 in both 2005 and 2006.-Winners:-External links:... - 2007 (5) Ryder Cup Wales Seniors Open, Bad Ragaz PGA Seniors OpenBad Ragaz PGA Seniors OpenThe Bad Ragaz PGA Seniors Open is the Swiss stop on men's professional golf's European Seniors Tour. It was founded in 1997 as the Credit Suisse Private Banking Seniors Open and assumed its present name two years later. It is played at Bad Ragaz Golf Club...
, European Senior Masters, PGA Seniors ChampionshipPGA Seniors ChampionshipThe PGA Seniors Championship is a European Seniors Tour golf tournament for men aged fifty and above. It was founded in 1957, and became part of the European Seniors Tour on its founding in 1992. It was played at the Royal Dublin Golf Club in the Republic of Ireland that year, but since 1993 it has...
, Spanish Senior OpenSpanish Senior OpenThe Spanish Senior Open is a golf tournament on the over fifties men's professional European Seniors Tour. It was first played in 1994, which was the tour's third season, at La Manga in Murcia but was cancelled after one year.... - 2008 (1) Bad Ragaz PGA Seniors OpenBad Ragaz PGA Seniors OpenThe Bad Ragaz PGA Seniors Open is the Swiss stop on men's professional golf's European Seniors Tour. It was founded in 1997 as the Credit Suisse Private Banking Seniors Open and assumed its present name two years later. It is played at Bad Ragaz Golf Club...
- 2009 (2) The De Vere Collection PGA Seniors Championship, Benahavis Senior MastersBenahavís Senior MastersDe Benahavís Senior Masters is a golftournament of the European Seniors Tour.The Senior Masters is held at La Quinta Golf & Country Club near Marbella, Spain....
- 2010 (1) Bad Ragaz PGA Seniors OpenBad Ragaz PGA Seniors OpenThe Bad Ragaz PGA Seniors Open is the Swiss stop on men's professional golf's European Seniors Tour. It was founded in 1997 as the Credit Suisse Private Banking Seniors Open and assumed its present name two years later. It is played at Bad Ragaz Golf Club...
- 2011 (2) OKI Open de Espana Senior, Benahavis Senior MastersBenahavís Senior MastersDe Benahavís Senior Masters is a golftournament of the European Seniors Tour.The Senior Masters is held at La Quinta Golf & Country Club near Marbella, Spain....
Results in major championship
The only major that Mason has played in is The Open ChampionshipThe Open Championship
The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico...
.
| 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CUT | 62 | DNP | DNP | T24 | T50 |
| 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T4 | CUT | CUT | CUT | DNP | CUT | T56 | T44 | T58 | DNP |
| 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DNP | DNP | DNP | T39 | T67 | CUT | T22 | CUT |
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
Yellow background for top-10.
Team appearances
Professional- World Cup (representing England): 1980
- Hennessy-Cognac Cup: 1980 (winners)
- UBS CupUBS CupThe UBS Cup was a team golf tournament contested by the United States and a team representing the "Rest of the World" which ran from 2001 to 2004. Six golfers on each side had to be 50 or over, and the remaining six had to be in their forties. It was sanctioned by the PGA Tour and the European...
(Rest of the World team): 2003 (tie), 2004