TONY JACKLIN MAKES COMEBACK IN
LONDON SENIORS MASTERS

Tony Jacklin, the last European to win the the US Open Championship, will make his first appearance in Britain for almost two years when he tees up on Friday in the first round of the Bendinat London Seniors Masters at The London Golf Club in Kent.
The two-time Major winner (1969 Open and the 1970 US Open) features in a strong field that includes Costantino Rocca of Italy, Sam Torrance and 1963 Open Champion Bob Charles of New Zealand in addition to 27 of the top 30 from last year's European Seniors Tour Order of Merit.
Jacklin, who now lives in Florida, conducted the official opening of this week's venue in 1994 with two other golfing luminaries, Seve Ballesteros and Jack Nicklaus, but Friday's play in the 2007 Bendinat London Seniors Masters will represent his first round under competition on the Nicklaus-designed Heritage Course.
"I last played in the Open at St Andrews two years ago and have not played competitively since," explained Jacklin. "I got talked into playing this year's Senior Open Championship and The Open by some friends of mine when I was out in Barbados, so I am here at The London Golf Club to feel my way back into the game.
"However, this is a challenging golf course and we have had brisk winds for the past two days. It's all the golf course anyone in this field will need. I opened it in 1994 with Seve and Jack and it was a good test then, and it's a good test now."
During his hiatus from the game, the former Ryder Cup captain has reverted to a short putter and feels a renewed sense of confidence.
"Since I have stopped playing competitively the pressure has been off and I have got more comfortable with my putting. That's a big thing for me as I never cared much for the crutch, as I used to call it," added Jacklin.
Torrance, a winner of this event in 2005 en route to topping the European Seniors Tour Order of Merit that year, is looking forward to renewing acquaintances with Jacklin, given the pair's shared experiences in the Ryder Cup.
It was Torrance who holed the winning putt in the 1985 Ryder Cup at The Belfry to end Europe's 28-year drought in the competition and give Jacklin the first of his two wins as captain. To this day Jacklin is the only man to have twice led a European Ryder Cup team to victory over the United States. His other success came at Muirfield Village, Ohio in 1987. Defending champion this year is Italy's Giuseppe Cali.