BRAND junior WANTS TO END GREAT SEASON WITH ANOTHER WIN

By Neil Ahern
European Tour Assistant Press Officer
Gordon Brand junior will be hoping to end his year in style at the Benahavis Senior Masters this week as he plays his final tournament of 2011 at La Quinta Golf and Country Club close on Spain's Costa del Sol.
The Scot, pictured, has been on superb form this year, coming twice on two occasions at the De Vere Club PGA Seniors Championship in June and Travis Perkins plc Senior Masters last month, but is still chasing that elusive first win of 2011.
And, after finishing with a triple bogey which knocked him out of contention at the Belas Clube de Campo Senior Open de Portugal two weeks ago, Brand junior will be even more determined to seal his first title of the season and overcome the disappointment from Portugal in what is the third last tournament on the Senior Tour International schedule but his last before he returns to coaching for the winter.
“That finish in Portugal really hurt and it’s still with me,” admitted the two-time Ryder Cup player, “I had played really well all week but I just hit the wrong shot at the wrong time and went into the water but I've worked on a few things in my week off and I know if I play well this week, I’m in with a chance.
“This is my last tournament of the year and I’d like to think there’s no real pressure this week, I'm just going to go out and play my own game.
“It would be nice to finally get that win because I've come close a few times this year but I'm quietly confident I can do well this week, you just have to fire on all cylinders at the right time and keep concentrated and you never know.”
Andrew Oldcorn will be hoping to return to the form he produced earlier in the season, which saw him win the De Vere Club PGA Seniors Championship in June and claim seven top ten finishes, as the Edinburgh man looks to steal a march on Ian Woosnam in the race for third place in the European Senior Tour Order of Merit.
Barry Lane, meanwhile, has arrived at the Benahavis Senior Masters determined to close the gap on Order of Merit leader Peter Fowler, having made a late decision to travel to Spain this week as their intriguing duel for the John Jacobs Trophy nears a climax.
The Englishman is currently trailing Fowler by €23,503 in the Order of Merit and having withdrawn from the Portugal Masters on The European Tour in favour of coming to La Quinta Golf and Country Club, he is now bent on making sure his battle with Fowler goes right down to the wire.
“I made the decision on Saturday to play here,” said the three time Senior Tour winner, “I was in two minds but I thought, I should come here and keep the pressure on Peter and keep within a certain amount of Euro so I'm close when the (season-ending) MCB Tour Championship comes around in December.
“If I can keep within amount of money then it would be nice going to the MCB in Mauritius knowing that if I win there, even if Peter finishes second he couldn’t overtake me so that was one of the big reasons why I came here.”
Other Scots in the field this week include Bill Longmuir, Ross Drummond and John Chillas.