OREANDA-NEWS. Ian Woosnam has scaled numerous peaks during a stellar career in professional golf – and now he aims to storm a Roman outpost in his native Wales and claim that elusive first title on home soil in more than 30 years at the SSE Enterprise Wales Senior Open.

The Roman Road course at The Celtic Manor Resort hosts the 13th edition of the Wales Senior Open, sponsored for the first time by SSE Enterprise, and Woosnam hopes that he can overcome travel fatigue to thrill his legions of supporters in Wales.

The former Masters Champion has to go back to the 1983 Silk Cut Masters at St. Pierre in Chepstow to find his last victory on Welsh soil, but a recent debut success on the US Champions Tour has helped Woosnam to rediscover that winning feeling.

“I’ve had my share of successes and disappointments in Wales, but this is a golf course I know reasonably well,” declared Woosnam.

“It’s great to be back in Wales and that SSE is here as title sponsor. They’ve sponsored the Scottish Senior Open for a few years and were talking about doing this event.

“It’s nice that SSE Enterprises has done just that. It means a lot to us and I hope the people come out, the sun shines and we get the level of support we like to see at tournaments. It’s always reasonably priced and there are a lot of talented guys playing out here.

As the sun beat down on the Resort for the second day of Pro-Am competition, Woosnam laughed as he was presented with two of his old clubs discovered in the Celtic Manor Academy which had been lying there for around 15 years. “They feel nice, but they won’t go back in my bag this week,” he joked.

The SSE Enterprise Wales Senior Open – which takes place at the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport from May 29-31 – returns to the European Senior Tour Schedule after a one year absence. 

SSE’s sponsorship of the event extends the relationship between SSE and the European Senior Tour and European Tour group, with SSE having previously sponsored the Scottish Senior Open for three consecutive years, from 2012-2014, as well as the Scottish Hydro Challenge on the European Challenge Tour since 2009.