Jones best Irish hope at Woodbrook

When David Jones started out life as a professional golfer almost 30 years ago, he did so by carrying his own clubs and going from place to place in a battered old bricklayer's van that he'd purchased for £55.

He's come a long way since then, as they say, and the Ulsterman - who is a member of the European Tour Board of Directors and is a course designer of some repute - is enjoying a second lease of life as a player on the European Seniors Tour. Indeed, Jones will spearhead the Irish challenge at this week's AIB Irish Seniors Open at Woodbrook, a course that he remembers fondly as the venue of his 1981 Irish PGA championship success.

Jones will be one of 22 Irish players in the £100,000 tournament which has attracted US-based Tony Jacklin and Brian Barnes, as well as the leading European-based players led by the defending champion Tommy Horton. And Jones, who played alongside the Channel Islander in the opening two European Senior Tour events of the season, again nominates Horton as the player they all have to beat.

"I played with Tommy in the final round of the El Bosque in Spain two weeks ago when he played unbelievably well in winning. His play was more like Tour standard, never mind Seniors Tour standard," said Jones. "And I also partnered him in Turkey at the weekend when he was much more human and fallible, but he is still the man to beat, especially if he is putting well."

Jones recently claimed that Horton had a psychological edge over everyone else on the circuit, but added: "It is up to the rest of us to improve our games and start setting him serious challenges. I know that's what I intend to do."

Horton, in fact, had won the four previous events on the European seniors circuit prior to the Beko Classic in Turkey last weekend where American Bob Lendzion won a play-off to take the title.

Jones has generally been impressed by the standard on the Tour so far. "Last year, when I started on the Seniors circuit, there were maybe five or six guys who could win. This year, there's around 15 guys who are capable of winning," he said. "It has to be good for the Tour's development that so many players are now capable of winning."

The Irishman has enjoyed a good start to the campaign: he finished 11th in the season-opening El Bosque tournament and fourth in Turkey. In fact, his form has been a little bit of a surprise to him because he has devoted much of the last few months on a major golf-design project outside Belfast.

So, with two tournament-challenging performances behind him, Jones is hoping for a strong showing here. He is part of the 22-strong Irish contingent in the 54-hole tournament which starts on Friday. Jones is joined by Eddie Polland, Paul Leonard, Liam Higgins, Hugh Boyle, Joe McDermott, Michael Murphy, Gordon Parkhill, Hugh Jackson, Tommy Halpin, Denis O'Sullivan, Arthur Spring, Christy O'Connor Snr, Arnold O'Connor, Norman Drew, Kenny Stevenson, Adam Whiston, Tony Coveney, Bobby Browne, Gerry Egan, Billy Kinsella and Ernie Jones.