The stage is set for a competitive three days of Legends Tour action at the Forest of Arden Marriott Hotel & Country Club this week, with three past champions of the Farmfoods European Senior Masters – Stephen Dodd, Santiago Luna and Levet – all in action at the historic Midlands venue from October 1-3..
The cream of the Legends Tour will be tackling the Arden course, which has hosted the event on three previous occasions, as well as numerous European Tour events, including the British Masters and the English Open.
Thomas Levet heads to England full of confidence after back-to-back Legends Tour victories. The Frenchman picked up his first win of the season on home soil at the Legends Open de France hosted by Jean van de Velde before securing his second victory in as many weeks at the Scottish Senior Open hosted by Paul Lawrie, where he defeated Austrian Markus Brier in a play-off.
The 53-year-old returns to a happy stomping ground this week having claimed the Farmfoods European Senior Masters title in 2019 with a one-stroke victory over Brier, who will also tee it up this week in Birmingham. Levet will be hungry for further success as he looks to claim a fourth over-50’s title and a third career victory in England.
Stephen Dodd, winner of this year’s Senior Open, triumphed at the inaugural edition of the event played in 2017 where he claimed a one-stroke victory over Paul McGinley and America’s Clark Dennis. The following year, Luna finished two shots clear of Brier and England’s Peter Wilson to pick up his fourth Legends Tour title.
Peter Baker will again host the Farmfoods European Senior Masters. The 1993 Ryder Cup player has fond memories in this competition, making his Legends Tour debut at the Forest of Arden Marriott Hotel & Country Club in 2017 where he recorded a tie for seventh. He improved on this the following year with a tie for fourth before recording another top ten in 2019, and the Englishman will be looking for another strong performance this week as he hopes to get his hands on a second Legends Tour title after winning the Arras Open Senior Hauts de France in 2019.
Baker said: “I am looking forward to welcoming everyone here again. It’s nice to be back playing here after a couple of years and see all the guys turning up to play. It’s a great golf course, the greens staff do a wonderful job because it’s always in great condition.
“I’d love to win here. I’m not too far away from home and I’ve always enjoyed playing this course. I’ve come close a couple of times, but it will be nice to have another chance this week and hopefully I can come out on top.”
Other big names joining Baker in the field this week are Mark James, Ian Woosnam, Paul Lawrie and Michael Campbell.
For the latest scores from the Farmfoods European Senior Masters, click here.