PETER TOWNSEND will be using this week's Smurfit Irish Professional Championship as an unofficial launching base for a career in senior ranks. Indeed the preparatory work got under way on Spain's Costa del Sol last week, when he did some intensive practice at Valderrama, Sotogrande and San Rogue.
The former Walker Cup, World Cup and Ryder Cup player, who was more recently the club professional at Portmarnock, will be 50 on September 16th. That will make him eligible to compete in the Motor City Seniors Classic at The Warwickshire and The Player Championship at Buckinghamshire GC, both in October. But his sights, long-term, are on the US.
Townsend's last 72-hole tournament was the Irish Championship at Belvoir Park 12 months ago, when he shot rounds of 73, 73, 71 and 79. So, he recognises that it will take some time for him to become competitive enough for an American assault.
"It would cost me about £5,000 to go to the US Seniors' Tour School," he said yesterday. "Even then, the standard is so high - as Brian Barnes discovered - that they normally give out only about, eight cards. So it would be silly to try it before I was properly prepared."
With that in mind, Townsend is now embarking on an 18-month build-up in Europe, before he seeks an American breakthrough at the end of next season. In the meantime, he will compete in as many Irish Region events as possible this season and, as a former champion, will return to European Tour competition in the Canon European Masters in Switzerland on September 5th-8th.
"There are 13 tournaments on the European Seniors' schedule for this year and I'm sure the number will be increased to 15 next season," he said. "So, I will have plenty of opportunities of getting in the necessary tournament practice. The main improvement I'm looking for is in my short game, which has come on significantly since I switched to the long putter nine months ago.
"At first, the broomhandle felt a bit awkward, but basically, I had no option given that I couldn't get the ball into the hole the orthodox way, even in casual fourballs. I couldn't seriously look to the US without getting through their tour school, because I reckon I could count on no more than one or two sponsor's invitations per season.
Townsend played on the regular American tour, having come through the qualifying school in 1967. Ironically, he then had his best season on this side of the Atlantic, winning the Young Professionals' Championship and the PGA Championship before establishing himself as an international player by finishing second to Gay Brewer in the Alcan Golfer of the Year. At that stage, the golfing cognoscenti were rating his prospects higher than those of Tony Jacklin.
"I spent four years in the US, but my highest finish in the money list was 66th in 1969," he said. "From that experience, I wouldn't be interested in settling down there. My plan would be to go there for four or five tournaments at a time, then return home."
Born in Cambridge, he settled here after marrying his late wife, Lorna, and became a member of the PGA Irish Region. This led to two victories in the Carrolls Irish Matchplay Championship, in 1971 and 1976, both at Tramore. And he also won the 1977 Irish Dunlop Tournament at Douglas. "I never seemed to play well enough to give myself a decent chance in the Irish Championship," he said.
Returning to his prospective senior career, Townsend went on: "Even if I fail to make the breakthrough in the US, I reckon there will be a good living to be had in Europe. In fact I imagine that the leader of the European Seniors Order of Merit next year could top £100,000. That's certainly something worth aiming for."
All of which will have its beginning at Slieve Russell, starting tomorrow. I wondered what sort, of target he was setting himself? "A really good week for me would be a top-10 finish, but my main objective is simply to play well," he replied.
Meanwhile, three Irish challengers, Maureen Madill, Tracy Eakin and Aideen Rogers, are in a field of 124 competing in the Welsh Open, which will launch the 1996 season on the American Express Tour. It starts tomorrow at St Pierre, which is particularly interesting in that the US will be defending the Solheim Cup there on September 20th-22nd.
Two current Solheim Cup players, Lora Fairclough and Dale Reid, head a top-quality international field. But local interest will centre on two aspirants, Welsh international Helen Wadsworth and Bristol's Caroline Hall who was a key member of the victorious Curtis Cup side of 1992.
There are 19 events on this year's tour, including the third staging of the Guardian Irish Holidays Open at Citywest from July 25th-28th. Apart from the Solheim Cup, a highlight of the schedule will be the Weetabix British Open Championship at Woburn on August 15th-18th.
Competitive standards reached unprecedented heights in the qualifying stage of this year's General Accident Scotch Foursomes tournament, which takes place at Foxrock GC from May 19th-25th. As it happens, a pairing from the host club, Andy Riordan and Paddy Flynn, will be defending a title that was inaugurated in its current form in 1974.
Challengers are invited from 18 southside clubs, and nine places among the total of 64 pairs are reserved for Foxrock members. In a determined battle for those slots, one pairing from the host club actually failed to get through the qualifying stage with 39 Stableford points.
Originally an open competition, it became an invitation event 22 years ago through the initiative of the then captain, Harry Gaw. And with the current sponsorship now in its sixth year, it remains the highlight of the season at what is widely regarded as one of country's finest nine-hole courses.
