If at first you don't SUCCEED

At 69 years of age, Graham Laing qualified to play in this year's Senior Open Championship at Sunningdale, a fitting exclamation mark on a fine professional career

- Fergus Bisset

As the old saying goes 'good things come to those who wait'. Scottish professional Graham Laing proved this summer that, with a bit of hard work thrown into the mix, the adage has some truth to it. Laing had been a professional for 52 years when he achieved his greatest success as a player. At the age of 69, he came through qualifying to make it into the Senior Open Championship, contested over the Old Course at Sunningdale in July. The longtime club professional at North Wilts Golf Club fired a brilliant 69 at Bearwood Lakes to make it into the Senior Major.

“I'd had a couple of near misses in qualifying to make The Open Championship in the 1980s,” Laing says. “A couple of playoff losses. But I entered Open qualifying maybe 20 times. I have also entered Senior qualifying (I think) 15 times but never managed to get through. This one was a bit out of the blue I guess because I’m nearly 70!”

To use another old proverb, 'If at first you don't succeed, try, try again!' Graham did try, and this year he did finally succeed, although it looked a little doubtful for a time. After starting strongly at Bearwood Lakes with three birdies over his front nine (the back nine at the Berkshire venue) and another gain at his 10th hole, the Scot dropped a couple of shots.

“I actually think that was a bonus,” he says. “It gave me a kick in the rear end, and I got myself back on track to finish strongly at three-under.” But, with only four automatic spots available, Laing finished in a tie for 4th place with England’s Paul Streeter and then lost out in the resulting playoff.

“At first I was very disappointed,” Laing admits. “I thought ‘another near miss’! But Paul and a couple of others said to me, ‘Don’t worry, you’re first alternate and are sure to get in.’”