Event Details
South Africa 2012
Nov 21 – Nov 25
Cook finds right ingredients ahead of Gary Player Invitational
Cook finds right ingredients ahead of Gary Player Invitational
American senior professional John Cook’s victory in the Charles Schwab Cup Championship on the Champions Tour last weekend comes at the perfect time as he prepares to tee it up in the Gary Player Invitational South Africa, presented by Coca-Cola, at Fancourt later this month.
Cook won the season-ending event on the Champions Tour for a second consecutive year, and his impressive rounds of 64, 69, 67 and 67 with only two bogeys in 72 holes to win on 17 under par confirmed Player’s long held belief of senior golf being as competitive as the regular tour.
“Many people are unaware of just how competitive the senior tour is. The scoring is often as impressive as any regular tour event,” says Player, who will host this charity tournament at The Links from 18-21 November.
For this reason, Player still rates his Grand Slam on the senior tour as a greater achievement than his Grand Slam on the regular tour.
“I’ve always felt it was a greater achievement, because my window to win was significantly shorter on the senior tour. In my first year on the Champions Tour, the scoring average was 69, and many Champions Tour players are still winning on the regular tour as well.”
Cook will be one of the top seniors competing at Fancourt alongside Player, Mark McNulty, John Bland and Tony Johnstone.
The 53-year-old, who once modeled in a motorcycle shoot with Bo Derek, brings with him an impressive record including five victories on the Champions Tour. This year he claimed a victory and 12 top tens to finish third on the Charles Schwab Cup points list behind runaway winner Bernhard Langer and Fred Couples with $2 million in earnings. His total earnings on the Champions Tour in the past four years has been $5.7 million.
As a regular tour player, Cook distinguished himself with 11 victories on the PGA Tour, a place on the 1993 US Ryder Cup team, finishes of second in the 1992 Open Championship and PGA Championship as well as five top tens in other Majors, and a one-time ranking within the top ten in the world in the early Nineties.
The Gary Player Invitational South Africa, presented by Coca-Cola, is the fourth and final leg of an annual global series raising funds for underprivileged children.
It will also feature Sergio Garcia, Retief Goosen, American Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin, and a host of other professional golfers, celebrities and businessmen.
