European Senior Tour facts for kids
Legends Tour logo
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| Formerly | European Seniors Tour Staysure Tour |
|---|---|
| Sport | Golf |
| Founded | 1992 |
| CEO | Phil Harrison |
| Countries | Based in Europe |
| Most titles | Order of Merit titles: Tommy Horton (5)Tournament wins: Carl Mason (25) |
| TV partner(s) | Sky Sports (UK) |
| Related competitions |
European Tour |
| Official website | https://www.legendstour.com/ |
The Legends Tour is a special series of golf tournaments for professional male golfers. To play in this tour, golfers must be 50 years old or older. It is managed by the PGA European Tour.
Before it was called the Legends Tour, it was known as the European Senior Tour. For a couple of years (2018 and 2019), it was also called the Staysure Tour. This was because an insurance company named Staysure became its main sponsor. In 2020, the tour got its new name, Legends Tour, when the owner of Staysure, Ryan Howsam, teamed up with the European Tour to run it.
Contents
How the Legends Tour Started
The Legends Tour began in 1992. Many top golfers had asked for a tour like this after the first Senior Open Championship in 1987.
One of the biggest events in Europe for senior golfers is the Senior British Open Championship. This tournament is also part of the PGA Tour Champions. In 2018, it was played for the first time at the famous Old Course at St Andrews. The Legends Tour also works with other big tournaments like the Senior PGA Championship and the U.S. Senior Open.
Top Players: Order of Merit Winners
The "Order of Merit" is like a leaderboard that tracks how well golfers perform throughout the season. Players earn points or money based on their finishes in tournaments. The golfer with the most points or money at the end of the year wins the Order of Merit title.
| Year | Winner | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Peter Baker |
4,161 |
| 2022 |  James Kingston |
2,845 |
| 2021 |  Stephen Dodd |
1,830 |
| 2020 | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | |
| 2019 | Phillip Price |
2,888 |
| Year | Winner | Prize money (€) |
| 2018 | Paul Broadhurst (2) |
547,793 |
| 2017 |  Clark Dennis |
222,055 |
| 2016 | Paul Broadhurst |
399,285 |
| 2015 |  Colin Montgomerie (2) |
679,147 |
| 2014 | Colin Montgomerie |
624,543 |
| 2013 | Paul Wesselingh |
311,644 |
| 2012 | Roger Chapman |
356,751 |
| 2011 |  Peter Fowler |
302,327 |
| 2010 |  Boonchu Ruangkit |
266,609 |
| 2009 | Sam Torrance (3) |
170,696 |
| 2008 | Ian Woosnam |
320,120 |
| 2007 | Carl Mason (3) |
412,376 |
| 2006 | Sam Torrance (2) |
347,525 |
| 2005 | Sam Torrance |
277,421 |
| 2004 | Carl Mason (2) |
354,775 |
| 2003 | Carl Mason |
350,242 |
| 2002 |  Seiji Ebihara |
330,211 |
| 2001 | Ian Stanley |
287,025 |
| 2000 | Noel Ratcliffe |
163,164 |
| 1999 | Tommy Horton (5) |
138,943 |
| Year | Winner | Prize money (£) |
| 1998 | Tommy Horton (4) |
127,656 |
| 1997 | Tommy Horton (3) |
158,427 |
| 1996 | Tommy Horton (2) |
133,195 |
| 1995 | Brian Barnes |
63,620 |
| 1994 | John Morgan |
57,209 |
| 1993 | Tommy Horton |
56,935 |
| 1992 |  John Fourie |
47,856 |
Awards for New Players
Each year, the Legends Tour gives out an award called "Rookie of the Year." This award goes to a new player who has done really well in their first year on the tour.
| Year | Rookie of the Year |
|---|---|
| 2023 |  Patrik Sjöland |
| 2022 |  Adilson da Silva |
| 2021 | No award |
| 2020 | |
| 2019 | Paul Lawrie |
| 2018 | Paul Streeter |
| 2017 | Clark Dennis |
| 2016 | Magnus Persson Atlevi |
| 2015 | Paul Broadhurst |
| 2014 |  César Monasterio |
| 2013 |  Steen Tinning |
| 2012 | Paul Wesselingh |
| 2011 | Gary Wolstenholme |
| 2010 | Boonchu Ruangkit |
| 2009 | Mike Harwood |
| 2008 | Ian Woosnam |
| 2007 |  Costantino Rocca |
| 2006 |  José Rivero |
| 2005 | Kevin Spurgeon |
| 2004 | Pete Oakley |
| 2003 | Carl Mason |
| 2002 | Steve Stull |
| 2001 |  Simon Owen |
| 2000 | Priscillo Diniz |
| 1999 | Jerry Bruner |
| 1998 |  Denis O'Sullivan |
Golfers Who Have Won the Most Money
This table shows the top ten golfers who have earned the most prize money throughout their careers on the European Senior Tour, up to the end of the 2018 season.
| Rank | Player | Prize money (€) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Bernhard Langer |
2,811,071 |
| 2 | Carl Mason |
2,757,126 |
| 3 | Colin Montgomerie |
1,943,628 |
| 4 | Nick Job |
1,653,634 |
| 5 | Peter Fowler |
1,652,178 |
| 6 | Barry Lane |
1,571,534 |
| 7 | Tom Watson |
1,570,663 |
| 8 | Sam Torrance |
1,560,985 |
| 9 | Tommy Horton |
1,527,506 |
| 10 | Bill Longmuir |
1,472,192 |
You can find a full list that is updated after each tournament on the European Tour's website here.
See also
- List of golfers with most European Senior Tour wins
