Montgomery Sets Records in European Senior Tour Win; Thelen Ties for 2nd

WOBURN, England -- When they were on the golf team at Houston Baptist University, Tim Thelen played ahead of Colin Montgomerie. But Monty went on to be No. 1 on the European Tour for nearly a decade, and he is now dominating the European Senior Tour.

That dominance was readily apparent last week in the Travis Perkins Masters on the Duke's Course at Woburn Golf Club, where Montgomerie had won last year and lapped the field this year in a successful title defense. The 51-year-old Scot was the only player to break 70 in the opening round -- he shot 68 (4 under) -- and led from start to finish. He concluded the weekend with a Sunday 67, matching the low round of the tournament, and ended up winning by 10 strokes with a 54-hole total of 254.

Montgomery thus became the only player other than Carl Mason (2006-07) to win the TP Masters in consecutive years, and while he was at it, he set a record for the lowest score. He won last year with a 216.

What's more, Mason had won his first four European Senior titles in 11 tries, which was a record, but Montgomerie bettered that by winning four times in his first nine tournaments. 

He earned 56,376 Euros for his effort, and that pushed his season total above 500,000 Euros. No one had ever done that before in a single season. 

Thelen, a former Albany High School star, went on after his time at Houston Baptist to become one of the best players among all the club professionals in the United States. He won the National Club Pro tournament twice, and in 2009 at the age of 48, he defeated a field full of young pros when he won the National Assistant Pro tournament.

Then he decided to take a crack at the European Senior Tour. He was the medalist in the Q-School during the winter of 2010-11, although he wasn't actually able to play on the tour until he turned 50 in June of 2011. Once he was eligible, he finished second in the first two tourmaments he entered.

Thelen won three times in 2012, and at one point was as high as No. 2 on the European senior circuit's money list.

At Woburn, he shot a 72 on Friday and followed with a pair of 71's, and the resulting 214 earned him a tie for second, along with Andre Bossert of Switzerland and Gordon Manson of Austria. Those shares of second were worth 28,188 Euros apiece, which bumped Thelen up 24 places on the money list, to No. 23 with 40,415 Euros in seven events.

EUROPEAN SENIOR TOUR

Travis Perkins Masters

At Woburn Golf Club

Duke's Course (par 72)

Woburn, England

Final results 

1. Colin Montgomerie, Sotland          56,376 Euros   68-69-67--204

T2. Tim Thelen, USA                      28,188 Euros   72-71-71--214

T2. Andre Bossert, Switzerland       28,188 Euros     74-69-71--214

T2. Gordon Manson, Austria            28,188 Euros    76-71-67--214 

T5. Mike Cunning, USA                   16,011 Euros    73-68-74--215

T5. Peter Fowler, Australia              16,011 Euros     71-72-72--215

T7. Barry Lane, England                  12,779 Euros     73-70-73--216

T7. Jose Manuel Carriles, Spain       12,779 Euros     72-72-72--216