Super Senior

Given his age and nationality, might he be looking to a schedule that follows the sun? “Yes,” he smiles, “but I’ll play in Scotland too when the time comes just before The Open.”

This reference to the oldest Major moves us into career reflection mode. As a tour winner, he has been twice as prolific since turning 40, having won 14 of his 21 titles after that milestone was passed. His closest brush with Major destiny came in the 2000 US Open at Pebble Beach - well, close in that he finished 2nd, but less close in that he was 15 shots behind an imperious Tiger. That was one of nine Major top 10s to date, with Augusta his happiest hunting ground, yielding four of the nine. So has he achieved more than he thought he would when he set out?

"When you start,” he says, “you’ve always got long-term targets, and many of those targets I have reached, but the Major has not come. It’s a pity, but I’m still playing for it, and you never know what is going to happen tomorrow.” Now before you dismiss such admirable aspirations out of hand, we should remember there are only 54 better players on the planet right now, and many men ranked way lower than 55th at the time have walked off with one of golf’s big four. Indeed, last year Miguel finished 4th in the Masters as a 50-year-old, and other old-timers still sometimes find themselves right in the thick of the Major action. Tom Watson, Greg Norman, Freddie Couples and others haven’t quite been able to deliver the killer blow yet for the over-50s, but I would very much be in the ‘never say never’ camp on that these days.