The De Vere Collection PGA Seniors Championship has attracted one of the strongest fields seen on the European Senior Tour, with a total of eleven former Ryder Cup players including Ian Woosnam, Sam Torrance, double Major winner Sandy Lyle and Tiger Woods' conquerer in 1997, Costantino Rocca.
A special 'Ryder Cup Shoot-out' marked the start of the event, where the legends played from the terrace in front of Slaley Hall's Edwardian Hotel to the 18th green of the Hunting Course.
Sam Torrance, captain of the victorious 2002 Ryder Cup team, said: "We have so many great players on the Seniors Tour and an evening like this really brings that home. The standard is fantastic".
A new addition to the Seniors Tour, Barry Lane, commented: "This is a fantastic event to kick off my Senior Tour career and I'm really looking forward to getting started on Thursday."
Lane added: "The course looks in fantastic condition and the shoot-out tonight has been a great way to ease me into the atmosphere of this Tour."
This marks the third consecutive year that The De Vere Collection PGA Seniors Championship has been held over the Hunting Course. Carl Mason, one of the most successful players on the Tour, will be looking for his sixth PGA Seniors title.
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