Ryder Cup legend Eamonn Darcy will be bidding to break his European Seniors Tour hoodoo when he tees up at the £175,000 Weston Homes PGA International Seniors at Stoke by Nayland from September 12-14.
The Irishman who sank the winning putt 21 years ago to seal Europe's first ever win on American soil, has never tasted victory on the Seniors Tour but has gone close with seven runners up finishes under his belt.
But with third and fifth places at the recent De Vere Collection PGA Seniors Championship and Travis Perkins plc Senior Woburn Mastes, Darcy is playing some of his best golf of the year and could be poised to end his six year drought.
Darcy, whose Ryder Cup career straddled Great Britain and Ireland and the arrival of the European continentals in 1979, will be among an array of former Ryder Cuppers including Manuel Pinero, Jose Rivero and Costantino Rocca.
Hot favourite for the PGA International Seniors crown however will be another Ryder Cup stalwart Gordon J Brand who grabbed back to back victories at Slaley Hall and Woburn to shoot up the Order of Merit and put leader Ian Woosnam under pressure.
Brand's good form continued at the Casa Serena Open in the Czech Republic this weekend where he tied third behind winner Bernhard Langer.
Another man to keep an eye on will be Carl Mason who stormed to victory in the PGA Seniors Championship when it was staged at Stoke by Nayland 12 months ago.
Mason recently landed the 20th Seniors title of his career and will be many pundits pick for a 21st over the Gainsborough Course following his 20 under par total last year.
Among the local favourites will be Essex-based pro Bill McColl (Leigh Driving Range) and Robin Mann (Felixstowe Driving Range).
Stoke by Nayland, which has staged the last two PGA Seniors Championships in addition to hosting several PGA Europro Tour events, has enhanced its facilities with the completion of a £4 million expansion and refurbishment programme including a newly-created Golfers' Bar and Gallery Lounge with 180 degree panoramic views over stunning Constable Country.