Peter Senior has claimed his first Australian PGA Seniors Championship by one stroke in a thrilling come-from-behind victory at Richmond Golf Club.
Senior began the final round one shot behind overnight leaders Peter Lonard, Peter Fowler and reigning champion Michael Long and on Saturday made the best of the hot New South Wales conditions.
Five players see-sawed up and down the leaderboard across the final nine holes, however birdies on holes 16 and 18 gave Senior a one-shot clubhouse lead.
Needing a birdie on the final hole to force a play-off, Fowler’s drive found the greenside bunker and when he failed to get up and down, the title and trophy belonged to Senior.
“I’ve been close on a couple of occasions and to win against the calibre of this field is amazing,” Senior said.
Senior’s final round of five-under 65 was one of the best of the day to elevate the Queenslander to a winning total of nine-under par.
A winner of 23 PGA Tour of Australasia events, including two Australian PGA Championships, Senior is cemented as one of Australian golf’s true greats, a perennial crowd favourite and genuine nice guy.
“I still enjoy playing but I like to give back playing on the Legends Tour and playing here at Richmond has been really fun,” he said. “The guys on this tour are great and we have some fantastic tournaments.”
A final round of five-under 65 catapulted Peter O’Malley up the leaderboard for a second-place finish in the Ladbrokes Legends Tour tournament alongside Fowler, who held the lead of the championship with nine holes remaining.
Long and Lonard rounded out the top five in a tie for fourth place at seven-under the card.
In its fifth staging at Richmond Golf Club, the Australian PGA Seniors Championship is building momentum with the professional field growing in profile each year while local exposure continues to amplify.
“These tournaments really are something special, with spectators walking shoulder to shoulder with some of Australia’s golfing greats, it is an experience not to be missed,” explained David Barker, senior state manager of the PGA of Australia.
The Ladbrokes Legends Tour continues with a run of Sydney-based tournaments this month with the next event commencing at Roseville Golf Club this Friday.
