We talked yesterday about this Aussie PGA going to a Monday finish due to all the rain making the Hyatt Regency Coolum course unplayable. Veteran Australian Peter Senior was leading American Bobby Gates and another Aussie Peter Fowler by a shot at the time..
Well here is how it all finished earlier this morning.. (Luke Buttigieg at Coolum, Sportal)
A diet coke and dinner with his family is how Peter Senior plans to celebrate becoming the oldest winner of the Australian PGA championship.
The 51-year-old Queenslander overcame Geoff Ogilvy on the second playoff hole at Hyatt Coolum after the pair were locked at 12-under par when the tournament was decided on a fifth day due to heavy rain.
While Ogilvy and Senior shared the lead at 12 under, two-time winner at Coolum Nick O'Hern (69), Stolz (71) and Senior's fellow veteran Peter Fowler (71) all missed out on the playoff by just a shot at -11, Stolz after making bogey and O'Hern and Fowler when they both missed birdie putts.
A shot further back at -10 and tied for sixth place were Ogilvy's playing partner Richard Green (68), who also found a watery grave at the last after being within one after 71 holes, as well as Matthew Griffin (68), Aaron Townsend (73) and Bobby Gates (74) who had led after each of the first three rounds
For Senior it was his third PGA triumph following successes in 1989 and 2003, and easily the most memorable.
"To win the Australian PGA is nice, but I think when you get older you really look forward to cherishing it more," Senior said.
"What a great way to finish the year off."
Senior birdied the 18th to get into the playoff with Ogilvy and sealed his 28th career title when the recent Australian Open champion bogeyed the same hole, used as the second extra hole.
"The two best shots I hit all day were the two down 18. To finish birdie on the last to get into the playoff was just fantastic," he said.
"I would have been more than happy if I had holed my putt for birdie and won rather than him three putting. He is going to win a hell of a lot more championships than I will, so I am very happy."
In addition to being the oldest PGA champion, Senior became the second-oldest Australasian Tour winner behind Kel Nagle, who won the 1975 New Zealand PGA championship at the age of 55.
Senior explained that he took inspiration from the likes of Tom Watson, who fell just short of winning the 2009 British Open, losing in a playoff to Stewart Cink.
"Age is nothing. Tom Watson proved that when he nearly won the Open and a lot of the older guys have performed well on the US Tour, so we are really lucky that we play a long-life sport that we can get a lot of enjoyment out of," he said.
A self confessed tee-totaller, Senior was asked how he would celebrate his remarkable triumph.
"Where's that diet coke. I don't drink and neither does my wife, so I know my kids will be pretty excited – we will probably go out tonight and have a nice dinner, and a good chat," he said.
Leaderboard
1 Peter Senior -1 18 -12 70# 67# 68# 71# 276
2 Geoff Ogilvy -6 18 -12 70# 69# 71# 66# 276
T3 Nick O'Hern -3 18 -11 70# 70# 68# 69# 277
T3 Peter Fowler -1 18 -11 66# 70# 70# 71# 277
T3 Andre Stolz -1 18 -11 67# 69# 70# 71# 277
T6 Matthew Griffin -4 18 -10 68# 70# 72# 68# 278
T6 Richard Green -4 18 -10 72# 68# 70# 68# 278
T6 Bobby Gates 2 18 -10 64# 69# 71# 74# 278
T6 Aaron Townsend 1 18 -10 68# 67# 70# 73# 278
T10 John Senden -1 18 -9 69# 65# 74# 71# 279
T10 Akio Sadakata 1 18 -9 67# 72# 67# 73# 279
Bryan Angus
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