GREG NORMAN shares the lead after the first round of the US Senior Open but we hardly need remind you, don’t put your house on him just yet.

He’s gotta win one soon you’d think, but apparently tent dwelling isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

The Shark shot a fine six under 66 at a very receptive Crooked Stick course in Carmel, Indiana along with Americans Joey Sindelar, Dan Forsman and amateur Tim Jackson.

The 54 year old Australian was very happy with the way he played and explained away a bogey on the 18th where a par would have seen him with the outright lead on a surprise course change.

But that “would have” or “could have” is the crux of the matter when it comes to Norman’s history at major events.

He is battle hardened thought, this being his third tournament in three weeks.

He missed the cut at the British Open at Turnberry two weeks ago and the Senior British Open at Suningdale last week was another “could have” when he was still in contention until a double bogey on the final round 17th.

 “I played well today and the golf course was ready to be had. It was perfect conditions,’’ Norman said.

“The greens were just receptive enough to be aggressive with the shots if you want to play them.’’

Norman was playing like the Shark of old, with long trademark drives, a string of four birdies on the front nine and an accompanying packed gallery. He believes the concentrated tournament play is helping.

‘‘I feel like I’m getting close,’’ he said. ‘‘Even though I played very, very well today, I feel like I’m getting close to getting it all together.’’

One shot astray from the four leaders were Andy Bean and Fulton at 67.

Seven players, led by Senior British Open champion Loren Roberts and 1996 British Open champion Tom Lehman, were two back at 68.

Last year’s winner, Eduardo Romero of Argentina, shot a 73.

British Open highlight Tom Watson finished with a one under 71, delivering on his promise of playing conservatively because of an illness that limited him to just one practice round.

US Senior Open Live Leaderboard

POPULAR Australian golfer Nathan Green has broken through to win his first US PGA Tour title.

Green beat South African Retief Goosen in a sudden death play off to take what was a rain-plagued Canadian Open.

The tournament ended up taking five days and 74 holes on a soggy and at times unplayable Glen Abbey Golf Club course but it didn’t bother the 34 year old Australian.

“It’s a huge surprise to finally win,” said Green, originally from Newcastle.
“This is where I started my pro career. I love coming up here. The people are great.”
Green collected $A1.1 million for the win, his first since a European tour victory (New Zealand Open) in December 2006. Green climbs 140 places in the Official World Golf Ranking to 150th.

“I am over the moon…”

“I am over the moon,” Green enthused, saying the win meant “everything” to him.

“I probably wasn’t working as hard as I should have been earlier in the year but I sort of knuckled down the last few months and didn’t feel like I was getting any reward for it,” he said.

“I’ve never been really good at closing out events. I’ve had a lot of good chances, and lost in the last round, but for me, this event was pretty much — sort of a little bit make or break. I’ve had some good chances this year and really folded badly in the last one or two rounds, and that was my thing today, just don’t!”

“I went out there and I couldn’t afford another slip up. I had to do something quickly just to make sure I’ve kept my card for this year, and went out there, and the one benefit for me was I think being able to go straight from the third round into the fourth round. I didn’t have to sleep on it.”

“It’s just such a buzz for me to be able to turn the year around so dramatically. That’s more than I thought I could have done.”

Four days of stormy weather which resulted in more than 10 centimetres of rain dumped on the course forced the event to be extended into a fifth day.

Green and Goosen, a two time US Open champion, both finished on 18 under after four rounds of regulation play, posting final rounds of 68 and 69 respectively on the par 72 course.

Green took the title on the second play off hole when Goosen missed a nine foot putt to save par.

US star Anthony Kim shot a final round 73 to finish in a tie with Jason Dufner (73) for third place at 14-under 274.

Lee Janzen (67), Brandt Snedeker (68) and Jerry Kelly (71) shared fifth place at 13-under 275.

SOUTH AUSTRALIAN professional golfer Garry Merrick has won the 2009 John Deere Queensland Senior Open by three shots over Rodger Davis (NSW), after carding a one over par round (72) to finish on a total of four under par for the 54 hole event.
Merrick was able to hold off his rivals over the final round with the solid shot making that had given him an overnight three shot lead.
It was not all smooth sailing for Merrick over the opening holes, “I hit the ball probably the best I had all week today, however the putts just did not drop.”

It was not until the 15th hole Merrick finally made a 30 foot putt for birdie, that gave him the confidence to then go on and make two solid par saving putts on holes 16 and 17.

Down the last Merrick played the hole in regulation par to take out the Championship.
Both Davis and Roger Stephenson (WA) playing with Merrick in the final group, cut the lead down to one throughout the final round, however Davis made bogies on holes 7 and 8 to fall three back. Stephenson pushed Merrick all the way up to the final two holes, but finished with a double bogey, bogey, to finish in outright third.
The leading amateur, finishing in an impressive tie for fourth place was John Small (Killara, NSW) who had rounds of 72,71 and 72 in his first QLD Senior Open Event.

Corben wins first Australian Senior Ranking event
NSW senior Greg Corben recorded his first ever win in an Australian Senior Ranking event with a convincing three stroke victory in the 55 and over amateur section.

Corben handled the windy conditions and very fast greens better than most to record a final round 75 following opening rounds of 75 and 73 and a 54 hole total of 223.
Defending champion Grahame MacDonald matched Corben’s final round to claim equal second place with rounds of 73-78-75 = 226. Tying for second was another Queenslander Ken Glasson with scores of 76-73-77 = 226.

Round 2 Report: A golf tip that worked!

GREG NORMAN was in the hunt until the final few holes of the British Senior Open before opening the way for American Loren Roberts to claim his second title.

It was oh so familiar territory for Norman, who went into the final round with a one stroke lead over Fred Funk and Roberts after a storming 64 on Saturday.

What can you say, Norman has led eight times after 54 holes in major championships - most recently last year’s Open at Royal Birkdale - but only once converted that into a victory, the 1986 Open at Turnberry.

“My game felt good, no question about it. I just lack a lot of match practice,” Norman said.

The Shark double bogeyed the 17th and ended with a one over par 71 at Sunningdale on Sunday to finish tied sixth on 271.

Roberts, half way leader Funk and Irishman Mark McNulty finished the four rounds locked on 12 under par at 268.

Funk was eliminated at the first extra hole when he could only make par while Roberts and McNulty both made birdies.
Roberts beat the Irishman on the third sudden death hole.

Roberts, who won at Turnberry in 2006 and now has a spot in the British Open at St Andrews next year, said the aspect of his game that pleased him most was his mental approach.

“I’ve been struggling mentally a little bit this year,” he said.

“I haven’t been hitting the ball as sharply or as good as I can. I didn’t give up mentally today. I didn’t let the mental side get me down when I fell behind early.

“I’ve been doing some physical things, making some adjustments here and there. At my age I don’t know if my body is changing a little bit. But I’ve been just trying to see if I can do a little better with what I have.”

Wayne Grady and the 63 year old Noel Ratcliffe tied for 32nd, Stewart Ginn was 68th and Graham Marsh 71st.

The Champions Tour now heads for Carmel in Indiana for this week’s US Senior Open.

PETER SENIOR, one of Australia’s most loved and consistently successful players over the last 30 years, is about to enter the Legend ranks.

Senior turns 50 on July 31and that milestone will open a whole new world of senior tour opportunities in Australia and overseas.

Senior has plied his trade all over the world with memorable victories in Australia, Japan and Europe and has been a tireless campaigner for Australian golf.

 Since turning professional in 1998 Peter Senior has witnessed the highs and lows of Australian golf. 

A regular on the Australasian Tour for the past 30 years he has consistently graced the leaderboards both at home and overseas, winning no less than twenty Australasian Tour events in addition to seven international titles. 

Among his trophy collection is an Australian Open, two Johnnie Walker Classics, two Australian Masters and two Australian PGA Championships, an event in which his success continues even today, as was evident last year when he finished third at Coolum behind PGA TOUR stars Geoff Ogilvy and Mat Goggin.

Throughout his career Senior has represented Australia in international competitions on several occasions and was a member of the International Team at the first two stagings of the Presidents Cup, in 1994 and 1996.

He won the PGA Tour of Australasia’s Order of Merit in 1987, 1989, and 1993 and to this day continues to compete at the highest level with players half his age. His enormous work ethic is matched only by his enthusiasm for the sport, something very dear to Senior’s heart.

Whilst in recent years he has played less tournament golf, Senior’s passion for the game has never seen him far away.

“People often ask me why I still play and the answer is simple, I love the game,” said Senior. “It doesn’t matter where I am or what I am doing, corporate days, pro-ams, I still enjoy being on the course. The main reason I stopped playing a full tournament schedule was to spend time with my kids in their school years.”

Above and beyond his achievements on the golf course, Senior has also played an integral role in securing the future of the Australian Golf landscape by taking on the challenging role of Chairman of the PGA for twelve months following the amalgamation of the PGA of Australia and the PGA Tour of Australasia in late 2008.

“It was a different challenge for me for sure, but I really think what we have achieved will bring big results for Australian golf,” said Senior reflecting on his role.

“All the work has put us in a position to provide new opportunities for the up and comers, and I’m confident that these young guys will all get the same if not more opportunities than what I had when I started out.” 

When Senior turns 50 next Friday 31st July he will take on a new challenge in becoming eligible for the world’s senior tours- including his association’s own PGA Legends Tour.

From his home on Queensland’s Hope Island Senior plans to continue venturing abroad where opportunities arise, but says he also looks forward to continuing his career on both the Australasian and Legends Tours whilst also remaining an integral part of the PGA of Australia in his role as Vice Chairman. 

“I figured that when I turned 50 I would still have the opportunity to play and now I have the chance to play on the Seniors Tour. That’s the great thing about this game. There are guys out there playing into their 70’s so I’ve got plenty of years still ahead of me.”

JUST proving it does sometimes happen, South Australian professional golfer Garry Merrick has attributed a putting tip he saw on a television golf show to the seven birdies that have put him in the outright lead ahead of the final round of the John Deere Queensland Senior Open at Nudgee Golf Club.

Merrick fired a three under par 68 but unfortunately said he won’t be sharing the tip anytime soon. His final tally was kept in check by four bogies.

“I played well, but had too many silly bogies, luckily the seven birdies saved my score.” he said after his round.

Merrick said he saw the tip on a golf show and “it just felt right when I gave it a go four months ago, and I have putted well since.”

“This is one tip I won’t be sharing with my fellow professional competitors.”

It is obviously not the golf tip the rest of us are following.

Merrick’s 36 hole total of five under par gives him a two shot lead over local Queensland teaching professional John Tolhurst and tournament favourite Rodger Davis from NSW.

Both players shared identical opening rounds of 71 and 69 to be two under par.

Davis said later: “I am hitting a lot of greens, but unfortunately I am just not hitting them close enough to the pin”.
In the over 50 amateur ranks, John Small (Killara, NSW) continued with the good form which won him the Nudgee Masters earlier in the week.

Small’s second round score of 71, was enough to give him a one shot lead over the nearest amateurs. His two round total of one over par has him in a tie for fifth place for the overall championship.
Royal Queensland’s Michael Maher has taken the 36 hole lead in the over 55 group, which covers those eligible for Australian Senior Amateur Ranking points (formerly the Australian Senior Order of Merit).

Maher matched his opening 73 with another 73 and takes a one shot lead over round one leader Tony Gover (ACT) who has returned rounds of 72 and 75.

Merrick Wins Queensland Senior Title

For full score see the Golf Queensland website here.

RODGER DAVIS will be looking to capture his third Queensland Senior Open title when the Queensland PGA Legends Tour kicks off on Wednesday July 22 at the Nudgee Golf Club.

Davis, winner of more than 21 titles world wide, won the event in  2006 and 2007 but his quest for a hat trick was cut short by an injury last year.

Other Australian golf legends taking part include Brian Jones (QLD) and Ossie Moore (QLD).

In addition, leading players from the Australian PGA Legends Tour Order of Merit including Garry Merrick (SA), Allan Cooper (QLD), and 2008 Australian Masters Invitational Champion, Queenslander Michael Ferguson, will also be vying for the lion’s share of the $25,000 open purse at Nudgee.
The John Deere Queensland Senior Open is the opening event of the five week QLD PGA Legends Tour. Following the Open the professionals will travel to the Gold Coast to compete in the inaugural Surfers Paradise Legends Pro Am.

Next on the tour will be the popular Darling Downs Pro Ams, before heading back to a mixture of Brisbane and Gold Coast events in the last two weeks.

The QLD PGA Legends Tour will conclude at the QLD Senior PGA Championship at Redland Bay Golf Club on the 22nd August. In all, the tour will stretch over 13 events for approximately $137,000 in prize money.
Queensland PGA Executive Officer Ian Hepburn said: “In 2008 the QLD Legends Tour grew by a staggering 30% in number of professional entries.”

“Complementing this statistic is the full fields of amateur players that each golf club on the tour is able to achieve,” he said.

“Some of these Senior Professionals have over fifty years of experience in the game, and after some great shot making on the course, will regale their playing partners with their experiences over the years later in the club house.”

 Tom Watson finds it within himself to be happy for Stewart Cink winning the British Open.

Oh So Close But There’s Wisdom in the End

GOLF can be such a very cruel game.

For 59 year old Tom Watson the fairytale was just ten foot away.

Every club golfer has at some stage stood over a ten foot putt, and for whatever the context making it “important” for them at the time, felt just a touch of what Watson must have been feeling.

Just this putt to win the British Open, many have fantasised.

But for the veteran American it wouldn’t be just any British Open. It would be an historic record equalling sixth win by a man much older than any of the champions who had gone before him.

Just a couple of months shy of his 60th birthday, with an often mentioned hip replacement recently under his belt, the British commentators were beside themselves with the possibility, saying it would be the “greatest achievement in sport by anyone anywhere”.

That point could have been debated but oh what an achievement it would have been in any case.

Watson had seemed almost serene all week. He seemed to know something was coming together.

After finishing the first round at five under par he used the word “defenceless” to describe the course in still conditions.

Watson had seemed almost serene all week. He seemed to know something was coming together

And this was a course tough enough to cause world number one Tiger Woods to miss the cut for the first time in who knows how long. Probably since primary school.

Watson began the final day at three under alongside Australia’s Mat Goggin, who was a stroke further back.

Goggin would eventually falter and others, like England’s Lee Westwood and South Africa’s Retief Goosen, would have their chances and come and go.

In the end, Watson only needed to par the final hole to win.

He hit a fine drive and his iron approach was just as good but the ball trickled over the back of the green.

The lie in the second cut didn’t look too bad but Watson seemed to spend a long time bowed over studying it.

His wife, the crowd, commentators and no doubt countless television viewers were besides themselves, conscious they were about to witness history.

On the east coast of Australia it was past 4am, but we quickly fired up the laptop to record this great event.

We had the first paragraph, all about the fairytale coming true, mentally written and ready to go.

Watson was obviously torn between a chip and a putt. He decided on a putt and the real danger seemed to be not giving it enough oomph to get up the slope and onto the green. You wouldn’t want to tighten up and leave it short.

He gave the putt plenty, only just a touch more than perfect really, and the ball gathered a little pace as it sauntered past the hole.

Then there was just that ten foot left. For the Claret Jug, the historic sixth win, the whole fairytale.

Earlier, others had been thinking way too far ahead of themselves. If Watson won, they conjectured, the organisers would have had to change the rules to let him compete next year. Sixty year olds aren’t allowed to play. But this sixty year old would be the reigning champion with six wins under his belt.

But the sad fact is most fairytales have a Big Bad Wolf. You need the wolf to increase the dramatic tension. And sometimes, the wolf wins.

In this case the Big Bad Wolf title undeservedly went to Stewart Cink. Cink was the clubhouse leader on two under.

As we write this, we haven’t heard Watson’s post match comments.

Maybe he will admit that he tightened up, that the nerves got to him a little. When his putt came up short it certainly looked like they had.

As we said earlier, every golfer knows that feeling. Just relax, and for Christ’s sake don’t leave it short.

Everyone was a little deflated after that. Watson and Cink went into a four hole playoff but from the start Watson’s expression seemed to have changed slightly. More like resignation than serenity. The body language wasn’t good.

When Watson fluffed a great chance he was presented with on the first playoff hole things went downhill quickly.

Yes, he seemed to visibly age. Suddenly he was putting his tee shots into the rough and looking wistful and tired.

The last two playoff holes were painful. Everyone wanted it to end.

No doubt for Cink it was a triumph. He played the four holes beautifully.

He got to sink the putt that won him the British Open.

At the end when it was all over Watson seemed to check himself and reboot from what was obviously feelings of utter devastation and pain.

He walked over to Cink and offered what was clearly a heartfelt message of congratulations.

From a great distance, they looked to be words of wisdom and insight.

They looked to be the kind of words that Stewart Cink will remember for the rest of his days.

DEFENDING CHAMPION Stefan Albinski has staged one of his now classic come from behind performances to take the 2009 Queensland Senior Men’s Amateur Championship.

Albinski, from the Mona Vale club in Sydney, made it back to back wins with a final round three over par 75 in very difficult conditions at the Oxley Golf Club.

Albinski finished on 225 and nine over for the 54 hole championship, three strokes clear of 2007 winner Brian Sams (Port Maquarie).

Overnight leaders Chris Coats (76-73-80) and Colin Hallam (72-77-80), both Queenslanders, tied for third place on 229.

Albinski trailed after his opening rounds of 76 and 74 and was two shots behind Hallam with just 6 holes remaining in the final round.

Playing with his customary final round determination, Albinski managed a game changing chip in from off the green on 13 and clutched up and downs on the final three holes to clinch the title.

After birdying the 17th, second place getter Brian Sams had been the clubhouse leader with a final round 75, while Hallam came to grief on the long par three 13th. It was a three stroke turnaround when Albinski holed from off the green.
Hallam’s effort was enough for him to take win 55-59 Years division. The 60-64 years category was won by Asquith member Denis Dale, who came back from a disappointing opening round 82 with two 74’s for a 230 total.

Kevin Ashley from the Newcastle Golf Club finished on top in 65-69 Years finishing with a fine round of 77. The 70-74 age category was won by Geoff Everett (The Lakes) who finished with 80, making it four age championships for Everett in this event.
Dale’s final round 74 and an even better 73 from Noel Wood helped the New South Wales team win both the Walking Stick Challenge and the Invitational Teams Event, overtaking Queensland in the final round after trailing in both events for the opening two days.

 1.    225    ALBINSKI Stefan (NSW)   76-74-75
 2.    228    SAMS Brian (NSW)   78-75-75
 3.    229    COATS Chris (QLD)   76-73-80
 3.    229    HALLAM Colin (QLD)   72-77-80
 5.    230    DALE Denis (NSW)   82-74-74
 5.    230    BULLAS Alan (VIC)   75-79-76
 5.    230    PERCY Ross (VIC)   76-77-77
 5.    230    MAHER Michael (QLD)   75-78-77
 5.    230    READ Ian (QLD)   78-74-78
10.    231    WOOD Noel (NSW)   80-78-73
10.    231    POKAI Michael (QLD)   77-75-79