DEFENDING champions Australia will take a strong team into the 2009 Asia Pacific Seniors Championship in Malaysia in December but face a real threat this year from in form senior golf arch rivals New Zealand.

Australia beat the Kiwis by 23 points last year with The Philippines third.

For the first time this year the New Zealand team trounced Australia in the Trans Tasman Senior Championship conducted over two days at Sanctuary Cove in May.

Earlier, New Zealand’s Rodney Barltrop won the Australian Senior Amateur Championship on Bribie Island, preventing Australia’s top senior golfer Stefan Albinski from claiming back to back titles.

Albinski will head a team of six senior golfers Golf Australia hopes can wrest momentum back from the Kiwis.

The recently announced team also includes Greg Corben (NSW), Denis Dale (NSW), Grahame McDonald (Qld), Ross Percy (Vic) and Brian Sams (NSW).

The championship, which includes national teams from across the region, will be played at the Nexus Golf Resort Karambunai, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia from the 10-12 December.

Australia’s Playing Manager Denis Dale agrees it will be a tough battle with the Kiwis.

“The Australian team is certainly a strong one with four of the successful 2008 team (Denis Dale, Stefan Albinski, Ross Percy, Brian Sams) joining newcomers Greg Corben and Grahame MacDonald in the defence of the trophy,” Denis said.

“Both the Kiwis and The Philippines are likely to be the main dangers with these two countries expected to send very strong teams. New Zealand won the event in 2006 and The Philippines in 2007 and they will be motivated to defeat the Australians and record another victory,” he said,

“With the New Zealand team defeating Australia for the first time in the annual Seniors Trans Tasman Trophy earlier this year the Aussies are very keen to get one back on our main golfing rivals.

“In 2008 Stefan Albinksi was the individual Asia-Pacific Senior Champion defeating fellow Aussie Brian Sams in a play-off. Another individual title to go with a team victory would be a perfect result.”

AUSTRALIANS Greg Norman and Wayne Grady bombed out but American journeyman pro Michael Allen ended a 20 year wait to win the US Senior PGA Championship in Beechwood, Ohio on the weekend.

Allen has never won in two decades on the PGA Tour but managed two late birdies to shoot a three under 67 and take the title in his seniors debut. The Senior PGA Championship is the first major of the year for players over 50 years old.

Allen became only the fourth player to win a major championship in his Champions Tour debut, joining Roberto De Vicenzo (1980 U.S. Senior Open), Arnold Palmer (1980 Senior PGA Championship) and Jack Nicklaus (1990 Tradition).

Greg Norman finished T49 after consistent but uninspiring rounds of 73-72-73-72 on the par 70 Canterbury Golf Club course.

Norman had been charging up the leaderboard during the second round and was two under through 15 holes when he showed he could skull a sand wedge chip out of bounds as well as the rest of us.

He never seemed to recover from the resulting triple bogey and finished the day hovering on the cut line.

Wayne Grady finished the tournament T59 after a 13 over for the four days while fellow Australians Mike Harwood and Dave Merriman failed to make the cut after their surprise late call up for the event.

Allen seems to be only half joking with his new ambition to be the first player ever to win on the Seniors Tour before winning on the regular PGA Tour.

NEW ZEALAND has had a convincing win in the 2009 Trans Tasman Senior Championship played over two days at the Sanctuary Cove Golf Club.

The Kiwis won the singles matches 9-3 and including the Fourball and Foursome events the overall result was 16 to 8.

It was the third time the event had been staged between the two countries and the first win by the Kiwis.

Australian team member Denis Dale, writing on the AUSOOM website, said the event is the pinnacle for senior amateur golfers in Australia and New Zealand.

“The Kiwis were clearly a better team and are now first time and very proud holders of The Sanctuary Cove Trophy,” a gracious Dale said.

“In a very convincing performance the New Zealander’s played great golf, especially over the all important closing holes.”

Many of the matches were very close, with a number of Australians coming to grief on the 18th hole when the matches went right down to the wire.

In the number one singles battle, Australia’s Stefan Albinksi played excellent golf to beat New Zealand’s star player Phil Mosley 6&5.

It was something of a consolation for Albinski, who last week failed to defend his Australian Senior Amateur Champion title on Bribie Island.

In a worrying trend, that title also went across the ditch to New Zealand’s Rodney Barltrop.

For full match details seen the AUSOOM website.

AUSTRALIAN senior pro golfers Mike Harwood and David Merriman have received late invitations to the 70th US Senior PGA Championship being played at the Canterbury Golf Club in Cleveland Ohio this week.

They will join fellow Australians Greg Norman and 1990 US PGA champion Wayne Grady in a field including defending champion, American Jay Haas.

The championship, for golfers aged 50 and over, features 25 major champions, 13 Ryder Cup captains and 10 members of the World Golf Hall of Fame.

According to Peter Stone in the Sun Herald, Harwood and Merriman were on there way home for a three week break from the European Seniors Tour when they checked their mobile phones during a brief stopover in Hong Kong.

They discovered text messages informing them of the invitations.

According to Stone the PGA of America has no set criteria for its invitations, and neither Harwood nor Merriman knows why they were invited.

Stone says in Harwood’s case, it is possible he made the list because he is in his first year as a senior and did win the British PGA title in 1990.

Merriman, a former Sydney cub pro who did not become a touring professional until he joined the seniors in 2007, flew out yesterday for the US.

“I’m just so excited,” Merriman is reported as saying about playing his first tournament in the US. “It’s awesome, I’m absolutely over the moon. It’s dream come true.

“I’m told each player gets a Mercedes for the week and that we’re treated like kings. I would never have believed it.”

Harwood currently leads the Australian PGA Legends Tour Order of Merit.

KIWI Rodney Barltrop has fired a sizzling final round 69 to take out the 2009 Australian Men’s Senior Amateur Championship at Bribie Island Golf Club.

It was the third Australian seniors championship win for Barltrop, who began the third and final round three strokes behind overnight leader Grahame MacDonald from Queensland.

Whilst Barltrop shot three under par, MacDonald had his first over par round of the week and finished with a three over 75 to tie for second place with Kiwi Martin Webber.

It was a big day for the New Zealanders with Webber also signing for a 69, easily the highlight rounds of the tournament.

In fourth place it was yet another Kiwi in Arthur Parkin, who put in three solidly consistent rounds.

Barltrop previously won the championship back to back in 2004 and  2005.

“This is pretty close to the greatest day of my life,” Baltrop, a member of Royal Wellington Golf Club said after accepting his third championship trophy.

”I knew going into the round I had some chances but I certainly needed a little bit of help from Grahame,” he said.

“I hit a few good shots and a few bad ones but it worked out well.’’

In the Interstate Teams Matches, the Queensland team of Colin Hallam, Grahame MacDonald, Michael Maher and Barry Miles were crowned victors after the three rounds.

The trio combined for a total of 680 (best 3 scores over 3 rounds). WA was in second place on 681.

Attention will now turn to Sanctuary Cove on Monday and Tuesday when a dozen of the best senior golfers from Australia and New Zealand do battle for the Trans-Tasman Senior Trophy.

FINAL RESULTS

Position  Name  State  Rd 1  Rd 2  Rd 3  Total

1 BARLTROP, Rodney (NZ) 72 74 69 215

T2 MACDONALD, Grahame (Qld) 71 72 75 218

WEBBER, Martin (NZ) 74 75 69 218

4 PARKIN, Arthur (NZ) 73 73 75 221

T5 TATT, Chris (Vic) 74 72 76 222

MARTIN, Murray (NZ) 77 72 73 222

7 SAMS, Brian (NSW) 73 80 70 223

8 CORBEN, Greg (NSW) 73 76 76 225

T9 DALE, Rodney (NSW) 71 75 81 227

MCPHERSON, Ian (WA) 76 74 77 227

MAHER, Michael (Qld) 76 75 76 227

SHANNON, Barry (NZ) 77 75 75 227

TERRACE, Peter (Qld) 78 76 73 227

T14 TAYLOR, John (Vic) 77 72 79 228

LEITCH, Michael (NZ) 74 76 78 228

T16 GAMSBY, Bob (WA) 73 79 77 229

BOCKMAN, Ross (NSW) 72 81 76 229

DALEY, Phil (NSW) 76 79 74 229

T19 BOWEN, Graham (WA) 74 77 79 230

BANKS, Bill (ACT) 76 76 78 230

BRODIE, Eric (NZ) 76 77 77 230

COATS, Chris (Qld) 73 80 77 230

GOODALL, Nigel (WA) 77 77 76 230

T24 ALBINSKI, Stefan (NSW) 72 80 79 231

STANFORD, Greg (NSW) 74 78 79 231

STILL, Robert (ACT) 79 77 75 231

(Photo courtesy of Golf Australia)

QUEENSLANDER Grahame MacDonald has taken advantage of a day of perfect weather from his home state to build a commanding three stroke lead heading into the final round of the Australian Men’s Senior Amateur Championship at Bribie Island Golf Club.

The overnight joint leader revelled in the sunshine and shot a solid second round even-par 72 to lead the championship at one under par.

New South Welshman Rodney Dale started his second day of senior competition as joint leader but had and up and down day to card a three over 75.

Dale’s three birdies were outweighed by six bogeys. He finished in a pack of four in second place at two over.

This group includes former champion Rod Barltrop and fellow Kiwi Arther Parkin, along with Victoria’s Chris Tatt.

Tatt is being bolstered by the company of a very special caddie, his daughter Angela Tatt, a professional golfer who competed in the Women’s Australian Open at Metropolitan Golf Club earlier this year

The fight back round of the day went to Queenslander Ray Geary, who after opening with a tough 88, surged back up the leaderboard with a one over par 73 in his second round.

New Zealand’s Murray Martin shot an even par 72 to sit at five over.

Martin is part of the New Zealand team to compete in next week’s Sanctuary Cove Trophy.

Victorian John Taylor bounced back from an opening round 77 to card an even-par 72 to be level with Martin.

Defending champion Stefan Albinski hit a second round 80 and is languishing nine shots shy of the leader.

ROUND 2 LEADERBOARD

Pos Name State Rd 1 Rd 2 Total
1 MACDONALD, Grahame (Qld) 71 72 143
2 BARLTROP, Rodney (NZ) 72 74 146
3 DALE, Rodney (NSW) 71 75 146
4 PARKIN, Arthur (NZ) 73 73 146
5 TATT, Chris (Vic) 74 72 146
6 CORBEN, Greg (NSW) 73 76 149
7 TAYLOR, John (Vic) 77 72 149
8 WEBBER, Martin (NZ) 74 75 149
9 MARTIN, Murray (NZ) 77 72 149
10 MCPHERSON, Ian (WA) 76 74 150
11 LEITCH, Michael (NZ) 74 76 150
12 BOWEN, Graham (WA) 74 77 151
13 MAHER, Michael (Qld) 76 75 151
14 CLEAVE, Alex (WA) 73 78 151
15 SHANNON, Barry (NZ) 77 75 152
16 STANFORD, Greg (NSW) 74 78 152
17 ALBINSKI, Stefan (NSW) 72 80 152
18 BANKS, Bill (ACT) 76 76 152
19 GAMSBY, Bob (WA) 73 79 152
20 GREVILLE, Richard (NSW) 77 75 152

Round One Report

NEWCOMER Rod Dale and recent Top End seniors winner Grahame McDonald share a one stroke lead after the opening round of the 2009 Australian Men’s Senior Amateur Championship at Bribie Island Golf Club.

Dale is from the Tweed Heads Coolangatta club and is playing in his first Australian seniors event. He is the younger brother of long time tour stalwart and former champion Denis Dale.

He played great golf to break par in his opening seniors round and be one under with McDonald, who won the recent Northern Territory Senior Amateur Championship.

Looming just one stroke away is current Australian senior champion Stefan Albinski, who is still hot favourite to take the title in his second year.

Albinski has shown an uncanny ability to be able to do whatever it takes to come from behind and snatch tournaments.

He is sitting on par along with NSW senior Ross Bockman and New Zealand’s Rodney Barltrop, a two-time former champion.

A further shot back is a group of six including 2008 runner-up Alex Cleave (WA), former Australian Men’s Senior Match Play champion Chris Coats (QLD) and Asia Pacific Golf Confederation Senior Amateur team member Brian Sams.

Also in this group finishing on 73 were Greg Corben, Bob Gamsby and Arthur Parkin.

The Australian Senior Interstate Strokes Team Event is also determined in conjunction with the Senior Amateur.

The New South Wales team, lead by Stefan Albinski, holds a one shot lead over the Western Australian team lead by Alex Cleave and Bob Gamsby. Grahame McDonald led the opening day charge for Queensland into third place.

The second round action continues today (Wednesday).

2009 AUSTRALIAN MEN’S SENIOR AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP
ROUND ONE LEADERS:
Pos Name State Rd 1
1 DALE, Rodney (NSW) 71
2 MACDONALD, Grahame (Qld) 71
3 ALBINSKI, Stefan (NSW) 72
4 BARLTROP, Rodney (NZ) 72
5 BOCKMAN, Ross (NSW) 72
6 CLEAVE, Alex (WA) 73
7 COATS, Chris (Qld) 73
8 CORBEN, Greg (NSW) 73
9 GAMSBY, Bob (WA) 73
10 PARKIN, Arthur (NZ) 73
11 SAMS, Brian (NSW) 73
12 BOWEN, Graham (WA) 74
13 LEITCH, Michael (NZ) 74
14 MUSGRAVE, Frank (NSW) 74
15 STANFORD, Greg (NSW) 74
16 TATT, Chris (Vic) 74
17 WEBBER, Martin (NZ) 74
18 BULLAS, Allan (Vic) 75
19 KING, Peter (Qld) 75
20 ROBERTS, Peter (Qld) 75
21 STEPHENS, John (NSW) 75

Kiwis Plunder Australian Men’s Senior Amateur Championship

VICTORIAN senior professional Michael Clayton has claimed his first senior’s title, the 2009 Victorian Senior Open at The Dunes Golf Links at Rye on Melbourne’s Mornington Peninsula.

Clayton beat New South Welshman John Clifford by two strokes over the 54 hole event.
The final day began Friday morning under cloudy skies and gusty winds with eight players within five shots of the lead.
The drama started early with overnight leader David Good (VIC) dropping four shots in the opening two holes. This left him at four-under for the tournament, giving Allan Cooper (NSW) the early lead.
Clayton began four shots off the pace and made up some early ground to turn at three-under for the day one shot in front of Cooper. During the closing stages Clayton got to seven under par and looked to have the tournament in the bag until a late fightback by Clifford, who reeled off three birdies in four holes on the back nine, leaving him one shot off the lead.

Clifford’s chances slipped away when his approach to the 17th plugged in the face of a bunker. It took him two strokes to extricate himself.
With stormy conditions, play had to be suspended twice during the course of play before the eventual winner could be announced.
Overnight leader Good signed for 77 finishing tied 3rd with Cooper. Rodger Davis, who commenced the day just two shots off the pace, struggled in the windy conditions and finished 6th.
The Victorian Seniors Open concluded a week of golf at The Dunes Golf Links which included the $70,000 Big Pot Matchplay Series.
It was announced that the Big Pot and Victorian Seniors Open would return to The Dunes Golf Links in 2010.

Round Three - Final Results

Australian Senior Amateur Champion Stefan Albinski has taken out the 2009 WA Senior Championship with another outstanding come from behind win.

The Mona Vale golfer fired a final round 71 to defeat arch rival Brian Sams by four strokes at the Royal Perth Golf Club.

Albinski stormed home after starting the day a stroke behind Sams and eventual third place getter Alex Cleave, who led the first two rounds.

Albinski has won six of the nine events he has contested on the Australian amateur circuit since turning 55 and qualifying last year.

He has won the state championships in Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania and Western Australia and is a hot favourite to successfully defend the national title, to be conducted on Bribie Island in May.

Final Results

1 (223) ALBINSKI Stefan 75 77 71 NSW Mona Vale

2 (227) SAMS Brian 75 76 76 NSW Port Macquarie

3 (228) CLEAVE Alex 74 77 77 WA Lake Karrinyup

4 (234) CAREY Chris 76 77 81 WA Lake Karrinyup

5 (237) READ Ian 78 79 80 QLD Indooroopilly

6 (238) BOWEN Graham 77 81 80 WA Mandurah

6 (238) MACDONALD Grahame 77 82 79 QLD Nudgee

6 (238) WAY Norm 80 78 80 QLD Gailes

9 (239) GOODALL Nigel 84 75 80 WA Melville Glades

9 (239) KENNINGS Tony 81 78 80 NSW Tuncurry

THE Kiwis are hoping for big things this year when they take on Australia for the 2009 Senior Men’s Trans Tasman golf title to be played at Sanctuary Cove in May.

This will be the third year the now annual Ryder and President’s Cup format event has been held and Australia has won the first two.

In 2007 Australia won 19 matches to 5 at Sanctuary Cove Golf Club and in 2008 Australia defeated New Zealand 13.5 matches to 10.5 at Titirangi Golf Club.

Both countries have announced strong 12 man teams for the event.

Writing on the AUSOOM website, three-time Australian representative Denis Dale says the 2009 contest should be very close.

“The Kiwis are much better prepared and this time have used selection trials to ensure a high quality side,” Dale says.

“With a few ‘old heads’ like Rodney Barltrop in the team they will certainly use the experience gained from the inaugural match that was also played at Sanctuary Cove in 2007.”

Australia will field a  formidable team that blends experience with six talented newcomers, including current Australian Senior Amateur Champion Stefan Albinski.

The Australian team is Denis Dale, Rick Oliver, Norm Way, John Beaumont, Brian Sams, Stefan Albinski, Ross Percy, Grahame MacDonald, Nigel Goodall, Ian Read, Tony Kennings and Ross Bockman.

The Kiwi line-up includes Murray Martin, Martin Webber, Ron, Olivecrona, Rodney Barltrop, Hugh Harrison, Arthur Parkin, Ian Donaldson, Eric Brodie, Phil Mosley, Barry Shannon, John Sanders and Mike Leitch.

ACT golfer Bill Banks has won the NSW Senior Amateur Championship for the third year in a row with a one stroke victory over New South Welshman Denis Dale at the Duntryleague Golf Club in Orange.

Queenslander Ken Glasson, back from the professional ranks, was third in his first senior amateur event.

In a tight and exciting final round, all four players in the final group were in it with a chance of victory.

It was the round two leader Glasson and Banks who looked to have it between them when their closest competitors, Dale and Ian Read (QLD), struck trouble early on.

But a late rally by Dale saw him join the lead with Banks and they were even standing on the par three 17th tee.

Showing all his experience and composure, Banks holed a lengthy birdie putt from off the green to reclaim a one stroke lead.

When both players parred the difficult 18th, the title deservedly went to Banks.

The long hitting Glasson showed enough to ensure he will win his fair share of future titles.

Fourth place was a three way tie between newcomers Richard Greviile and Noel Wood and the very experienced Brian Sams.
With this fourth place finish, Sams has moved to the head of the Australian Senior Ranking table with current Australian Champion Stefan Albinski dropping to second place.

The pair will resume their tussle at the end of the month in the West Australian Senior Amateur at Royal Perth.

(Photo Courtesy NSW Golf Association)