A whopping six Australians will join New Zealander Steve Alker in the finale of the PGA Champions in Phoenix (November 7 – 10) after they played their way into the Charles Schwab Cup Championship.
The Australian contingent will be double the number who made it into the tour championship in 2023 when Steve Stricker won the 36-player final.
Australians will represent 16 percent of the field in the $US3 million climax to the seniors’ season at Phoenix Country Club from 7 November.
This year’s group is headed by lefty Richard Green (ranked No. 6 in the standings) and the big finisher was Victorian Cam Percy, who shot a closing 68 in the Simmons Bank Championship, at one point moving into a share of the lead.
Percy’s T5 finish lifted him from 40th in the standings and outside the qualifiers for the tour championship to No. 36, meaning that he will take the last remain spot in the Schwab Cup.
Percy, who is in his first season on the Champions tour, was 7-under for the day standing on the 15th tee but an errant tee shot took away his chance of unseating Padraig Harrington at the top. Bogeys at the 15th, 16th and 17th saw the 50-year-old tumble a few spots.
The most frustrated would be David Bransdon and Steve Allan, who finished 38th and 39th in the standings with only the top 36 graduating. Green, Percy and No. 2 ranked Alker will be joined in the Charles Schwab Cup from November 7 by Greg Chalmers (28), Mark Hensby (29), Rod Pampling (33) and Stuart Appleby (34).
PGA TOUR Champions
Simmons Bank Championship
Pleasant Valley Country Club, Massachusetts
1 Padraig Harrington 67-65-67 – 199 $US 365,000
T5 Cam Percy 69-66-68 – 203 $104,250
T12 Steve Allan 69-70-66 – 205 $45,425
T12 Steve Alker (NZ) 62-70-73 – 205 $45,425
T12 Rod Pampling 70-64-71 – 205 $45,425
T16 Richard Green 69-67-70 – 206 $37,950
T24 Michael Wright 73-66-71 – 210 $23,575
T26 Stuart Appleby 70-72-69 – 211 $18,716
T34 David Bransdon 74-69-69 – 212 $14,145
T34 Mark Hensby 70-71-71 – 212 $14,145
T50 Greg Chalmers 73-71-77 – 221 $6900
STORY: MARTIN BLAKE | GOLF AUSTRALIA/PGA AUSTRALIA