After playing in the morning wave, Bishop was forced to wait and watch as the afternoon field attempted to chase down his clubhouse lead, with Jason Norris and Christopher Taylor emerging as the biggest threats before eventually finishing with rounds of 69.
The 58-year-old, who came seventh in this year’s Qualifying School, had seven birdies in his round.
Turning point
Bishop got off to a flyer at Tropics Golf Club with birdies on four of his first five holes. He bogeyed the long par-3 eighth before getting the shot back immediately to turn in 4-under-par 32.
His back nine featured three birdies and two bogeys, including one at the closing par-4 that ended up not being costly.
Quick quotes
“I never thought I’d be a winner, but now that I’ve done it once, maybe I could do it more,” Bishop said.
“It wasn’t until the last, I was 6-under with one to play, that I started thinking about the end result and I probably shouldn’t have, but it was nice to get the job done.
“I hit the ball really nicely and finally got the putter to start working.”
Leading scores
1 Craig Bishop 67
T2 Jason Norris 69
T2 Christopher Taylor 69
4 Murray Lott 70
5 Scott Barr 71
T7 Karen Pearce 72
T7 Nigel Lane 72
T7 Michael Harwood 72
Next up
The PGA Legends Series heads south for the Gladstone 100-year Anniversary Legends Pro-am at Gladstone Golf Course on July 15.
David Mackenzie in top form at Rowes Bay
Rounds of 65-69 on the par-73 layout gave the former PGA TOUR Champions member a 12-under-par total to head Scott Barr (70-67).
The latest name on the Glenn Joyner Trophy, McKenzie was bogey-free on the way to his third title for the year on the seniors circuit and moves to third place on the Order of Merit, trailing only Brad Burns and Andre Stolz.
Turning point
After leading by three shots after opening with an 8-under-par 65, McKenzie’s second round began with nine straight pars before he hit stride with birdies on the 10th, 11th and 13th. He then sealed the win by making a birdie on the par-5 finishing hole.
Meanwhile, Barr closed with a back nine of 5-under-par 32 to seal second.
Quick quotes
McKenzie said: “I think in the two rounds, I only missed two greens in regulation. There was one today. Fortunately, it was close enough to putt and it’s always easier to shoot under par when you don’t have many bogeys.
“The greens here are fantastic, Last year was the first time I’d been up here. I learned a lot about them and fortunately used some of that to good advantage, but I think the golf course is fantastic. They’ve got a great facility.”
Leading scores
1 David McKenzie 65-69 – 134
2 Scott Barr 70- 67 – 137
T3 Christopher Taylor 72-67 – 139
T3 David Fearns 71-68 – 139
T3 Murray Lott 70-69 – 139
T6 Matthew Rogers 68-73 – 141
T6 Nigel Lane 71-70 – 141
T8 Steven Jeffress 68-74 – 142
T8 Brad Burns 75-67 – 142
Next up
The PGA Legends Series remains in Townsville for the 19th at Tropics Simulators & Bar Tropics Legends Pro-Am on Thursday.
June 12
Chand claims home soil win in Fiji
One of Fiji’s greatest golfers, Dinesh Chand, celebrated a successful return from injury with victory on home soil at the Vuksich & Borich Fiji Legends Golf Classic on the PGA Legends Tour.
Played across two of the country’s premier venues – Natadola Bay Golf Course and Denarau Golf & Racquet Club – Chand finished at 9-under-par to claim a two-shot victory, with Australian golf legend Peter Senior, Terry Pilkadaris and Brad Burns sharing second.
The win marked Chand’s return to competitive golf after undergoing knee surgery in November last year.
Having only resumed playing a month ago, the victory was a rewarding end to a challenging rehabilitation.
“It’s a difficult journey actually,” Chand said.
“Any tour you play, if you win, all the pain goes away.”
A three-time winner on the Japan Golf Tour between the late 1990s and early 2000s, Chand relished the opportunity to play alongside Senior in the final round.
The pair are no strangers, having competed in Japan during their careers, where Senior also enjoyed considerable success.
“He’s a legend of Australian golf,” Chand said of the two-time Australian Open champion.
“I watched him so much in Japan and I played with him in Japan.
“After 25 or 30 years, today was just a dream for anybody to play with Peter. He’s such a wonderful gentleman.
“Every good shot I hit, he just said, ‘Well done, Dinesh.’
“It just gives you so much confidence and I thank Peter big time, playing with him today.”
Chand set the pace early with an opening 3-under 69 to establish a two-shot lead over Senior.
He backed it up with a second round 68 to move to 7-under overall, although Senior trimmed the deficit to one shot after carding a 5-under 67.
Pilkadaris (-4) and Burns (-3) also remained within striking distance heading into the final round.
A closing 2-under 70 proved enough for Chand to secure the title, while Senior (71), Pilkadaris (69) and Burns (68) finished tied for runner-up honours.
Quick quotes
“This means a lot of Fiji golf, a local winning an Australian PGA tournament,” said Chand.
“Even though it’s a seniors tournament, a tournament is always a tournament, and I hope this helps a lot with Fiji golf.”
Leading scores