2013 US Senior Open Preview; Leaderboard; TV Times
FIVE Aussies line up this week for the 2013 US Senior Open, one of the most important events on the senior golfing calendar.
The event this year takes place at the Omaha Country Club in Omaha, Nebraska, and is the fourth of five majors on the Champions Tour schedule. The tournament has been played since 1980.
Australia has a very healthy five entrants, including regular tour major winner and senior tour rookie Steve Elkington, reigning Australian Open champion Peter Senior, 1997 winner Graham Marsh, the ever competitive Peter Fowler and Australian PGA Legends Tour stand-out Kim Olsen.
First Major for Kym Olsen
Olsen has had a meteoric rise since joining the senior ranks last year. He was the Legends Tour Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year in 2012.
He has continued the winning ways with a joint victory at the inaugural Samoan Senior Open last week.
He had already survived a three man playoff at the US Senior Open qualifying event in San Diego and as first alternative was in the tournament after Craig Stadler withdrew last week.
Olsen was in Samoa and got a 3.30am phone call telling him the good news. He said he was very excited and had never been so glad to get an early call.
“After the initial shock of it all my thoughts then went to all the people that have helped and been a part of my journey in professional golf,” Olsen told the Australian PGA in an email this week.
Olsen flew back into Brisbane on Sunday and left for the US the next day.
“As I write this I have just arrived back into Brisbane from Samoa (Sunday) and I fly out for the US in the morning (Monday),” he said.
“Very difficult to gather early thoughts but based on history of others, part of you wants to treat it just as another event and adopt a low key approach,” he said. “This has been my general approach over the last year or so and I really try to not get too far ahead of myself. This game can even things out very quickly as most of us have seen over the years.
“On the other hand, being a senior Professional golfer from Australia, these types of opportunities do not come along very often so I really want to enjoy the experience as much as possible.
“I think trying to separate the experience of the US Senior Open and just playing another golf course will be the challenge.”
Olsen, who only turned professional when he turned 50, will be rubbing shoulders with some of the game’s greats this week.
Contenders in Omaha include Fred Couples, Tom Watson, Bernhard Langer, Rocco Mediate, David Frost and winner of the recent Senior Players Championship, Kenny Perry.
England’s Roger Chapman is the defending champion.
2013 US Senior Open Australian TV Times
Coverage in Australia on Fox Sports at some not too unfriendly viewing times.
1st Round: Friaday, 6am – 10am. 2nd Round, Saturday, 6am – 10am. 3rd Round, Sunday, 5am – 8am. Final Round, Monday, 5am – 8am.
2013 US Senior Open Leaderboard
2013 US Senior Open Leaderboard