PETER FOWLER has claimed his first European Senior Tour victory for more than two years with a remarkable turnaround in the 2013 French Riviera Masters.
The Aussie veteran came from four shots back at the start of the final round to win by three strokes at Terre Blanche Hotel Spa Golf Resort.
The 54 year old took little time in overturning Andrew Oldcorn’s overnight advantage, catching the Scot by the sixth hole after Oldcorn started with three bogeys in his opening five holes.
Fowler began with three pars and a birdie on the fourth, before both players picked up a shot the sixth hole to share the lead on seven under par.
However, contrasting fortunes were ahead for the pair as Fowler posted back-to-back birdies on the next two holes, while Oldcorn ran into trouble on the eighth, carding a double bogey six after first finding the fairway bunker and then obstruction behind a tree.
That meant an eight shot swing in just eight holes and thereafter Fowler exerted his control over the tournament, birdieing the tenth and 11th holes to give himself breathing space at the top of the leaderboard.
He adopted a more cautious approach on the back nine in order to protect his advantage, carding seven consecutive pars on the way in for a six under par round of 66 and a winning total of 11 under par 205.
“Wins aren’t easy to come by so it is always special to get one,” said Fowler, who has battled back and knee problems over the past four seasons. “I’ve worked hard for this so it feels good.
“It is hard to win because there are so many good players on this Tour, like Andrew. I thought he was going to win today as it is hard to pull back a four stroke lead, so I just tried to play my own game.
“Fortunately I got a good run on the front nine and then Andy struggled so I managed to get ahead. It’s never a foregone conclusion – I’ve only had three wins on this Tour, but I’ve worked so hard and it’s nice to take this chance.”
Fowler’s last Senior Tour triumph came at the Bad Ragaz PGA Seniors Open in 2011, the year he topped the Order of Merit courtesy of two victories and 11 other top ten finishes.
After jumping from 11th to second on this year’s money list, the Aussie now has a realistic chance of repeating that success and reclaiming the John Jacobs Trophy he won two years ago.
The first prize of €60,000 means he is now just €11,929 behind Englishman Paul Wesselingh on the Order of Merit with four events remaining.