PETER Senior turned back the clock at Huntingdale last week when he won his third Australian Masters gold jacket – 20 years since he won his first.
The Australian golfing stalwart produced a stellar effort to beat the likes of PGA Tour players Adam Scott and John Senden, and Senior still believes the older golfers can keep up with the Spieth’s and McIlroy’s of the world.
“There’s always going to be something like this that is going happen in this game,” Senior said.
“I just had a good week.”
Senior was a great Top 20 chance at $3.75 with WilliamHill.com.au and we knew he had a win in him, but to come from behind on the final day was something special from the 56-year-old, who thought fans would describe his win as “the old bastard won again”,
Whilst we’ve seen stronger Masters fields, Senior was able to hold off multiple major winner and former world no.1 Adam Scott, U.S Amateur winner Bryson DeChambeau and quality PGA Tour player John Senden.
Senior puts his victory down to experience, course knowledge and accuracy.
“The biggest part of my win this week is that Huntingdale is not an overly-long course,” Senior said.
“The next two weeks at the Australian Golf Club and Royal Pines, they are longer so I think I will have my work cut out for me.
“But Huntingdale is right down my alley.”
The win was Senior’s 34th professional victory and he is the oldest player to win one of Australia’s Triple Crown events (Australian Masters, Australian Open, Australia PGA). He has been playing on the Champion’s Tour where he has earned over $5 million since 2010.
“I think I was 42 or 43, I stopped playing overseas, just played in Australia,” Senior said.
“I wanted to see my kids growing up. And then when I was 49…. I said to June, my wife, I wouldn’t mind going and having one year on the Champions Tour.
“So I practised hard for 12 months and fortunately I got through and next year will be my seventh year.
“I’m only going to play one more year and that will be me done.”
Senior had plenty of support out on the course and the local fans were cheering him on. Thanks to a bogey on the 17th from runner-up Andrew Evans, Senior needed only a par to win on the last and he did it by making a tricky eight-foot putt.
Senior and his son Mitchell, also his caddie, were emotional on the 18th green and Senior appreciated the crowd support.
“Yeah, nearly every hole on the back nine everyone was cheering me – even my poor shots,” he said.
“It was just great. I have not had that sort of following for a very, very long time.
“I had a lot of friends out there today following me. They were crying when I finished.”
Pre-tournament favourite Adam Scott might not have won the tournament, but he was the first round leader, paying a handy $6.50 with CrownBet.com.au.
Both Senior and Scott will line up in this week’s Australian Open with Scott currently paying $7.50 with Sportsbet.com.au and Senior quoted at $81.
World no. 2 Jordan Spieth is the short favourite at $2.88 and there is a little more international flair this week with the likes of Peter Uihlein, Lee Westwood, Ryan Fox and Bryson DeChambeau returning for his second Australian start.
