Peter Senior’s masterclass at The Willows Golf Resort in Townsville continued today, as the legend of Australian Golf romped home to take out the Jerry and the Tilemakers North Queensland Masters at The Willows Golf Resort in Townsville by four strokes.
In contrast to yesterday’s topsy-turvey start, Senior was on fire early in today’s round. Four birdies in the first five holes saw him open up an unassailable lead. “I hit the two par fives (2nd and 5th holes) in two, and getting to four under so quickly set me up for the day” Senior said.
A mid-round slump included bogeys at the 7th and 8th holes, and a narrow escape with par on the 10th after an errant tee shot found water.
Senior paid tribute to the set-up at The Willows, noting “the greens up here this week were as good as any we play on, and the fairways have come on very nicely after their recent renovation”.
Such was Senior’s domination of the event that he had the best round of the field on both days. Four strokes behind Senior was US-based Graham Banister, who first played against Senior some 35 years ago as schoolboys. Senior (66.67 – 133) and Banister (68.69 – 137) were the only players to shoot in the 60’s in both rounds.
Third place was taken by Brett Officer, with two solid rounds of 70.
Tournament Director Adrian Lawson said “these guys are my heroes. I grew up watching them on TV, and learnt so much about the game from them. Australian golf owes a great deal to the dedication of these players to the game of golf, and to have them playing at The Willows Golf Resort in Townsville is a big thrill for me”.
The PGA’s Legends Tour now heads to Western Australia for a series of events, including the Australian Seniors Open.
Peter Senior - Australian golf icon and recent graduate to the “Legends” Tour, has shown his class at the 2009 Jerry and the Tilemakers North Queensland Masters at The Willows Golf Resort in Townsville.
In a top-class field, and on a day of red-hot scoring, Senior opened up a narrow one-stroke lead over fellow-Queenslander, Allan Cooper.
Despite opening with two bogeys in the first four holes, Senior made the turn a two-under, after birdies at holes 2, 5, 7 and 8. Senior’s start to the back-nine was steady, but certainly not spectacular. Four straight pars were followed up by a string of 3 birdies, before another bogey on 17, and a final birdie at 18.
Following his round Senior said “I never really felt like I was going to go low today. It was until the three straight birdies from 14 through 16 that it looked a chance at all. I hit it inside six feet on those three holes, so it was some good short iron shots late in the round that set me up”.
Tied for 3rd place behind Senior and Cooper are Western Australian Lyndsay Stephen, Victorian Mike Harwood, and US-based New South Welshman Graham Bannister on 68.
Highlighting the depth of this field, Rodger Davis is tied with Peter Criss in 6th after rounds of 69, and former US PGA Champion Wayne Grady is tied with Brett Officer a further shot back.
Tournament promoter Adrian Lawson said “The scoring from these Legends, in testing conditions, is testimony to the quality of the field that has been assembled here at The Willows this week”.
All players will tee-off in the second/final between 7:00 and 9:30am on Friday. For tee-times, please check www.pga.org.au Spectators are welcome, and entry is free.
The most significant golf event this year in Townsville will tee off at the Willows Golf Resort in October.
The $40 000 Jerry and the Tilemakers North Queensland Masters will be held at the Willows Golf Resort from October 14th – 16th. It will feature high profile Legend’s Tour Players such as Rodger Davis, Peter Senior,Bob Shearer, Mike Harwood and former US PGA Champion Wayne Grady. It continues the tradition of staging successful professional golf tournaments at the Venue and the innovative new format will be an outstanding opportunity for North Queensland golf fans to see Legends golf at its best.
“We are very excited to have such legends of Australian Golf playing here in the North. This is the second year we have staged this event and to have it as a significant part of the Australian PGA Legends Tour is a big plus for us” said tournament director Adrian Lawson.
“This is the strongest field assembled in Legends Golf in Australia outside of the Australian Senior Open. It also marks Peter Senior’s debut on the Legends Tour in Australia”
The Tournament will be played over 36 holes with a lead in Pro Am on Wednesday 14th October. The Pro Am will be open to any amateurs who wish to enter and meet some of the greats of Australian Golf. The event itself will be a Teams event with the Professionals teaming with sponsors for the 2 days. The professionals will be playing for $40 000 in prize money and the winning amateur team will be receiving a $5000 prize package including a years Corporate Membership at the Willows Golf Resort .
The Legends Tour
The PGA Legends Tour is known for its relaxed yet competitive environment and has rightly been labelled the " Friendly Tour". The Legends Tour now comprises a series of 50 events played annually throughout Australia and New Zealand for more than $1.2 Million in prize money. This year the North Queensland Masters Invitational is proud to be a part of this tour and is sanctioned as an Order of Merit Event.
Some of the Players
Some of the players already confirmed for this years event include Rodger Davis, Bob Shearer, Peter Senior, Wayne Grady, Ossie Moore, Mike Harwood and many others. These players represent some of the best players that Australian Golf has produced.
Final Results - 
Senior's sensational debut
The PGA Legends Tour is known for its relaxed yet competitive environment and has rightly been labelled the " Friendly Tour". The Legends Tour now comprises a series of 50 events played annually throughout Australia and New Zealand for more than $1.2 Million in prize money. This year the North Queensland Masters Invitational is proud to be a part of this tour and is sanctioned as an Order of Merit Event.
