LONDON SENIOR MASTERS

SAM TORRANCE GOES THREE SHOTS CLEAR

Sam Torrance is perfectly placed to retain the Bendinat London Seniors Masters title after a second round 66, six under par, moved the Scot three strokes clear going into Saturday’s final round at The London Golf Club.

Torrance is eight under par for his two rounds, three clear of Delroy Cambridge of Jamaica and South African Bertus Smit, who carded rounds of 72 and 67 respectively to move to five under par 139.  

Torrance had started the day four shots behind first round leader John Chillas from Aberdeen but was quickly into top gear with a birdie 3 on the opening hole of the Heritage Course.

Sam picked up a further shot at the fifth and then holed from 30ft  for an eagle 3 at the next par-5, the eighth, to race to the turn in 32.

The two par-5s on the back nine, the 12^th and 15^th, both brought birdies before a dropped shot at the 16^th put paid to Torrance’s hopes of equalling his own course record of eight under par 64.

However, he finished with a flourish by holing a 15 foot birdie putt at the last for a round of 66.

“That was as solid as I have played all year and apart from the bogey at 16 it could not have been any better. I am making a bit of a habit of being in the final group on Sunday and that is a nice habit to have,” said Torrance, who is chasing his third victory on this year’s European Seniors Tour.

Teeing up alongside Torrance in Saturday’s final round will be Smit, a man who only turned professional in 2000, at the age of 47, after a successful amateur career in his native South Africa.

Chillas, the overnight leader, endured a day to forget as he carded two double bogeys and four bogeys in his round of 77, which dropped the Aberdonian back into a share of 12^th spot on one under par.  

SCOREBOARD

136 Sam Torrance (Sco) 70 66

139 Delroy Cambridge (Jam) 67 72, Bertus Smit (RSA) 72 67

141 Guillermo Encina (Chi) 68 73, Martin Foster (Eng) 69 72, Tony Allen (Eng) 70 71, Nick Job (Eng) 70 71, Kevin Spurgeon (Eng) 68 73

142 Carl Mason (Eng) 69, 73, Bobby Lincoln (RSA) 74 68, Juan Quiros (Esp) 74 68

143 John Chillas (Sco) 66 77, Giuseppe Cali (Ita) 69 74

144 José Rivero (Esp) 73 71, Gavan Levenson (RSA) 72 72, Martin Gray (Sco) 70 74, John Benda (USA) 73 71

145 Tony Johnstone (Zim) 73 72, John Mashego (RSA) 71 74, David J Russell (Eng) 73 72, Jim Rhodes (Eng) 71 74, Craig Maltman (Sco) 76 69

146 Terry Gale (Aus) 74 72, Martin Poxon (Eng) 76 70, David Good (Aus) 74 72, Jean Pierre Sallat (Fra) 69 77, Denis O’Sullivan (Irl) 73 73

147 Gordon J Brand (Eng) 76 71, Bill Malley (USA) 71 76

148 Tony Charnley (Eng) 70 78, Mike Ferguson (Aus) 72 76, Malcolm Gregson (Eng) 76 72, Simon Owen (Nzl) 72 76, Rex Caldwell (USA) 73 75, Bob Cameron (Eng) 78 70, Bruce Heuchan (Can) 73 75

149 Alan Mew (Tri) 76 73, William Milne (Sco) 75 74, Gordon Townhill (Eng) 73 76, Adan Sowa (Arg) 74 75, Dragon Taki (Jpn) 73 76, Emilio Rodriguez (Esp) 75 74, Doug Johnson (USA) 75 74, Eamonn Darcy (Irl) 77 72

150 Antonio Garrido (Esp) 76 74, Alberto Croce (Ita) 77 73, Jerry Bruner (USA) 75 75 151 Peter Teravainen (USA) 72 79, Jimmy Heggarty (Nir) 75 76

152 Gery Watine (Fra) 74 78, Denis Durnian (Eng) 74 78, Stephen Chadwick (Eng) 77 75

153 Bob Larratt (Eng) 77 76, Robin Mann (Eng) 79 74

154 Mike Miller (Sco) 76 78, Bob Lendzion (USA) 80 74, David Creamer (Eng) 77 77, Jeff Hawkes (RSA) 73 81, Manuel Piñero (Esp) 74 80, Angel Fernandez (Chi) 75 79

155 Ian Mosey (Eng) 76 79, Manuel Calero (Esp) 80 75, Anders Johnsson (Swe) 74 81, Andrew Reynolds (Eng) 78 77

156 John Curtis (Irl) 77 79, Craig Defoy (Wal) 75 81, Kurt Cox (USA) 78 78, Eddie Polland (Nir) 80 76

158 Hank Woodrome (USA) 81 77, Bill Hardwick (Can) 78 80

159 Maurice Bembridge (Eng) 79 80, Victor Garcia (Esp) 74 85