A Senior moment to remember: Eagle 3 at

last gives Peter lead in Czech Republic

By SCOTT CROCKETT, European Seniors Tour Press Officer
A sensational chip-in for an eagle 3 on the final hole kept Australian Peter Senior on course for his first European Senior Tour title in the Casa Serena Open in the Czech Republic.
The 50 year old, runner up in the last Senior Tour event at Woburn two weeks ago after taking a four shot lead into the final round, looked out of sorts for most of his second round but made amends with a spectacular finish to the afternoon.
Two shots off the pace with two holes to go, the four time European Tour champion fired a five iron to four feet for a birdie two on the short 17th before chipping in from 50 yards left of the pin on the 554 yard 18th to regain the pole position he had held after his course record opening 64.
“Golf can be a really funny game at times and I think I just proved that,” said Senior who finally carded a 69 for a nine under par total of 133 and a one shot lead going into Sunday’s final round over his fellow Australian Noel Ratcliffe and Peter Mitchell of England.
Defending champion Bernhard Langer lurks menacingly in a share of fourth place alongside England’s Nick Job, only two shots behind, but the story of the second day’s play at the picturesque venue some 70 kilometres south east of Prague belonged to Senior.
“It was pretty ordinary for me most of the day to be honest but the ends rescued that,” he said. “It was one of those days where, despite trying hard, I just couldn’t get anything going. But I hung in there and it just goes to show, if you do that, you never know what is going to happen.”
Fellow Australian Ratcliffe looked, for long spells, like he would take the lead into the final day but a stumbling finish, which featured bogeys at both the 16th and the 18th saw him have to settle for a 68 and an eight under par total of 134, alongside Mitchell, who posted his second consecutive 67.
The 51 year old Englishman had a sensational first season on the Senior Tour, winning three times, but his work off the course this year, trying to develop a range of Golf Academies across England and Europe, has seen him spend more time away from the practice range than he would have liked.
“That hasn’t helped, sure, but that has been my choice,” said Mitchell who, coincidentally, opened up with two 67s in last year’s event to share the lead going into the final round before he succumbed to Bernhard Langer.
“It would be nice to make amends for last year but any win is great and I hope I can do well enough to come through tomorrow,” he said. “The good thing is that I am playing better now and, with this year behind me, I can concentrate on putting together a full playing schedule next year.”
Although the leading trio will form the final group on Sunday, many eyes will still look to the penultimate group and the figure of Bernhard Langer as the man most likely to pick up the trophy.
The 52 year old German started his second round in positive fashion with three birdies in his first six holes but, thereafter, the double Masters Tournament champion saw his challenge falter and a bogey at the tenth was only finally cancelled out by a birdie four at the 18th on his way to a 68.
“It was a frustrating day for me for a number of reasons,” he said. “For a long spell in the middle of the round I just could not get the ball close to the hole and then, in the latter part of the round, when I did start hitting it close, I couldn’t hole any putts.
“But that is the way it goes sometimes. The good thing, however, is that despite not playing my best today I am still in the hunt. You do not often successfully defend a title – although I did manage it once last year in the States – but it is a good feeling and I’ll be trying hard to do it again tomorrow.”
Further down the leaderboard, Ian Woosnam and Sam Torrance, the men currently in the box seats for the battle for the Senior Tour Order of Merit title, both carded 69s to finish the second round in tie for sixth place and a tie for 28th place respectively.
However with €90,000 available to the winner from a total prize fund of €600,000 – the biggest prize fund on the 2009 Senior Tour outside the Major Championships – a lot of movement is still possible and is indeed likely in the battle for the John Jacobs Trophy before the dust settles.
SECOND-ROUND SCOREBOARD
Par 142 (2x71)
133 P Senior (Aus) 64 69,
134 N Ratcliffe (Aus) 66 68, P Mitchell (Eng) 67 67,
135 B Langer (Ger) 67 68, N Job (Eng) 68 67,
136 B Cameron (Eng) 69 67, I Woosnam (Wal) 67 69,
137 D Smyth (Irl) 70 67, C Mason (Eng) 66 71, D Hospital (Esp) 66 71,
138 G Ralph (Eng) 70 68, G Brand Jnr (Sco) 68 70, G Brand (Eng) 67 71,
139 J Bruner (USA) 67 72, G Cali (Ita) 70 69, M Farry (Fra) 67 72, D O'Sullivan (Irl) 69 70, M Harwood (Aus) 68 71, T Giedeon (Ger) 70 69, J Rivero (Esp) 72 67, C Williams (RSA) 68 71,
140 B Boyd (USA) 72 68, B Smit (RSA) 70 70, D Merriman (Aus) 71 69, M Cunning (USA) 72 68,
141 B Longmuir (Sco) 71 70, D Russell (Eng) 68 73,
142 M Clayton (Aus) 73 69, R Chapman (Eng) 72 70, S Torrance (Sco) 73 69,
143 D Cambridge (Jam) 71 72, J Cañizares (Esp) 72 71, A Franco (Par) 75 68, K Spurgeon (Eng) 71 72, D Durnian (Eng) 73 70, J Chillas (Sco) 72 71,
144 R Drummond (Sco) 72 72, C Rocca (Ita) 75 69, G Towne (USA) 76 68, L Carbonetti (Arg) 72 72, J Quiros (Esp) 75 69,
145 M Williams (Zim) 72 73, E Rodriguez (Esp) 73 72, D Good (Aus) 75 70, T Johnstone (Zim) 72 73, J Rhodes (Eng) 74 71,
146 E Darcy (Irl) 71 75, B Lincoln (RSA) 73 73, S Owen (Nzl) 71 75, A Murray (Eng) 71 75, J Hall (Eng) 76 70, M Miller (Sco) 72 74,
147 M Bembridge (Eng) 72 75, A Fernandez (Chi) 76 71, G Watine (Fra) 76 71, P Allan (Eng) 71 76, J Hawkes (RSA) 76 71,
148 H Carbonetti (Arg) 78 70, P Oakley (USA) 78 70, A Barrera (Arg) 76 72,
149 G Encina (Chi) 75 74, T Gale (Aus) 72 77, S Bennett (Eng) 72 77, J Heggarty (Nir) 76 73, M Piñero (Esp) 76 73,
150 E Polland (Nir) 72 78,
151 M Poxon (Eng) 76 75,
152 D Johnson (USA) 76 76,
153 I Mosey (Eng) 75 78, J Seifert (Cze) 77 76,
155 A Garrido (Esp) 78 77,
158 P Brostedt (Swe) 78 80,