Peter Senior’s attempts at a first Senior Major fell at the last hurdle in the US Senior Open at the Inverness Club, Toledo, Ohio last weekend as the Australian finished six shots behind the eventual winner Olin Browne.
Browne stormed to the biggest victory of his career as he held off the challenge of two-time Major winner Mark O’Meara to finish three shots clear of his fellow American.
Senior, who won his first European Senior Tour event when he claimed The Handa Australian Senior Open last November, was in the hunt and picked up three birdies on the front nine, with just a single bogey, but three bogeys on the back nine on Sunday resulted in a level par 71 and a nine under par finish for the tournament.
Browne, a former USA Ryder Cup assistant captain under Paul Azinger in 2008, capitalised on an incredible first three days in Ohio as he shot the lowest 54 hole score in US Senior Open history with a 15 under par total of 198.
He began Sunday with a steady opening of seven consecutive pars but when a bogey saw Mark O’Meara join him at the top of the leaderboard, Browne began to take more chances and a birdie on the 18th, paired with O’Meara’s two bogeys on the back nine, helped the Washington-born 52 year old to a level par 71 and his first Senior Major.
Bernhard Langer, meanwhile, finished in a commendable tied for ninth spot in the defence of his title, which was a second Senior Major for the German in as many weeks after he had previously won the Senior Open Championship.
Elsewhere, Mark McNulty of Ireland finished tied for 48thspot with a three over par total of 287.
