Ken Tanigawa overturned a three-stroke deficit to win his first Senior Major at the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club.
The American returned to professional golf in 2018 after a 15-year absence. He had his amateur status reinstated in 2003 after quitting the game, but turned professional again after earning his card at PGA Tour Champions Qualifying School last year. That same season he won his first title on the PGA Tour Champions circuit and has now become the second consecutive first-time winner of a Senior Major, following Steve Stricker’s win at the Regions Tradition earlier this month.
The 51-year-old started the day three strokes behind defending champion and last year’s Staysure Tour Number One Paul Broadhurst, who reached a six under par total after three rounds on the formidable East Course.
“To say it's a dream come true may be an understatement to a big level. And to win at Oak Hill on such a storied venue just makes it that much more special, because you know all the great players have hit that tee shot off of one, and then to just be able to play here and compete and to pull off a victory of this magnitude is unbelievable. It's unreal.
“I played well at Pebble, another incredible venue. Being from California and having the, being fortunate enough to win there is pretty, pretty cool. But to validate it here under the pressure of a major and all the, everything that's going on around you, all the people in the stands and they're just hard shots and hard holes. I wish I could have hit some better shots. But it worked out and just try to kind of grit it out. Boy, I couldn't be more thrilled.”
Both Tanigawa and Broadhurst dropped shots on the par three third hole, with Broadhurst dropping another stroke on the next par three, the sixth hole, as the deficit was cut to two.
Tanigawa then birdied the 15thhole and followed with an incredible 20-foot putt for birdie on the 16th, just before Broadhurst carded a double bogey on the same hole, drawing level with Scott McCarron on two under par.
After a bogey on the 17thhole, Tanigawa proceeded down the 18thhole with a one-stroke lead. After finding a fairway bunker with his drive, he laid up and then hit his third shot to eight feet, which he stroked in for par.
Broadhurst bogeyed the last, settling for third place on one under par, one stroke behind McCarron.
“I played well the front nine, hit some really good shots in," said Broadhurst. "I knew I was struggling on the greens, didn't feel good. I was quite negative on the greens. And that cost me today. A poor drive off 16, granted, but if I would have made a few putts when it really mattered, I probably would have been quite a few clear.
“I knew it was going to be tough. It's a tough course any day of the week. You can shoot 75 anytime around there. A lead in a major, I knew it was going to be a tough day. This is a really tough course to be out there leading for a long period of time.
“I'm so pleased for him. He's a cracking guy. I mean, he's a lovely guy to play with. He's a great guy off the course. I'm really pleased for him. He's done really well since he came out on the Champions Tour. And for him to win a major, I'm sure he'll have a really good evening.”
Fellow Staysure Tour member Retief Goosen finished fourth on level par, while the quartet of David Frost, 2017 champion Bernhard Langer, Jesper Parnevik and Esteban Toledo shared 12thplace on seven over par.
