US Senior Open completes trio of US titles
Sentry World’s picturesque 16th hole – photo USGA Fred Vuich
Two weeks ago, it was the elite of men’s golf who tackled American golf’s most significant title, last week the women got their turn and this week at Sentry World in Steven’s Point in Wisconsin, the elite of over fifty males chase the greatest title in Senior golf, the US Senior Open.
The event was first played in 1980 when won by Roberto De Vicenzo and many of the games greats in the appropriate demographic have their name on the trophy since including Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Hale Irwin, Bernhard Langer Padraig Harrington to name a few.
As is the case with all USGA events, the US Senior Open is a classy event and having caddied in a couple, one of which resulted in a near miss at Pinehurst in 1994, the event holds great memories for me and typifies the quality of USGA run championships.
This year six Australians and two New Zealanders are included in the field, headed by one of the PGA Tour Champion’s stars over the past two years, Steve Alker.
The only Australasian to have won the event was when Graham Marsh triumphed in 1997, three years after our near miss in 1994 (see video below) when, after making up six shots over the final round, he bogeyed the last to lose by a shot to Simon Hobday.
Alker is joined in the field by fellow New Zealander and 2005 US Open Champion Michael Campbell, Stuart Appleby, Mark Hensby, Richard Green, Rod Pampling and qualifiers from Australia Mick Smith and Paul Archbold.
Footnote – Peter Fowler has joined the field as an alternate via Final Qualifying
Stevens Point is located in the middle of Wisconsin about 100 kilometres north and west from Milwaukee.
1994 US Senior Open – oh the agony