It was not a bad start to his senior service. In his first appearance among golf’s golden oldies, Paul Broadhurst took home the silverware with victory in the Prostate Cancer UK Scottish Senior Open at Archerfield Links.
He had to do it the hard way, mind you, and his play-off success over St Andrews-born Austrian, Gordon Manson, was something of a collector’s item. During a long career on the main European Tour, Broadhurst had been involved in four play-offs and had lost all of them In fact, yesterday’s conquest was only his third win in 13 sudden-death shoot-outs as a professional. “My play-off record is dreadful, shocking, absolutely dire,” said the former Ryder Cup player after becoming the 10th player in European Senior Tour history to win on his debut. Given that wretched play-off record, you could say his win was something of a turn up for the books. Broadhurst may now have a few pals turning up at the bookies too. “I knew at least 50 folk who were saying ‘we’re backing you to win on your debut Broady’,” added the Englishman, who holed a five-footer for birdie on the second extra-hole to plunder the £38,094 top prize after both players had finished locked on seven-under aggregates of 209 following matching, bogey-free 68s.
Heading into the final day at bright and breezy Archerfield, there were 11 players within two shots of the lead. As affairs unravelled, though, it developed into a two horse race. Broadhurst conjured a terrific up-and-down from the back of the 16th for birdie to match Manson’s equally impressive three to keep himself clinging to the leader’s coat tails before Manson salvaged his par on the short 17th with a delightfully executed bump and run to keep his nose in front.
Manson, who has flourished this season and won the Swiss Open last month, had the title in his grasp but, in this game, it’s never over until bunnets are taken off and hands are shaken on the green. One behind playing the par-5 18th, Broadhurst’s hopes of clawing back the deficit looked to have suffered a damaging blow when he found the fairway bunker from the tee. “I thought it was over then,” he admitted. Broadhurst hoiked himself out of the sand and then plonked his third shot to about 20-feet but Manson looked to be in control. His own raking birdie putt didn’t drop but safely rolled up to tap in distance. Could Broadhurst seize his final chance and force the play-off? The answer was an emphatic ‘yes’ as the Midlander grabbed the last gasp opportunity. “He had to make it and you had to take your hat off to Paul for that,” conceded Manson.
When the duo played the 18th again in the play-off, Broadhurst upped the ante with another birdie putt from about 12-feet but Manson, aiming to become the first Scottish-born player to win the championship since Sam Torrance in 2006, responded and holed his own birdie putt from seven-feet to keep the contest going. Down they came again, but this time there would be a conclusion. Having watched Broadhurst knock a nice pitch in to about five-feet, Manson’s birdie attempt from 12-feet performed an agonising wall of death around the cup and stayed out. Broadhurst pounced and trundled in his title-winning putt to record his biggest win since he claimed the last of his six European Tour triumphs in 2006. “I didn’t think this would happen and I’m a bit speechless,” said Broadhurst, managed to cobble together some words. “It’s been nine years since my last big win and I was a bit concerned how I’d react to being in contention again on the back-nine.”
There was also some poignancy to the occasion. “My very good friend, Dave Baxter, passed away earlier this year,” he said. “He was my biggest fan and followed me around the world. He would’ve been here, too, and this is for him.”
Manson, meanwhile, was philosophical and gracious in defeat. “I was very determined to win and I thought I’d done enough,” said the exiled Scot, who now has Austrian citizenship. “But this is a game of small margins and it was Paul’s day.”
Welshman, Mark Mouland, took third place on his own on 212 after a 68 while Lianwei Zhang, who became the first Chinese player to win on the main European Tour back in 2003, shared fourth after a tournament-best 67. Scotsman Bill Longmuir shared eighth place on a level-par 216.
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