Leftie Cochran claims Senior Open
BY Bruce Young | European Seniors Tour | 2011 Senior British Open | Wrap | 25 Jul 2011
Left handers, with the notable exception of Phil Mickelson, Mike Weir and Sir Bob Charles, do not often win major championships and the same can be said for‘southpaws’ on the Champions Tour.
Not since Charles’s victory at the 1993 US Senior Open has a leftie won a major on the Champions Tour but this week it happened when Russ Cochran won the Senior Open Championship at Walton Heath in Surrey by two shots over former Open Champion Mark Calcavecchia.
Cochran held the lead with Calcavecchia and David Frost heading into the final round but a birdie blitz through his opening 10 holes saw him establish a significant lead courtesy of his own good play and the slow starts by Calcavecchia and Frost.
Calcavecchia double bogeyed the 9th hole which would later turn out to be crucial as the 1989 Open Champion tried his hardest to reduce the deficit. In the end those two shots proved to be the difference,
Cochran finishing two ahead of Calcavecchia and three ahead of Corey Pavin and the fast finishing Tom Watson.
After his memorable week at the Open Championship the week before, Watson opened with an ordinary 75 but stormed his way back into the event from there. He birdied three of his last four holes for a final round of 67 and the share of third.
Peter Fowler continued his great 2011 European Senior Tour campaign by leading the Australians when finishing in a share of 7th.
Mike Harwood was 23rd and Peter Senior 31st.
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