Senior creeps closer at US Senior Open
BY Bruce Young | Champions Tour | 2011 US Senior Open Championship | Round Two | 30 Jul 2011
Olin Browne has the lead at the US Senior Open at the Inverness Golf Club in Toledo in Ohio, the 52 year old three time PGA Tour event winner setting up a great chance to win his first Champions Tour title.
Browne added a second round of 69 to his stunning opening round of 64 and at 9 under he leads by one over Mark O’Meara with Michael Allen, Joey Sindelar and Mark Calcavecchia one shot further back.
Browne was full of praise for the course set up this week. “I think in recent years there’s been a philosophical evolution at USGA with their course set-up, and I think it continues here. It’s not one foot off the back cut and rough up to your earlobes and the whole thing. I think the courses are set up to let players play, and I think we as players really appreciate that.
“I didn’t know what to expect. I hadn’t played here before. I wasn’t here for the PGAs and I wasn’t 50 in ’03. I know this is a chop buster of a golf course. It’s just a really, really cool layout. I love the way the holes are framed. I love how the greens are set up. You know, you hit the middle of a green and you probably won’t have more than 20 feet on any shot or any putt. I really like this old style. I’m a big fan of Donald Ross, and I think this golf course is great.”
Browne finished tied for third in this event last year recording a final round of 65 to do so.
Australian Peter Senior is well positioned at 6 under after a second round of 67, improving on his recent efforts to be within three of the lead as he seeks his first Champions Tour victory and the chance to improve on his 6th place finish in this event last year.
Senior actually led the tournament through ten holes of the opening round but faltered over the back nine yesterday. So was that something that had bothered him?
“I was thinking a lot about it last night. You know, nobody likes to sort of start off like that and then throw it away at the end. But the back nine plays so much more difficult than the front nine, and if you can hold it together on the back nine, you should be able to make a couple birdies on the front side.”
“I’m back in the tournament now. Yeah, I’m looking forward to the weekend. I’m playing reasonably well, so, you know, you never know what can happen.”
Graham Marsh was the only other Australian in the tournament, the 67 year old missing the cut after a respectable opening round of 74.
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