Senior holds slender lead at Queensland Open
BY iseekgolf.com | Australasian PGA Tour | 2002 Queensland Open | Round Two | 01 Nov 2002
Veteran Queenslander Peter Senior survived a “horrible” last hole to hold on to a slender lead after two rounds of the Queensland Open golf championship at Ipswich Golf Club today.
Senior was headed for a course record, at seven under par when he stepped on to the ninth tee, two shots clear of Paul Sheehan who was in the clubhouse at 10 under par. The 42 year old, with his legion of fans willing him on, found the trees off the tee, then a topped shot across the fairway into more trees and eventually had to hole a two metre putt to salvage a bogey.
“It was horrible. A comedy of errors,” Senior said as he signed a card for 66, equalling the course record and putting him one ahead of the 25 year old Coffs Harbour product, Paul Sheehan.
He was pleased that he would be in the last group tomorrow, for “the first time in a long while.” Senior was the fourth player of the tournament to equal the record set by Ian Stanley in 1997.
Wayne Grady matched it on the first day of the $100,000 tournament and then Sheehan and New Zealander Mahal Pearce had the same score in this morning’s round. Grady followed up with a two under par 70 today to share third place with defending champion Shane Tait who had a five under 67 to go with his first day 69.
Senior’s round stole the limelight from the morning round of Sheehan who started with six birdies on the first nine and three more on the back before dropping a shot on the par 3 15th.
Sheehan, a 25 year old who learned his golf at Coffs Harbour and Bonville International courses on the NSW north coast, is now living in Melbourne and concentrating on the Japanese tour. He said a victory in the Queensland Open would give him added confidence when he returns to Japan next week seeking to hold on to his top five place in the Japanese Challenge series. Sheehan is third on the money winners list at the moment and needs to finish in the top five to gain his playing card for the open tour next year.
His only win over 72 holes was in the Western Australian Open in 2000 but he revelled in the typically Australian conditions at Ipswich, playing in the cooler temperatures of the morning round. Sheehan went out with six birdies in nine holes and added another at the easy par 5 12th but a poor shot to get out of a bunker on the par three 15th brought him back to six under.
Defending champion Shane Tait kept himself on track for successive titles when he fired five birdies to add to his three-under par opening round, leaving him one shot behind Sheehan as the morning field completed its round. Tait, from Tully in North Queensland, said his bogey-free round had left him satisfied and confident. “The greens are sensational here this week so you have to score well,” Tait said.
Melbourne-based Queenslander Richard Moir is the leading amateur after shooting 71 to go with his opening round 67, leaving him with a bunch of players four behind Senior.
Young Queenslander Andrew Buckle, who turned professional the day before the tournament started, and is playing on a sponsor invitation, improved on his first day 71 to have a 67 and finish at six under par.
His Eisenhower Cup teammate, Adam Groom, from Sydney who also turned professional on Wednesday, had a disappointing start to his new career, finishing with a 76 today to be four over par and well out of contention.
The unlucky player of the tournament was young NSW pro, Dion Stevens who was three under par for the day when he was attacked by a magpie on the 12th fairway. Suffering minor cuts, and mild shock, he played on but hit his next shot out of bounds before recovering to finish one under par and make the cut.
