Senden fires 65 to claim Australian Open title
IN: News | Australasian PGA | Australian Open (2006) | Wrap | by Bruce Young | 19 Nov 2006
John Senden Audio Grabs
*Audio by Bruce Young
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35-year-old John Senden has today won his first tournament in Australia and made amends for a near miss at last year's Australian Open when he produced a last round today of 65 to win the 2006 MFS Australian Open. For Senden it caps off a great year in 2006 after winning the John Deere Classic in July. The year is not finished yet either with the MasterCard Masters and the Australian PGA Championship to come on Senden's schedule.
The final round always promised to be a hard fought affair, given the number of players within close proximity to the third round leader, Nathan Green, and nobody was let down by what was an intriguing day.
The conditions were again perfect and again the wind came from the north east, which gave every indication that there would be a rush of scoring on the easier front nine before the hatches would be battened down for run to the finish line.
As the tee times for the leaders approached, the day was playing to script. Those out earlier were making the moves and by the time Nathan Green teed off he had been joined in the lead by Gavin Coles and was being stalked by several others.
The Steve Bowditch story in 2006 has been well documented. A horror rookie season on the USPGA Tour had become easier for those of us who are aware of his immense talent to accept when it was announced recently that he was suffering from depression. Today he raced to the turn in 31 to move from his overnight position of 13th - and six behind - to be challenging for the lead. When he added birdies at the 10th and 13th holes he had moved to seven under for the day and was at 6 under and shared the lead with Stuart Appleby, Geoff Ogilvy and Gavin Coles.
Coles had taken the outright lead early with consecutive birdies to open his round but a bogey at the 4th saw him back at five under and trailing by one. He then added birdies at the 7th and 8th to move ahead again before a bogey at the 9th had him sharing the lead with Bowditch, Appleby and Ogilvy.
As Coles was parring the 10th hole, two others came to join the party at 6 under. John Senden and Brett Rumford birdied their 11th and 10th holes respectively and were in a log jam on top of the leaderboard.
It was not only those at the top who needed to be considered but those just behind. Adam Scott was at 4 under and just two back and at three under were the two players who had dominated the headlines for the previous three days, Nathan and Richard Green, but to a large extent they had lost their earlier momentum and they faced an uphill task to get back into contention.
As the intensity of the battle seven holes behind was increasing, ahead, Greg Norman was walking up to the final green of the day and perhaps his Australian Open career and in the process was receiving to a warm reception. A few moments later he discussed the demanding back nine and the dangers that lurked for those behind and fact that he was satisfied with his week given the lack of tournament play he has had of late.
"The pins are cut fairly conservatively," he said. "Anyone that can get in at six under has a good chance. Steve Bowditch has the fewest holes to play of those out there amongst the leaders so if he can get in at six under he has a chance."
Norman also expressed satisfaction at the week. "It was pretty good. It would have been nice to have had some momentum going and to get that feeling again but it's been pretty good."
Norman felt as if the week had been a success. In his post tournament press conference he talked about the support Sydney had given the event and that he felt that things were heading in the right direction for the event.
Back on the 13th hole, Stuart Appleby birdied the par five which admittedly was playing downwind but it did not make it a lot easier although soon after Gavin Coles did the same and he and Appleby shared the lead. They were one ahead of Ogilvy and Senden with a shot back to Adam Scott, Brett Rumford and Nathan Green who was battling his way back into contention after an early struggle. At that point there were still seven players within two shots of the lead.
Ogilvy birdied the 16th to move to seven under and at about the same time John Senden was about to make birdie at the 17th which would take him to seven under. Then four players shared the lead at that score and it would be a matter of just who would take the initiative over the closing couple of holes.
On Thursday Senden struggled to an opening round of 76 but remained in touch with a second round of even par 72. His stretch through the middle of round three however would move him very much into contention. He birdied seven out of nine holes to move from six over to one under and had given himself a chance.
"I thought when I finished yesterday at one under and Nathan was still at 8 under that I might yet be a bit far away but when Nathan dropped those shots I thought I had a chance today."
John Senden did just that with his brilliant birdie at the 17th after his tee shot with a five iron finished just a foot or so from the hole and then at the last he made the task for those behind very difficult when he his second with a six iron finished four feet form the hole.
"I was aiming at the centre of the green but it got up in the breeze a little. When it landed however I thought it has got to be nice, he said after his round. "I was shaking a little on that putt though."
To all intents and purposes that would be the golf tournament. Ogilvy still had a chance if he could birdie the last but was unable to do so and Appleby, who was long with his second, needed to pitch in to tie. He was unable to do so however so and in fact bogeyed and slipped back to finish in a share of third.
Gavin Coles bogey from the back bunker at the 17th cost him any last chance of forcing a playoff with a birdie at the last but in finishing third he has continued a remarkable season after being handed his USPGA Tour card last week.
John Senden however was the champion, his first win in Australia and his own National title at that. He and his coach Ian Triggs have earned this title and with the quality of swing they have built together if is unlikely to be the last.
Queenslander Andrew Dodt was the leading amateur at 1 under after a round of 70 today.
The Australasian PGA Tour now joins forces with the European Tour and heads to Huntingdale in Melbourne for the MasterCard Masters.
Photo - Anthony Powter
