Ferguson wins Australian Invitational

BY Bruce Young | Australian Seniors Tour | 2008 Australian Masters Invitational | Round Three | 08 Nov 2008

Local golfer Mike Ferguson has been the winner of the inaugural Greater Building Society Australian Masters Invitational at the Emerald Lakes Golf Club on the Gold Coast following a final round of 71 which left him two shots clear of the New Zealander Stuart Reese and tournament drawcard Ian Baker Finch.

Ferguson earned $30,000 for his victory in addition to a brand new Yamaha golf cart valued at $10,000 and became the first person to don the Australian Masters Invitational ‘Blue Jacket’.

“It looks like it was made for someone bigger,” joked Ferguson, perhaps referring to the joint runner-up, Baker-Finch.

Ferguson has been a senior golfer for seven years and overcame a dry spell on the course with his first victory since the 2006 NZ Senior PGA Championship at the Victorian Seniors Open in April of this year. In earlier years he won two Australian Senior Open Championships.

“This is totally unexpected,” he said after the round. “I picked up a new Nickent driver this week and it has been working great.”

Ferguson is amongst the longer hitters amongst the senior golfers and his great driving certainly played its part this week.

Ferguson made a fast start to the final round with four birdies in his first six holes and was matching strides with Reese who had made a similar start. The pair had broken clear of the field at that point and the tournament appeared as if it might be a race in two.

Ferguson drew clear over the closing stages however as Reese dropped several shots in the middle of his back nine and with a two shot lead playing the final hole the Queenslander had done enough to win.

Baker-Finch was delighted with his round and the thrill of being in the hunt again. He came from a long way back with his final round of 68 on the increasingly demanding layout. He was one of only two players to break 70 on the final day.

Buffeting winds and tight flag positions made the golf course the most difficult it had been all week and the class of the former Open Champion began to emerge the more golf he played.

“I felt like I was a player again,” said Baker-Finch. “The juices were flowing and while I know there are many could haves and should haves I truly felt the round could have been even better.”

Reese, an extremely talented New Zealander who won the New Zealand Amateur Championship in the mid 1970’s and the New Zealand PGA Championship in his regular career, was both disappointed and pleased with his result. He has fought his way back from a self described playing meltdown to be able to compete and contend again and it will not be long before he converts a winning opportunity.

Another New Zealander Craig Owen finished in a share of 4th with New South Welshman John Clifford.

In Thursday night’s Daikin Night Golf Shootout local golfer Brian Jones defeated one of his old sparring partners from his Japan Golf Tour days, Graham Marsh, and collected the first prize of $6,000. Ian Baker Finch dropped out at the 8th hole of the 9 hole contest when a chip off was required to determine the two players who would advance to the final hole.