Fowler flies to Willow Senior Golf Classic success

Peter Fowler won his first Staysure Tour title in three years as he emerged victorious at the Willow Senior Golf Classic at Hanbury Manor Marriott Hotel & Country Club.

The Australian, now a six-time winner on the European over-50s circuit, started the day in a four-way share of the lead on nine under par and carded his second consecutive round of 69 to finish on 12 under, two strokes clear of Clark Dennis and Gary Orr.

The lead changed hands on numerous occasions throughout the day, with Roger Chapman, Phil Golding, Santiago Luna and Miguel Ángel Martín all staking their claims for the title.

A birdie on the par four 14th hole proved crucial, however, as Fowler moved one stroke clear of the pack. His fourth birdie of the day, on the 18th hole, rubber-stamped his sixth Staysure Tour title – his first since the 2015 ISPS Handa Seniors PGA Championship.

“It’s hard work getting your game into shape for you to win,” said Fowler. “There’s lot of younger players coming through and I’m glad I stayed on top today.

“I played with Miguel, and he started birdie-eagle, I knew it would be a tough day. I was just trying to keep my game steady; I only had one bogey which was good. I didn’t see a leaderboard until the 17th green and I thought a couple of pars would do it – I birdied the last which gave me that two-shot gap. It was a good feeling.”

Fowler, one of the most consistent players on the Staysure Tour, has recorded tied second, third, sixth, eighth and tenth finishes so far this year. He has also finished inside the top ten 21 times in 44 starts since his last victory.

“I pride myself in staying in good shape and being reasonably consistent,” said Fowler. “We all have bad days, but I try and keep those to a minimum. That’s what I try to do all year round.

“If you keep knocking on the door and putting yourself in some sort of position it might jump you up, it makes me feel really good about what I’m working on.”

Chapman, Stephen Dodd, Golding and Martín shared fourth place on nine under par. Gary Wolstenholme carded the lowest round of the day, a six under par 66, to share eight place with James Kingston and Luna.

Final scores:
204 P Fowler (Aus) 66 69 69,
206 G Orr (Sco) 66 69 71, C Dennis (USA) 67 70 69,
207 S Dodd (Wal) 70 67 70, P Golding (Eng) 72 67 68, R Chapman (Eng) 68 71 68, M Martin (Esp) 67 68 72,
208 S Luna (Esp) 68 68 72, G Wolstenholme (Eng) 71 71 66, J Kingston (RSA) 69 66 73,
209 D Shacklady (Eng) 68 70 71,
210 P Price (Wal) 71 69 70, M Molina (Arg) 70 74 66,
211 P Eales (Eng) 68 69 74, M Harwood (Aus) 69 72 70, M Atlevi (Swe) 71 69 71, A Oldcorn (Sco) 72 72 67, J Lomas (Eng) 73 65 73, M Brier (Aut) 71 72 68,
212 M James (Eng) 68 73 71, J Remesy (Fra) 70 74 68, T Thelen (USA) 69 70 73, R Gomez (Arg) 66 70 76,
213 P Streeter (Eng) 71 70 72, B Lane (Eng) 70 72 71, P Wesselingh (Eng) 68 71 74, M Mackenzie (Eng) 71 72 70, C Williams (RSA) 75 68 70, S Tinning (Den) 70 73 70,
214 J Sandelin (Swe) 70 75 69, S Brown (Eng) 72 70 72, M Mamat (Sin) 70 76 68,
215 C Rocca (Ita) 73 72 70,
216 J Van De Velde (Fra) 72 72 72,
217 N Job (Eng) 69 75 73, M McNulty (Irl) 70 74 73, P O’Malley (Aus) 75 70 72, B McGovern (Irl) 75 73 69,
218 M Farry (Fra) 73 74 71,
219 C Monasterio (Arg) 70 75 74,
220 P Baker (Eng) 74 71 75, D Gilford (Eng) 74 70 76,
221 J Coceres (Arg) 71 74 76,
222 J Kemp (Eng) 73 72 77, G Marks (Eng) 76 72 74,
223 J Rivero (Esp) 79 74 70, M Mouland (Wal) 76 74 73,
224 G Manson (Aut) 75 73 76,
226 D Smyth (Irl) 73 75 78,
227 G Brand Jnr (Sco) 75 72 80,
229 P Walton (Irl) 79 73 77,
233 E Darcy (Irl) 74 78 81,
235 G Brand (Eng) 79 76 80,
** A Bossert (Sui) 75 76 WD

  peter fowler