Greg Chalmers, playing in the last group on the last day, was in contention until the closing holes at the recent PGA Senior Championship.
By Peter Owen
GREG Chalmers, the neat left-hander who has twice won the Australian Open, has never been known for his length off the tee, relying instead on crisp iron play and an immaculate short game to get the job done.
But when he joined the PGA Tour Champions last year, competing against golfers on the wrong side of 50, he discovered to his delight that he was one of the tour’s longest hitters, bombing drives 40 and 50 metres further than most of his rivals.
This year he was joined on the PGA Tour Champions by a host of rookies – several of them Australians – who, like Chalmers, bring with them a level of strength, technique and power that most of their colleagues simply can’t match.
That advantage was clear to see in the PGA Senior Championship in Michigan in late May when Chalmers went toe-to-toe until the last few holes with England’s Richard Bland – another newcomer to senior ranks who can reach almost every par five in two shots.
Also in the mix were Richard Green and Scott Hend, two Aussie golfers new to senior competition who also base their game around booming drives and short approaches.
Chalmers shared the 54-hole lead with Ernie Els, and was level with Bland until the Englishman eagled the par five 15th. But, after a 74-minute delay, Chalmers’ concentration was broken and he bogeyed his final three holes.
Richard Bland, now a member of the LIV Golf Tour, winner of the PGA Senior Championship.
Bland, meanwhile, shot a final round eight-under-par 63 to win by three strokes from Green (64, 71, 70, 65), with Chalmers (69, 68, 66, 68) falling to third. Hend (68, 68, 70, 66) tied for fourth.
Despite his lacklustre finish, Chalmers was pleased with his performance, which earned him prizemoney of $US238,000.
“It’s a great week in any first major, first real taste of being in the last group and seeing some things about what it takes and what I need to work on and improve,” he said. “I take a lot of positives about it. I’m hopeful I can get another opportunity down the line.”
Chalmers has been working hard to increase his swing speed and gain a few extra metres from the tee. “I can reach or get very close to reaching most par-5s in most conditions, and if I can use that to an advantage, that’s always good,” he said. “It gives me a lot of options off the tee.
“It takes some trouble out of play sometimes. It’s rarely a disadvantage. The events I played so far on the Champions Tour I’ve really enjoyed having a little extra speed in the tank.”
Richard Green, runner up at the Senior PGA.
Chalmers says he used to carry the ball about 270 yards with his drives, but after speed training, he now gets it out to 290 yards. “And if I get really rolling I can get going a little faster than that,” he said.
Hitting it long and straight has never been a problem for Green and Hend, who is now rated the longest driver of a ball on the PGA Tour Champions.
A three-time winner on the Legends Tour in Europe, Green believes he is closing in on a maiden win in
the US.
Scott Hend, one of three Australians to finish in the top four at the PGA Senior Championship.
“I just think it adds to your confidence and belief that you can hang in there under pressure, you can take it all the way to the end,” said Green, who earned $US378,000 for second.
He had led the field after the first round, going four under on the par five’s at Harbor Shores on his way to a seven-under 64.
In a tournament that began with 14 Aussies in the field, five finished inside the top 20. Queenslander Michael Wright (69, 67, 75, 68) enjoyed his best finish on the PGA Tour Champions with a tie for 17th while Cameron Percy finished tied 21st in his senior’s debut.
Other Australians were Stuart Appleby (70, 69, 22, 67), David McKenzie (72, 72,71,70), Mark Hensby (68,71,77,76) and Mick Smith (72-70-74-78). Steve Allan, Rod Pampling, David Bransdon and Brad Burns missed the cut while John Senden was disqualified.
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