July 25, 2016
Paul Broadhurst won the Senior British Open on Sunday at Carnoustie for his first senior major title, closing with a 4-under 68 for a two-stroke victory over Scott McCarron.
The 50-year-old Broadhurst overcame an opening 75 to become the third English player to win a PGA Tour Champions major, joining Mark James and Roger Chapman. Broadhurst also is the first player to win the event in his debut since Fred Couples in 2012 at Turnberry.
Broadhurst shot a 66 on Friday and a 68 on Saturday to enter the final round four strokes behind leader Miguel Angel Jimenez. McCarron bogeyed the par-3 16th and par-4 18th in his 69.
Broadhurst earned $279,144, a full PGA Tour Champions exemption through the 2017 season, a spot in the 2017 British Open at Royal Birkdale and a five-year exemption into the season-opening Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hawaii. Jimenez had a 75 to drop into a tie for third with Magnus Atlevi (67) at 8 under.
July 24, 2016
Miguel Angel Jimenez opened a four-stroke lead in the Senior British Open, shooting a 7-under 65 on Saturday in mild conditions to fall one short of matching the Carnoustie Golf Links record.
The 52-year-old Spaniard had a bogey-free round in wind at 6-12 mph on the mostly cloudy afternoon. He had an 11-under 205 total after opening 70-70, putting him in position for his first major title.
''Tonight, I'm going to do exactly the same thing I did the previous night,'' Jimenez said. ''I go with my friends, we go to a nice diner with a nice bottle of Rioja and after that I'm going to have a bit, fat cigar with a nice malt whisky.''
Jimenez won in Mississippi in March for his third career PGA Tour Champions victory. He has 15 regular European Tour victories, the last in the 2014 Spanish Open at a tour-record 50 years, 133 days.
''Of course, I care,'' Jimenez said. ''I love what I do, and what I've done for the past 28 years. I want to do well, to be as relaxed as possible and do my best.''
He hit a 4-iron into 17 to set up a birdie, but missed a 6-footer on 18 after a 5-iron approach.
''It was a very nice day on the golf course,'' Jimenez. ''I played very solid from tee to green. Everything was working perfectly today. I played the last two holes beautifully so I am happy with my day and the score, despite not making the last putt for a 64.''
Paul Broadhurst (68), Wes Short Jr. (69), Tom Byrum (71) and Joe Durant (72) were tied for second.
Broadhurst opened with a 75 and had a 66 on Friday. He saved par on 18 with an 8-footer.
''You don't want to finish with a bogey so it's nice to have dinner on a high rather than a low,'' the Englishman said. ''Miguel's going to be the man to beat, without a doubt. I was hitting some good shots in the group ahead of him, and every time I turned around he had just hit it inside me.''
Durant slipped back after sharing the second-round lead with Kohki Idoki.
''I played horrible today, I really did,'' Durant said. ''My iron game was terrible. I just couldn't figure it out. I tried about 20 different swing thoughts and just couldn't zero it in for some reason. I just kept flaring everything out to the right. My sequencing was bad.''
Scott McCarron (71) was 6 under.
Bernhard Langer was tied for 12th at 3 under after his third 71. He won the 2010 event at Carnoustie.
Idoki had a 77 to drop into a tie for 18th at 2 under. Defending champion Marco Dawson was tied for 68th at 9 over after a 78. He won last year at Sunningdale.
July 23, 2016
Joe Durant birdied the par-4 18th hole Friday for a 3-under 68 and a share of the Senior British Open lead with Kohki Idoki.
The 52-year-old Durant birdied three of the first five holes on the back nine, the second two on the par-5 12th and 14th at Carnoustie Golf Links in 10-15 mph wind with some light rain.
''It is difficult, especially if you keep hitting your tee shots wayward,'' Durant said. ''But if you keep it in play and give yourself some opportunities, the greens are big, so you can hit some greens, but you have to have good pace on your long putts, too. It can be very difficult. We've been fortunate it has not blown real hard, but if the wind kicks up, this course is all you want.''
Durant teamed with Billy Andrade to win the 2015 Legends of Golf for his lone PGA Tour Champions title. The four-time PGA Tour winner has five top-10 finishes this season, including a runner-up finish to Bernhard Langer in the major Constellation Senior Players in June.
Idoki, the 54-year-old Japanese player who won the 2013 Senior PGA Championship, had a 67 to match Durant at 7-under 137. He rebounded from a bogey on the par-4 17th with a chip-in birdie on 18.
Olin Browne (66), Jesper Parnevik (68), Carlos Franco (69), Tom Byrum (69) and Peter Fowler (69) were a stroke back, Mark O'Meara (70) topped the group at 5 under, and Tom Lehman (67) and Miguel Angel Jimenez (70) were another stroke behind.
''Patience is important and you can't force the issue,'' Browne said. ''You just have to be smart. I don't know that it's patience as much as recognizing the situation and executing the appropriate shot. I'm going to try and hit the shot that I try and execute. I'm going to try and think clearly. That's the key to playing good golf, keeping the demons outside of the six inches between your ears.''
Parnevik won the Insperity Invitational in May in Texas for his first senior title.
''I'm overjoyed,'' Parnevik said after his bogey-free round. ''I haven't played much this summer. I've been in Sweden. Had a lot of fun with my family and friends. I hurt my back about a month ago. I felt so good in the gym, that I ended up working out with a couple of MMA fighters. That was a bad idea. My back was out for about three weeks. I didn't know what to expect.''
Defending champion Marco Dawson was 3 over after a 75. He won last year at Sunningdale.
First-round leader Woody Austin had a 74 to drop into a tie for 18th at 2 under. Langer (71) also was 2 under. The German star won the 2010 tournament at Carnoustie.
Mark McNulty had a hole-in-one on the 12th hole, using a 7-iron from 179 yards. He finished with a 74 to miss the cut by a stroke. Colin Montgomerie also missed the cut, shooting 76-73.
July 22, 2016
Woody Austin made four birdies in a six-hole stretch on the back nine and finished with a 4-under 68 to take the first-round lead in the Senior British Open.
The 52-year-old Austin rebounded from bogeys on Nos. 9 and 10 with birdies on 11, 12, 14 and 16. He has struggled after winning three times in four events this year on the PGA Tour Champions.
''It seems, I forgot how to play after that,'' Austin said. ''It's been really bad since. It's been unfortunately a long stretch of really ugliness.''
Mark O'Meara was a stroke back along with Carlos Franco, Esteban Toledo, Joe Durant, Tom Byrum, Scott McCarron and Peter Fowler. Franco, from Paraguay, qualified Monday.
The wind was 10-15 mph at Carnoustie Golf Links with a mix of sun and clouds and a high in the 60s.
''I think the rain yesterday softened the course a little bit,'' O'Meara said. ''We were pretty fortunate. The wind laid down just a little bit in the middle of our round out there, so it was a little bit more playable. But Carnoustie is a very demanding golf course. You have to drive the ball well. You have to be accurate with your iron shots, and then you've got to putt well.''
Austin won the last of his four PGA Tour titles in the 2013 Sanderson Farms Championship.
''I'm not into grinding,'' Austin said. ''I'm not into beating a bunch of balls anymore. I did that for my 40 years. I'm done. So, I go home, I play with my kids, I play with my family. I own a golf course. I help run the golf course. I try to do the things I need to do there. You'll find me sometimes weeding, jumping on a mower and mowing. I hit balls usually maybe Saturday and Sunday the week before I go back out. That's it. That's my preparation. The only time I work on is when I get to the golf course.''
Bernhard Langer, the winner in 2010 at Carnoustie, had a 71.
Defending champion Marco Dawson opened with as 72. He won last year at Sunningdale.
Michael Bradley had a 74 in his senior debut. He won four times on the PGA Tour.
