At almost 47, Victorian David McKenzie could be forgiven for thinking his days of winning were numbered.
But the veteran remains confident – after all age was no barrier to his Victorian PGA Championship win last year – and he wound back the clock last weekend to emerge a surprise winner of the Lanhai Open on the PGA Tour China.
McKenzie fired a last day 69 – his fourth sub-70 round in a row – at Lan Hai International Golf Club’s Links Course to cruise to victory by by five shots from compatriot Steve Dartnall.
“I actually thought (a win) would be soon,” McKenzie said. “I just didn’t think it would come as soon as this."
His win earned him a cheque for $US35,000 and boosted him to fifth place on the order of merit.
McKenzie had done all the hard work leading up to the final day when he streaked away from his rivals. Dartnall was six shots off the pace when the final round began and could do little but ensure he clung on to second spot.
While he made a brave early attempt to reel in his veteran opponent with three quick birdies to start his final round, his hopes vanished when McKenzie birdied the seventh to stretch his cushion to four shots. Dartnell’s bogey at the 14th ended his chances.
McKenzie said he would play this week’s PGA Tour China Series’ Beijing Open then could change his plans for the rest of the year.
Of the other leading Australians Bryden McPherson finished a creditable fifth while Jamie Arnold was ninth ahead of Matthew Perry and Brett Drewitt.
Drewitt still heads the Australians on the China Series money list in third position.
Meanwhile, Victorians Aaron Baddeley and Robert Allenby with fellow Australians Rod Pampling, Aron Price and Brady Watt have all qualified for next week’s US Open.
They will line up with world No.1 Adam Scott, No.7 Jason Day, 2006 US Open champion Geoff Ogilvy, John Senden, Matt Jones and amateur Oliver Goss in an 11-man Australian contingent at Pinehurst Number Two course.
Pampling, Baddeley and Allenby all survived the 36-hole sectional qualifier in Columbus Ohio, with Pampling rebounded from an opening three over par round on Scioto with a bogey-free seven-under 65, the round of the day, at Brookside to finish tied fourth at four under the card.
With 16 spots available Baddeley and Allenby were also comfortably in in a tie for ninth place at three under.
"I played really well this afternoon and I’m really happy," Baddeley told AAP.
"You can’t win it unless you are in it and now we have as good a chance as anyone else. "You just don’t know when it is your time so to be in another major is extremely satisfying.”
Price, who plays on the secondary web.com tour and is ranked 466th in the world, thought he would be heading to a play-off with amateur Landon Michelson for the final spot at his Florida qualifier.
But the American signed an incorrect scorecard and was disqualified, handing the 33-year-old Sydneysider Price his first major championship berth.
"I’m not super excited yet but I am sure I will be," Price said. "I was going to be going to Pinehurst to meet up with my coach Gary Barter for a session on the Monday as he works with Matt Jones but now I’ll be hanging around which is great."
After qualifying, Price drove to Cleveland in Ohio where he was due to play in the Cleveland Open on the secondary tour.
Currently 50th in the money list he can not afford to take the event off as he battles to get back to the PGA tour for the first time since 2011.
Former world No.1 amateur Watt, who turned pro in December last year, qualified after having to survive a five-man playoff for two spots in the Memphis qualifier. The West Australian reached the par-five play-off hole in two and calmly two putted to secure his first major championship berth as the only player to birdie the hole.
By: Robert Grant