Allan and Hend share 3rd place in Senior PGA Championship
Stephen Allan – in action in today’s final round – image PGA of America
Stephen Allan and Scott Hend have finished in a share of 3rd place at the Senior PGA Championship in Florida, the pair securing a cheque for US$174,000 each after finishing eight shots from the winner, Stewart Cink, and two shots behind the second-placed Ben Crane.
Beginning the day one shot behind the 54-hole leader, Keith Horne, Hend began the day brilliantly with birdies at the opening two holes to take the lead, and made the turn in 3 under 33, but behind on the golf course, the 2009 Open Championship winner, Cink, was on fire.
Cink birdied the 4th, eagled the 6th, then birdied the 8th and 9th to make the turn at 15 under, and when he did, he was two ahead of Hend and four ahead of Allan and Crane.
Cink, however, already a two-time winner on the PGA Tour Champions in 2026, applied even more pressure over the closing nine to eventually run out the winner by six shots.
Hend birdied the 12th to stay in touch, but a bogey at the 14th and a double at the 16th when he found the water from the tee would prove costly in an attempt to secure second place.
Still, for Hend, his finish is the best on the PGA Tour Champions in the few starts he has had there as he plays without status, but he needed a victory if he was to secure the all-important playing rights for the PGA Tour Champions, especially given there is now no qualifying school from which to gain access.
Allan, however, does have status on the PGA Tour Champions and this win will take him close to the top 5 on the Charl Schwab table for the season after winning twice in 2025. His missed putt for par at the last proved costly, but it was another good week for the 52-year-old Victorian.
Perhaps one of the performances of the week, aside from the winner, was that of New Zealand’s Steve Alker, who began the week with an opening round of 76, and making the cut was his biggest task on day two. He did so with a round of 68 and then added to more 68’s to storm through the field to finish in a share of 5th place.
