Percy keeps Senior Open hopes alive with powerful finish at Gleneagles
Cameron Percy (right) and Jerry Kelly shake hands as they look ahead to another battle tomorrow – image Getty Images
52-year-old Victorian, Cameron Percy, kept his hopes of a first PGA Tour Champions victory alive with a powerful finish to round three of the ISPS Handa Senior Open at the King’s Course at the Gleneagles Resort in the highlands of Perthshire in Scotland.
Like so many others, Percy was struggling on a brutal windy day after having had the 36-hole lead and was 4 over for the day through 14 holes of today’s round and had fallen two behind American Jerry Kelly, but staged a remarkable recovery to regain at least a share of the lead with American Jerry Kelly heading into tomorrow’s final round.
A birdie at the 16th was followed by an eagle at the last and the pair were tied at 8 under and three clear of the field.
Three shots ahead as the day began, Percy battled the blustery winds and made the turn at 2 over but was still three ahead of Kelly heading into the closing nine.
Kelly would, however, birdie three of his first four holes on the way home and took the lead as Percy dropped another shot to be two behind with four to play. Then came the birdie at the 16th, and although Kelly would birdie the last, Percy’s eagle would mean the pair would tee it up together once again in tomorrow’s final round.
Kelly owns 13 PGA Tour Champions titles while, for Percy, his first win has yet to come. Perhaps tomorrow could be the day.
Steve Allan at 1 under is in a share of 8th place while Steve Alker is the next best of the Australasians at 1 over and in a share of 18th.
“Very happy with the end,” said Percy. “Struggled all day. I couldn’t hit it. I couldn’t chip it. I couldn’t putt it. Misjudging wind and pretty much did everything wrong. So to finish birdie, par, eagles, was very nice. So I’m not out of it anymore. So that’s good.
“I was trying – normally into the wind, I could pinch it to get it to go through the wind, and I can’t do it this week. I had to take three extra clubs instead of two, and at least I got them on the green, which was nice. Took me a while to work that out, and then I misjudged the wind on the back nine, 12 and 13. 12th, I thought I hit a good drive and had to chip it out, basically.
“Winning the British Open, normal British Open would be incredible. But at my age and with these guys I’m playing with, to win a Senior British Open here would be pretty cool.”
