Large Australasian field tackles US Senior Open
Australia’s Richard Green during last year’s US Senior Open where he finished 3rd – image USGA
The world of men’s over-fifty golf plays its second major in succession when the US Senior Open is played at the Broadmoor Golf Club in Colorado Springs from this Thursday.
Generally considered the most significant event in golf for those over fifty, the championship now carries a purse of US$4 million. The defending champion is Richard Bland of England, who added this title to the Senior PGA Championship he won a month earlier in 2024.
From 2585 initial entries, the field has been reduced to the 156 who will face the starter on Thursday.
Australasia carries a strong numerical representation in 2025, with 13 participants from our part of the world taking part, having qualified through their performances worldwide or via the Final Qualifying process, in which Brendan Jones, Matthew Goggin, and New Zealand’s Richard Lee earned their right to play.
Steve Alker, Steve Allan, Stuart Appleby, Michael Campbell, Greg Chalmers, Matthew Goggin, Richard Green, Scott Hend, Mark Hensby, Brendan Jones, Richard Lee, Rod Pampling and Cameron Percy make up a strong challenge for a title won previously by only one Australasian, Graham Marsh. Marsh also finished runner-up in the event three years before his win in 1997.
The course is one of the longest on the PGA Tour Champions in terms of actual yardage, but that length is offset somewhat by the altitude of Colorado Springs (6000 feet), where the thin air ensures the ball travels up to 10% further.
Steve Alker narrowly missed out on winning the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship last week when losing a playoff to Miguel Angel Jimenez and amongst the Australasians he appears to be the best hope of victory.
Richard Green, Cameron Percy and Mark Hensby, have all played well this season and have their chances, with Green also finishing in 3rd place behind Bland last year.
