Mark Hensby shares opening day lead at US Senior Open
Mark Hensy in action today – image Kathryn Riley USGA
Australia’s Mark Hensby was a frustrated golfer after the opening round of the US Senior Open at the Broadmoor Golf Club in Colorado Springs but his opening round of 3 under par of 67 has given him a share of the lead as the field in the game’s most significant event for senior golfers heads into round two.
Hensby had reason to be annoyed, given his faltering back nine after an outstanding opening nine of 30 had him well clear of the field. Five bogeys and two birdies on his way home, including dropped shots at each of the last two, however, led to him leading at the close of his morning round before, late in the day, Padraig Harrington, would join him at 3 under.
The pair is a shot clear of a group of seven players at 2 under 68, with another eight at 69, making a total of 17 players under par on the demanding layout high in the Southern Rocky Mountains, nearly 6300 feet above sea level.
It is not the altitude adjustment that provided frustration for Hensby, however, but rather the greens where slope and mountain influence, made picking less than obvious lines very demanding.
“It’s difficult,” said Hensby. “The greens are where all the problem is. But yeah, it’s a hard golf course from around the greens.
“Just the slope. I mean, there’s so much slope, and it all comes off that mountain most of the time. Sometimes it doesn’t. But yeah, the greens were softer today, so it kind of made it a little bit easier and probably not as fast as they can get.
“But you put the pins in certain spots, it’s pretty tough.”
Hensby did not hold back when expressing his feelings on a poor finish to what had been a brilliant start.
“Yeah, obviously I felt like I lost some out there. It’s just frustrating. I played like shit the back nine. What else can you say?
“But I’ve never been a very consistent player. I’m hot or cold, and that kind of sucks. Certain shots I keep hitting during rounds, it just pisses me off, so to speak. So yeah, the back nine was just kind of a bit of that.”
“The front nine on this nine, this course is pretty short. The back nine is a totally different nine. I just took advantage of all the short shots that I had on the front nine.”
Hensby, though, has proven in the past that he has the game to contend at this level. In 2022, he finished third behind his co-leader Padraig Harrington.
New Zealand’s Steve Alker is two from the lead at 1 under 69 while Rod Pampling and Greg Chalmers are the next best of the 13-strong Australasian contingent at even par.
