Tag: 2021 Senior British Open

British Senior Open: Stephen Dodd earns biggest win of his career with birdie at the last

The 55-year-old Welshman followed up a 62 with a 68 on Sunday to win the biggest championship of his career.

Stephen Dodd achieved his career highlight in dramatic fashion, holing a 10-foot birdie putt at the 72nd hole to win the Senior British Open at Sunningdale Golf Club (Old) in Berkshire, England.

“He’s got to have ice in his veins,” said Golf Channel’s announcer. “To hit some of the shots and deal with the pressure with what’s at stake in a life-changing moment for Stephen Dodd.”

With rain falling for much of the round, Dodd’s birdie at the last capped off a 2-under 68 and 72-hole total of 13-under 267 to hold off Spain’s Miguel Angel Jimenez and Northern Ireland’s Darren Clarke, who finished a shot farther back.

Dodd, a 55-year-old Welshman, vaulted into the lead on Saturday with a remarkable 8-under 62, tying the lowest score at the Senior British Open. But due to COVID-19 postponing tournaments and his lack of international status, Dodd had only played in one tournament in the last 18 months.

“I didn’t know what sort of game I’d wake up with today and it wasn’t a great one,” he said.

The challenge of trying to follow up his 62 a day later set in early as Dodd had to scramble to make a nifty up-and-down birdie from over the green at the first hole. He skated along with pars, including draining a long par putt at the seventh hole, before making his first bogey on the front nine all week at the eighth. But he bounced back with a birdie at the short par-4 ninth to make the turn in 34.

Clarke, who was attempting to join an exclusive group of three golfers to win both the British Open and Senior British Open, surged to the top of the leaderboard with three birdies in his first seven holes to get to 11 under. But Clarke made his first bogey of the day at No. 10 to drop a stroke behind Dodd again. Clarke narrowly missed an eagle putt at 14, but regained the lead only to make bogey at 16 and settle for 67 and a third-place finish at 11-under 269.

Jimenez, who made an albatross at the first hole of the third round, failed to build on his hot start on Saturday and entered the final round trailed by four strokes. But he charged home in 65, including a 20-foot birdie at 17 to tie Dodd at the top. His birdie at the last just slid to the right and he had to settle for par, setting up Dodd’s dramatics. Of the battle with his emotions on Sunday, Dodd said, “I was in control of them, I just wasn’t in control of the ball, which was a big problem.”

Stephen Dodd of Wales celebrates sinking a 10-foot birdie putt for victory at the Senior British Open at Sunningdale Golf Club in England. (Photo by Stephen Pond/Getty Images)

The Welshman scrambled for pars time and again despite a few shaky moments. He flared his tee shot to the right into trouble at 12 and had to chip out from the trees, but wedged on and holed a 10-foot par putt. He took three putts at the 13th to fall out of the lead momentarily, but bounced back with a two-putt birdie at the par-5 14th. Three steady pars brought him to the 72nd hole in a tie with Jimenez at 12 under. After Dodd’s tee shot bounced into the right rough, he hit a beauty from 164 yards that skittered to a stop 10 feet past the hole.

“Perfection,” Golf Channel’s announcer said. “We’ve seen a lot of great shots this week but that’s got to be the best shot given all the pressure.”

He coolly rolled in the downhill birdie putt and received a hug from runner-up Jimenez, who was watching from behind the green. When asked if he ever imagined at the beginning that he might win, Dodd said, “That was the last thing on my mind, really. I just wanted to do myself justice and luckily I’ve done that.”

He’s done more than that. He’s the Champion Senior Golfer of the Year and a major champion at last.

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ICYMI: Miguel Angel Jimenez makes albatross at Senior British, celebrates as only he can

Miguel Angel Jimenez’s tweet about his albatross at the Senior British Open was almost as good as the shot. Almost.

Miguel Angel Jimenez’s tweet about his albatross at the first hole of Saturday’s third round of the Senior British Open at Sunningdale Golf Club (Old) in Berkshire, England, was almost as good as the shot. Almost.

The Mechanic tweeted: “Hit a bomb drive off the 1st. 147 yards left for my second – just a 9 iron. As soon as I hit it I knew it was good, it never left the flag. What a great sound – slam dunk albatross. No better way to start the round. Perfecto!”

Perfecto, indeed, and worthy of an homage to Chi Chi Rodriguez with the sheath of the sword and a little Michael Jackson moonwalk. No one could make it look cooler.

That remarkable start propelled Jimenez to shoot 3-under 67. He entered the final round four strokes off the lead and tied with Germany’s Bernhard Langer. They’re chasing Stephen Dodd, who equaled the lowest round in the history of the Senior British Open by shooting an 8-under 62 on Saturday to take a two-stroke lead after three rounds. The 55-year-old Welshman made four birdies on the first five holes and nine on the day at Sunningdale to improve to 11-under 199.

American Jerry Kelly (68) and Northern Irishman Darren Clarke (70) are Dodd’s closest pursuers.

Senior British Open: Darren Clarke halfway home to rare Open double

Darren Clarke aims to become just the fourth player to win both the British and Senior British.

At 52, Darren Clarke has enough mileage on his career to know that the work is only halfway done if he’s to hoist a trophy on Sunday at the Senior British Open. A 67 on Friday at Sunningdale Golf Club (Old) in Berkshire, England, propelled the Northern Irishman and 2011 British Open champion to 8-under 132 at the midway point of the championship and a one-stroke lead over Germany’s Bernhard Langer and American Jerry Kelly.

“Just made good swings all the way coming in and kept giving myself opportunities,” he said. “Pleased that I finished on 8-under because the wind was swirling about a little bit.”

Clarke, who finished T-10 at his first Senior Open Championship at Royal Lytham and St. Annes two years ago, is making sure he doesn’t get ahead of himself in his quest to become just the fourth player to win both the British Open and Senior British Open.

“We’re all long enough in the tooth to know this is only two rounds and a lot of golf to be played yet. I would love to have this trophy sitting behind the Claret Jug. Got to go work on some iron play, my iron play wasn’t there especially around the front nine today but other than that drove the ball well,” he said. “Really (would like to be) in the mix come Sunday afternoon and would love to improve.”

Clarke has company from a couple Hall of Fame stalwarts as well as the leader in the season-long Charles Schwab Cup. Kelly, who won the American Family Insurance Championship and has finished outside the top-8 finishers once in his last eight starts, eagled the first hole on Friday and made four birdies en route to shooting 66.

“The putter was suspect and I kept on trying to do something, do something, and then finally the last four holes, I kept my head down, which you know I’m not known for,” Kelly said.

It worked and it was good enough to tie Langer, who continues to defy his age and contend for senior majors, for second at 7-under 133. The 63-year-old Langer already has collected a record 11 senior majors, and shows no signs of slowing down. He shot 67 on Friday, and said he’d be ready for rain and more wind on the weekend.

“Just plug along. It’s going to be miserable at times when it’s rainy and windy and all that but hey we’ve been there before,” he said. “Just try and make the best of it.”

Langer has done that and then some at the British Senior. In 12 previous starts, Langer has 11 top 10s, four wins and three runner-up finishes.

South African Ernie Els is tied for fourth at 6-under 134 with England’s Paul Broadhurst. While this is Els’ first Senior Open Championship, he always has thrived at playing links golf, winning the Open in 2002 at Muirfield and again in 2012 at Royal Lytham and St. Annes. He also has three runner-up finishes at the British and 11 total top 10s.

“It was a little bit more difficult today, a little trickier,” he said. “I feel like what I’m working on is kind of coming through a little bit. But Darren is a great frontrunner, played really well today, so got a lot of work to do.”

Els could also join elite company – with Gary Player, Bob Charles and Tom Watson – as the only players to win both the British and Senior British Opens. Asked when he starts thinking about winning a tournament, Els answered, “Hopefully on the last putt. I’m just trying to stay in it. I haven’t quite got my old game there, so I’m really fighting hard to stay in it. Darren seems like he’s striking it nice. I’m trying to stay in touch with him. Stay there until Sunday afternoon and then whatever happens, hopefully Sunday I can think about that but not right now.”

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Senior British Open: Darren Clarke shoots 65, eyes rare Open double

Darren Clarke took a step in the right direction to becoming just the fourth player in history to win both the British Open and Senior British Open on Thursday.

After missing the cut last week at the 149th British Open at Royal St. George’s, site of his 2011 British Open title, Darren Clarke, said, “All I ever wanted as a young kid was to get my name on the Claret Jug.”

But at 52 years of age, Clarke has set a new goal.

“The Senior British would be very special for me,” he said.

Clarke took a step in the right direction to becoming just the fourth player in history to win both the British Open and Senior British Open on Thursday. He fired a 5-under 65 at Sunningdale Golf Club (Old) in Berkshire, England, to share the lead after the first round with South African James Kingston.

Clarke has enjoyed a resurgence on the PGA Tour Champions this year, claiming two wins in the last eight months. He credited video lessons with swing coach Shauheen Nakhjavani for his strong play. Clarke has plenty of experience at the famed Sunningdale links designed by Willie Park Jr.

“Sunningdale is one of those golf courses where when you play it, you think you’re going to have lots of chances and you go out and play with a card in your hand, it’s a different golf course,” he said.

With a victory this week, Clarke, a 14-time European Tour winner, would join Gary Player, Bob Charles and Tom Watson as the only players to have won the Claret Jug and the Senior Open.

Germany’s Bernhard Langer, the defending champion having won his fourth title when the tournament was last played in 2019, opened with 4-under 66 and trails by one along with Stephen Dodd and Ricardo Gonzalez. Two-time British Open champ Ernie Els, who could also join select company with the rare double, is among a party of five at 3-under 67, including American Jerry Kelly and Australian Robert Allenby, who is making his senior circuit debut.

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Oops! Why the Senior British Open is closed to former champ Marco Dawson this week

“In 30 years of playing professional golf, I have never made that mistake. It was an oversight and I accept responsibility.”

Always make sure you have a receipt confirmation – that’s the moral of this story.

Just ask Marco Dawson, winner of the 2015 Senior British Open, who won’t be playing in this year’s edition at the course where he claimed the biggest victory of his career, because he forgot to enter.

“There’s a first time for everything and it’s painful but I know I won’t do that again,” Dawson said in a phone interview.

Dawson had this event circled on his calendar since it was announced and had to wait an extra year due to COVID-19. He had watched the DVD of the final round and has it stored on his laptop, though every shot already is tattooed into his memory bank. In preparation, he had re-gripped his clubs in his garage last week and arranged a practice round with Shane Bertsch. He had his bags packed, his passport ready, flights booked, a hotel room and rental car reserved and had gone through the mandatory COVID-19 test (even though he’s already vaccinated).

All that was missing was his letter of accreditation, which hadn’t arrived yet via email. So, Dawson contacted PGA Tour Champions player representative Jimmy Gabrielson to find out if there was a delay, and on Friday, 36 hours before his flight across the pond, he was informed of his user error. In disbelief, he scoured his computer files for a receipt, but none was to be found.

“I was convinced I filled it out. I usually fill out my forms as soon as I get them,” he said. “In April, I began checking the website daily and as soon as it was available I filled out the form confirming I’d be there. The only thing I can think of was I got distracted. I had to add in my direct deposit info. I must have gotten sidetracked and never finished it. In 30 years of playing professional golf, I have never made that mistake. It was an oversight and I accept responsibility.”

But it did leave him wondering if someone at the R&A shouldn’t double-check with exempt players that had failed to register to confirm they intended  to skip the championship. He said the PGA Tour staff had bailed players out doing just that on more than one occasion over the years.

“Don’t they want the best field possible?” said Dawson, noting that Fred Funk and other exempt players also made the same mistake. “I’m not blaming them but the more I think about it the more I’m pissed they didn’t help out, especially since I won the last one there.”

Ah, that would be in 2015, the last time the Senior Open was held at Sunningdale (Old) in Berkshire, England. Dawson had the week of his life, beating Hall of Famers Bernhard Langer and Colin Montgomerie with a final-round 64 that included two eagles and a 22-foot birdie putt on the final hole. He drank champagne from the winner’s Claret Jug and still showcases the replica trophy in the entranceway to his home.

“I took down two Hall of Famers that were Nos. 1 and 2 on the money list at the time,” he said. “That was the most rewarding thing for me.”

As painful as it may be, he said he plans to watch the tournament on TV and he already thinking about next year – just not at Sunningdale but rather at Gleneagles in Scotland.

“Trust me,” he said, “I won’t screw this up again.”

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