When Peter Senior got the ball in the cup at his last Australian Open, he struggled to get it out. He said it was the hip. It was also the back. The elbow had been hurting. Everything was hurting. Bending down for the simplest of tasks was also the hardest of tasks.
So he walked off.
One more time: Peter Senior at the Australian Senior PGA at the Richmond Golf Club.Credit:Geoff Jones
The proud man that he is, he quietly ducked out of Royal Sydney midway through his second round two years ago. He didn't want to interrupt the morning of playing partners John Senden and Stephen Allan any further.
He told a couple of nearby journalists his days of playing professional golf were done, his body which had carried him to wins in the Australian Open, Australian PGA and Australian Masters all in his 50s was finally at breaking point.
Six weeks ago, Australian Open tournament director Trevor Herden bailed up Senior at an annual dinner in Melbourne. The Stonehaven Cup was returning to The Lakes. Senior was the last man to win the national open when it was played there.
Any chance, Peter?
"I wasn’t going to play," Senior said. "I thought about it and if it had been at The Australian I wouldn't have played because I can't carry anything at The Australian. But here length's not a real issue. You've just got to hit it pretty straight.
"I said to [coach] Gary [Edwin], 'Can you get me ready in six weeks?' He said: 'Well, the first thing you need to do is lose some weight and get a bit fitter.'
"I still want to do well. I said to Gaz: 'If I'm going to play, I don't want to just be a number. I want to make sure I'm competitive enough to do well.' Winning is winning, but having a good week and feeling like you've played well is more important."
Edwin quietly whispers afterwards he hasn't seen Senior, now 59, hit the ball much better than he has recently. He shot 11-under during a round of the NSW Senior Open a fortnight ago, and didn't even realise he was playing that well to shoot such a low number until he handed in his card.
I said to Gaz: 'If I'm going to play, I don't want to just be a number. I want to make sure I'm competitive enough to do well.'
He's been working on his fitness by climbing hills. When asked to play last year's Australian PGA as a final farewell – a farewell on his terms – Senior made the weekend and was spent by Saturday.
"I got off to a great start in the first two rounds, but on the weekend I was so tired as I hadn't played a tournament for 14 months," he said.
"We've been riding around in carts. It's not just four rounds [you have to get through], it's Tuesday and Wednesday and come the weekend I was absolutely buggered. I'm in a bit better condition than then."
Which is good for his health, better for the tournament itself.
The event has set tongues wagging early this week for who's not here, rather than who is. Maybe it should be celebrated for wooing Senior back one last time, Australia's golden oldie who still thinks enough of the national open to bust his bum for a couple of months to get ready to play in his 60th year.
He will walk onto the tee on Thursday in a group including Peter O'Malley.
"He asked: 'Can you put me with guys who hit it the same distance?'," Senior joked. "POM and I are about the same so we'll be happy. Geez, I'm looking forward to playing."
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