Jerry Kelly (-10) confirmed at Gleneagles everything he had shown during the week and was crowned champion of the ISPS HANDA Senior Open. The American settled the contest he had with Cameron Percy (-8) from the third round with authority and withstood the final pressure from Matt Gogel (-8) and Darren Fichardt (-8) to claim his first Senior Open and the third major of his career on the PGA Tour Champions. The Spaniard Miguel Ángel Jiménez (-1), meanwhile, closed the tournament with a superb round of 67 strokes, three under par, which allowed him to climb 10 places to finish tied 14th, one step away from the top 10. A small consolation in a major he dropped out of on Friday.
Kelly approached the final round tied with Percy and was quick to take the initiative. He began with birdies at holes 1 and 3, although a bogey at 6 temporarily halted his progress. He recovered the stroke at 8 to complete the front nine in 32 strokes, two under par, and kept control of the tournament despite another bogey at 11. The finish, however, was far from comfortable. While he managed his lead, Gogel carded a spectacular 63, seven under par, to be eight under at the clubhouse. Fichardt also pushed with 66, four under par, while Percy, who had led the tournament since the first round, could not find the necessary rhythm and finished with 70, even par, to share 2nd place
Needing a big moment on 18, Jerry Kelly delivers an absolute clinic from the bunker to make birdie and secure the ISPS HANDA Senior Open 👏 pic.twitter.com/CUDrakDzpn
— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) July 26, 2026
The man from Wisconsin, a three-time winner on the PGA Tour, responded with the calm of champions. He put together seven error-free holes in the decisive stretch and finished the tournament with a birdie at the par-five 18th, after a brilliant bunker shot, to post a round of 68, two under par, enough to win by two shots. It is the fourteenth victory of his senior tour career, he secures his first title at the ISPS HANDA Senior Open and claims the third major for over-50s of his career after the Kaulig Companies Championship in 2020 and 2022. Among Sunday’s best performances was also that of the Scot Stephen Gallacher (-6), author of the round of the day alongside Gogel thanks to a 62, eight under par, which allowed him to climb to fifth place.
Jiménez finishes strong
Miguel Ángel Jiménez (-1) put the best possible finish to a tournament that became complicated for him in the middle rounds. The Málaga native carded an excellent 67, three under par, to finish tied 14th and end just three shots off a top 10 that had looked distant after his 75 on Friday.
The Andalusian once again showed the level he had displayed in the opening round. He played the front nine under par, with two birdies and a bogey, and finished the tournament with two more birdies and no mistakes on the back nine. He ends the tournament shining at the start and the finish, but hampered by a Friday and Saturday that took him out of the title fight. Even so, his notable comeback this afternoon allowed him to gain a handful of places on the leaderboard and say goodbye to Gleneagles with a better taste in his mouth.
