Golf’s newest Major Champion, Roger Chapman, will make his first appearance in front of the European media since his ground-breaking win at the US Senior PGA Championship presented by KitchenAid at a press conference in La Quinta Golf and Country Club on Thursday May 31…
The press conference will take place at 4.00pm in the clubhouse function room at La Quinta in Benahavis just outside Marbella, where the Benahavis Senior Masters takes place this week, and all media are welcome to attend.
Chapman will field questions about his two shot victory at Harbor Shores, where he wrote his name into the history books alongside the likes of Hale Irwin, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson and also became the first Englishman to win the tournament in its 73 year history.
It was Chapman’s maiden European Senior Tour victory after a succession of near misses in the 2011 season, finishing as runner-up three times in the past three years, including a defeat at the Mauritius Commercial Bank Open in 2010 where he led by two shots going down the 18th before being beaten in a play-off by David Frost, who eagled the final hole to take it to extra holes.
Chapman wins the US Senior PGA Championship
Roger Chapman added his name to the history books with a two-stroke wire-to-wire victory in the US Senior PGA Championship presented by KitchenAid at Harbor Shores.
Chapman, from Ascot, England, takes his place alongside the golfing greats as he joins the illustrious club of Major Champions by winning the first Senior Major of the season.
He will forever hold a place in the annals of the game as the first Englishman to win the Senior PGA Championship, the first European to win this Championship since Jock Hutchinson in 1947, and only the seventh international player to capture the title.
A closing one over par 72 for a 13 under par total of 271 gave him a two stroke margin of victory over American John Cook with Hale Irwin a further shot back followed by Sandy Lyle, Peter Senior, David Frost, Bernhard Langer and Joe Daley tied at nine under par.
“It’s the greatest day of my professional career,” he said afterwards. “No question about that.”
The 53 year old Englishman’s victory was built on a stunning third round of 64 and with ten holes to play he was eight strokes clear. Despite the best efforts of the chasing pack, who produced some blistering low scores such as the 62 of Kenny Perry, 63 of Senior and 64 of Lyle, Chapman was not to be denied the greatest victory of his career. He had only won once previously on The European Tour in the Brazil 500 Years Rio de Janiero Open, when he defeated Padraig Harrington in a play-off.
Holding a five stroke lead overnight Chapman, sponsored by Speedy Services – the new title sponsors of the Wales Senior Open – extended his lead to eight with birdies at the fourth, sixth and seventh holes.
Dropped shots at the ninth and 14th followed before two bogeys to finish but such was the lead he had established that they did not matter.
Lyle, a two-time Major Champion and the newest member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, led the applause for Chapman.
The Scot said: “First of all, he’s lost his coach just recently due to illness and I think that’s been a great motivation for him. It’s been wonderful for him to pull it off this week. He’s been a great player for many years, but maybe under the radar a little bit. And, if you look at his record, he hasn’t achieved a massive amount of tournament wins, but he’s always been a good player.
“And I think that since he’s turned 50 he’s kept himself pretty healthy and he’s still a very powerful player. It’s a fantastic achievement.”
