American Clark Dennis didn’t just fire one round of 66, he shot three consecutive 66s to power to a four-shot victory at Costa Navarino on the Greece’s western coast.
Irish interest centred around Peter Lawrie, who was making his first Legends Tour start and first tour start in almost eight years, and longtime touring partner Gary Murphy.
Lawrie eventually ran out of steam in the final round at the Olympic Academy Course and shot a one-over 73 but still finished in an extremely credible tie for 28th, one clear of Murphy who produced his best round of the week to move up several places and end the week in a tie for 32nd.
Lawrie will be frustrated that a closing bogey – his fourth of the day, with three birdies – prevented him from covering all three rounds in level-par or better, but it was an extremely encouraging return and he knows that once the rust has been firmly shaken off, there is damage to be done on the European senior circuit.
Murphy also bogeyed the last, but five birdies against three bogeys ensured that he too can take confidence from a week that could have been very good indeed were it not for a disastrous two-hole stretch in Friday’s opening round.
But Dennis, who’d started the day two behind 36-hole leader Mikael Lundberg, managed to keep himself in touch by covering the opening nine in one-under and then went on a birdie blitz on the way home, making five in total over the closing eight and three of these came in the last four as the 58 year old notched his sixth seniors victory and first since 2019.
With the victory all but secured anyway, he rolled in a 30-footer on the last to sign off in style.
“First time winner of the Costa Navarino Legends,” Dennis said afterwards. “I had a fantastic time this week with my wife Vicky and son Philip on the bag. It’s great to get my sixth win.
“That back nine is as good as I can play. Aside from 17 – I really should’ve birdied 17 – but I saw that I had a three shot lead and that kind of shook me. Other than that, I played flawless on the back nine.”