Ratcliffe in seventh heaven after Adare win

FIVE years after he bogeyed the 18th at Woodbrook to forfeit the lead and eventually lose in a playoff to Clare's Joe McDermott, 58-year-old Australian Noel Ratcliffe at last captured the AIB Irish Seniors Open at blustery Adare Hotel and Golf Resort yesterday.

In spite of taking a double bogey six at the 17th, Ratcliffe prevailed by one stroke with a five under par total of 211. He picked up a cheque for €49,500, his seventh victory on the tour and his first since 2001. Three players, Martin Gray of Scotland, American Bob Lendzion and Delroy Cambridge of Jamaica tied for second, worth €24,750 each, while the Japanese Seiji Ebihara failed in his bid for hat-trick of Irish titles although he did himself proud by coming home on his own in fifth spot and a cheque for €14,916.

It wasn't a good tournament for the Irish, although Liam Higgins of Waterville claimed the Hardys Wine sponsored Super Seniors prize and Paul Leonard emerged best of the home contingent in spite of taking 77 on Saturday. Even then, there was bad news for Higgins in that he departed Adare in the belief that the Super Seniors award had gone to England's Malcolm Gregson. But Gregson won't be 60 until August and Higgins's absence from the prizegiving could land him with a €500 fine.

The Seniors Championship yet again failed to capture the imagination of the public. The weather certainly didn't help and some may have felt duped by the promotional campaign which portrayed the presence in the field of Des Smyth and Eamon Darcy when those in the know were aware the former never even entered and there was always a serious doubt concerning the latter.

About 500 turned up yesterday and in truth they struggled to display the kind of enthusiasm that might have generated an atmosphere that all too often is lacking at these events.

Certainly nobody can blame either the venue - which is now of a quality capable of hosting the most exalted of tournaments - or the European Tour who have put their considerable organisational skills into the seniors tour. The notion of reducing the qualifying age from 50 to 45 may come to pass in a couple of years in the hope some big names of a younger vintage would create a greater degree of interest.

Ratcliffe looked to be headed for a comfortable win when he stood nine under par after eight holes, but he bogeyed the ninth and 13th before succumbing to a hook that has been bothering him and he duly lost a ball off the tee at the 17th. To his credit, he made par with his second, but the double bogey six meant he came up the 18th level with Cambridge.

However, the Jamaican cut his drive behind towering trees to the right of the fairway, topped his four-iron second little more than 10 yards and was unable to go for the green with his third. Ratcliffe was in trouble off the tee but knocked a seven iron back into play and then used the same club to get to within 10 feet in three. From there he took the two putts he needed to exorcise the memories of his disappointing failure in 1998 and also a runner-up spot in 1997 at St Margaret's.

"I very nearly didn't come here because of a neck injury that has been troubling me for the past few weeks," said the Aussie who won the 1978 Belgian Open and the 1987 Benson & Hedges International on the regular tour. "This is a fantastic course, well suited to putting on an Irish Open because they can push back almost all of the tees, but the course we played this week was of an ideal length for the seniors. It's a tough layout and with the wind and rain, it was especially so."

Paul Leonard was chuffed at finishing leading Irishman. A closing round of 70 shot him up the leaderboard into a share of 12th worth €6,517. "I'm proud of that achievement and very happy with my form today," said the 58-year-old Tyroneman. "I played very poorly on Saturday for a 77 and decided to change my irons to a lighter set and it made a huge difference. The showers were more frequent and if anything it was tougher than on Saturday so obviously I played a lot better. I had a good run from the ninth through the 13th where I picked up three birdies and then got another at the 15th where my eight-iron approach pulled up just two feet away."

Next best of the Irish were Christy O'Connor Junior and Denis O'Sullivan who tied for 28th on six over par for moderate cheques of €2,673. Both men bemoaned their failure to come to grips with the Adare greens, which they accepted were in quite flawless condition, yet the putts refused to drop. O'Connor ran up a double bogey at the 10th on his way to a 75, while O'Sullivan needed to birdie the short 16th and the long 18th to come home in mid-table and even then he dropped out at the 17th.

Liam Higgins was probably the happiest Irishman of all as he picked his €1,500 as the winner of the Super Seniors prize on top of another €1,856 for a share of 36th. The Waterville professional turned 60 last November and shot a solid 75 yesterday, without a birdie on his card.