He was due to be in the US launching his own Champions Tour career yet Andre Stolz used Rod Pampling’s breakthrough victory as inspiration to win the Royal Queensland Legends Pro-Am in Brisbane on Monday.
Just a couple of hours after Pampling broke an 18-year drought for Aussies on the Champions Tour with his win at the Boeing Classic players on the SParms PGA Legends Tour took to the Royal Queensland Golf Club layout.
The dominant force on the Legends Tour this year, Stolz had originally intended to be in America for Champions Tour qualifying but with travel so difficult instead turned his attention to RQ, firing seven birdies in a round of 6-under 66 to win by three strokes.
It was the 51-year-old’s fifth win in his past nine starts on the Legends Tour and further confirmation that when he can make it to America his game will be competitive on the Champions Tour.
“I was actually due to be in the US this week pre-qualifying for the Champions Tour though challenges getting back into the country stopped me from jumping on the plane,” said Stolz, a PGA Tour winner in 2004.
“It was great to see Rod Pampling fly the Australian flag and get the win especially given he is a member here at Royal Queensland Golf Club.
“Hopefully I can get over to the US when travel is far easier.”
After recent border closures and restrictions in Queensland the Royal Queensland Legends Pro-Am was the resumption of the Legends Tour and the first since the announcement of SParms becoming the Tour’s naming rights sponsor.
Victorian Adam Henwood (69) finished three strokes back of Stolz in second position followed by Hervey Bay’s Chris Taylor (70) in outright third. Pacific Harbour Legends Pro-Am winner Ben Jackson and Aussie legend Peter Senior rounded out the top five with rounds of 1-under 71.
The SParms PGA Legends Tour moves on to Wynnum Golf Club on Tuesday for the Bartons/BMD Wynnum Legends Pro-Am before heading north to Cairns Golf Club for their inaugural PGA Legends Tour event on Friday.
