Baker opens up four shot lead at halfway stage of Staysure PGA Seniors Championship

25/08/2023

Peter Baker’s purple patch among the golden oldies continued as the honorary PGA pro surged clear of the pack during the second round of the Staysure PGA Seniors’ Championship at Trump International Golf Links.

On a day disrupted by a 90-minute suspension due to the threat of lightning, the 55-year-old upped the ante in his latest title bid with a wonderfully engineered six-under 66, which was a new course record off the tournament tees.

That fine round gave Baker a nine-under aggregate and a four shot lead over Greg Owen, with Andrew Oldcorn, Michael Campbell and Stephen Dodd a further stroke back

Baker, the former Ryder Cup player, has been in fine form of late and has illuminated his campaign on the Legends Tour with a brace of victories in the Irish Legends event and the JCB Championship in his own backyard of Staffordshire over the past couple of months.

His push for a hat-trick of wins gathered pace during round two on the north-east coast of Scotland and three birdies in a row at the start of his back nine ignited his day. The catalyst for that surge was provided by a delightfully executed 7-iron into the 11^th which came to rest within six-feet of the flag.

Watch all the action from Round Two at the Staysure PGA Seniors Championship from @TrumpScotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿#SPGAChamp pic.twitter.com/VAMOf251tt
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“That was probably the best birdie of the lot on a really strong hole,” said Baker. “Making one there on a tough hole gave me a lot of confidence and really set me up for a strong back nine.”

Despite his good form, Baker was maintaining a level-headed approach. He’s been in this fickle game long enough, after all, to know that fortunes can fluctuate.

“I’m just trying to keep the run going but I’m certainly not getting ahead of myself,” he reasoned. “Golf is a funny game. It’s tough and when you find a bit of form you want to keep it going. But you never know. We’re only at the halfway point but hopefully the form will last for a couple more days.”

As for that course record? Well, at some 6,921 yards, the test is an exacting one but perhaps not as daunting as the one Baker faced when he first played the course a couple of years ago. “I came here with some friends and we played off the back tees which was a huge mistake,” he reflected with a chuckle. “We moved up after 12 holes. It was just impossible.”

Owen’s golfing recovery continued as he posted a spirited two-under 70 late in the day to jump into second. Four birdies on his last seven holes in the fading light underlined the qualities of a player who is tentatively dipping his toes back into the competitive waters. “Due to back surgery and some personal issues, I haven’t really played for six years,” said Owen, who has finished fifth and eighth in his last two Legends Tour outings. “It’s been a struggle coming back but the golf is there, I just need to have the right frame of mind.”

Dodd, the Senior Open champion in 2021, packed seven birdies into his five-under 67 as he moved up into a share of second on a four-under total. He was joined on that mark by former PGA champion, Oldcorn, who was in a chipper mood after another good day at the office.

The 63-year-old, who won The PGA Seniors’ Championship by nine shots back in 2011, recovered from a bogey, bogey start and added a battling two-under 70 to his tally. “I made a good putt on my third hole just for par to stop it being three bogeys in a row so that settled me down a bit,” said the Scot.

Surgery on a niggling wrist ailment at the start of the year has given Oldcorn a new lease of golfing life and the Edinburgh-based veteran is now hoping to finish a long career with a flourish.

“I am probably going to finish next year,” he revealed. “The surgery basically gave me another couple of years. This is the first time I’ve been able to swing without feeling any pain for a long time so that gives you more confidence with the rest of your game.”

Campbell, the US Open champion in 2005, benefitted from a delve back into the equipment archives as the New Zealander stayed in the hunt with a 71 for his four-under total.

“I’d been hitting 16, 17 greens but not converting putts,” said Campbell. “So, I put a mallet putter in my bag. It’s the first time I’ve used one in 30 years. I needed to try something different. And it is behaving.”

Simon Khan, the overnight leader, slithered back to two-under with a 75 which featured two bogeys and a double-bogey on his opening five holes while PGA pro Liam Bond put in a fighting display to limit the damage to a two-over 74 and finish in a tie for 10^th on one-under. Bond had toiled to the turn in 40 but came home in two-under with a gusty rally.

Robert Coles, the PGA pro who was just one shot off the lead after day one, had to settle for a 77 and dropped down to a one-over aggregate.