Tour school glory seals Seniors spot

Two of the PGA’s senior brigade have secured themselves a place in this year’s ISPS Handa PGA Senior Championship – and the entire Senior campaign – after starring at Tour School.

Former European Tour winner Andrew Murray (above right with son Tom), proactive in promoting last year’s championship, shone in Portugal as he came top of the pile in the 72-hole shootout over the Pinta Course at Pestana Golf Resort.

The 57-year-old, based in Cheshire, closed with a final round 70 to finish eight-under-par and sit atop the leaderboard.

He was three shots clear of Essex’s Steve Cipa, who will be relishing the prospect of strong home support when he tees up at Stoke by Nayland in June to compete in the Tour’s longest running championship, having finished fifth in 2012.

Cipa (below) closed with a 74 after going head-to-head with Murray, which was enough to claim an unconditional card for the second time in five visits to Tour school.

For Murray, it was his first 72-hole success since lifting the European Open in 1989 and he hailed the influence of his son Tom, a recent graduate of the PGA foundation degree now on the Challenge Tour, for his influence.

“I'm absolutely chuffed,” said Murray. “It’s the first four-round tournament I've won in over 20 years and the butterflies were going in my stomach coming down the stretch. To win in a field like this and on a course as good as this is great, and to have Tom alongside me makes it even more special.

“There are special times for us, it’s probably not going to happen very often. He has played a massive part. We read the wind well all week and had a game plan and stuck to it.

“We’ve hit it pretty well in front of bunkers when we need to and to the wide part of the fairways when we needed to and we’ve executed the plan almost every time.

“I hope Tom and I can feed off this. It was terrific controlled golf over four days and he said he’d never seen anything like it, so it would be even more of a thrill if this could inspire him to win on the Challenge Tour this year. I think he was proud, it was very emotional.”

While Murray is the proud owner of one European Tour title, he is hoping this victory, and the manner in which he did it, can give him the confidence to challenge for a maiden Senior Tour title in 2014.

“It would be nice to win a full event this season but I'm just happy to play such controlled golf this week and I'm pleased with how I held it together,” said the Cheshire man.

The remaining four unconditional cards went to American trio Jerry Smith, Barry Conser and Gary Rusnak, with Italian Marco Bianco taking the final card.

Past Senior PGA champions George Ryall and Wraith Grant were among a select number of PGA Professionals to claim a conditional card. Also gaining cards were Gary Marks, the first winner of the PGA Play-Offs, Mark Belsham, Tartan Tour regular Rob Arnott and France-based member John Gould.