PHILLIP Price won the Staysure PGA Seniors Championship at London Golf Club to claim his second Staysure Tour title in three years.

The 2002 Ryder Cup star recorded rounds of 67, 66 and 71 before a final round of 67, to win the championship by two-shots from 2005 US Open winner Michael Campbell, James Kingston and Peter Lonard.

The Welshman’s first victory on the over-50s circuit came at the 2017 WINSTONgolf Senior Open.

And after five top 10s in 2019, Price became a Staysure Tour winner once again with victory at the European Tour Destinations venue at Ash, in Kent, thanks to that five-under par final round.

Price began the fourth round two strokes behind 54-hole leader David McKenzie, but started his surge up the leaderboard with three birdies in his first six holes, including one at the first hole.

A bogey on the seventh saw him make the turn at two-under to apply the pressure on the leaders before he moved swiftly passed them on the back nine.

Price shot a blemish-free 33, including an eagle on the 11th and a birdie on the 16th to set the target at 17-under.

With South African Kingston and Australian Lonard unable to match the Welshman’s total, Price was crowned champion to become the first player from Wales to win the event since Brain Huggett in 1993.

“This win is a little nicer than the first one,” said Price, who famously beat Phil Mickelson in the Sunday singles at The Belfry before Paul McGinley holed the winning putt..

“I’ve had my wife and two children here with me, and the children haven’t seen me win anything so that made it special.

“It’s nice to have them both here and nice to see me win something. I’ve been playing quite well all year with a lot of top 10 finishes, but without a win – so this was a huge relief for me.

“The birdie on the first got me off to a nice start. I hit a good tee shot and a nice six-iron and then a good chip. I holed a nice putt and that settled me down.

“I had a number in my mind all week. Eighteen-under won last year and I wanted to get to that.

“I got to 17, which is pretty close, and 18-under would’ve seen them off. But 17-under was good enough to get the job done.”

Major champion Campbell recorded a final round of 67, including an eagle finish, to finish two shots behind Price in second place alongside Kingston and Lonard.

Overnight leader and fellow Aussie McKenzie signed for a final round of 72 to take fifth.

With his win, Price moves into third place on the Staysure Tour Order of Merit, up from sixth place.

The post Price is right as Phil claims PGA Seniors Championship at Kent’s London Golf Club appeared first on Golf North.

MICHAEL Campbell will make his first Staysure Tour appearance outside of a Senior Major when he tees it up at the Staysure PGA Seniors Championship, at London Golf Club, on Thursday.

The 2005 US Open champion – who finished two shots ahead of Tiger Woods at Pinehurst – turned 50 at the beginning of the year and will make his first regular Staysure Tour appearance this week.

Campbell last played a full European Tour season in 2013, with his last start coming at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in January 2014.

During his break from the sport, the Kiwi was back home, spending time with his family, and with son Thomas on the bag this week, he is excited to be teeing it up in Kent.

Campbell said: “He’s pretty excited about this week and it’s his first time on the bag.

“Turning 50 and joining the senior ranks came at a perfect time for me. I spent over 20 years on Tour and needed a rest from playing and a chance to reconnect with my boys.

“My two sons were 12 and 15 when I stopped playing for a while, so it was nice to have a normal life.

“I would go to the groceries store and cook dinner and have a normal life,” said the player whose UK base while on Tour was in Brighton.

“I’d been an absent father over the years, spending so much time away from them, so those six years I made sure I was there, especially for things like watching them play sport.”

Now back playing competitive golf, the eight-time European Tour winner is eager to enjoy his time on the over-50s circuit after teeing it up in the Senior Majors earlier in the year.

“I’m excited to play,” said Campbell. “I’ve had a strange schedule this year, playing only three times at the three Senior Majors, so I’ve thrown myself into the deep end after not playing for six years.

“My game is slowly coming back and I just need to play more tournaments and being here at London Golf Club is great.

“The course looks great and having spoken to a few of the guys it will be a great test of golf, especially with the weather conditions this week.

“These guys on the over-50s circuit can play golf, that’s what I really noticed in the tournaments I’ve played this year.

“For me, it’s nice to be out here playing against these guys because when I wasn’t playing for six years, I really missed competing. It’s nice to get the competitive juices flowing again.

“One of the things I noticed about this Tour is that it’s more relaxed and not as intense as the European Tour, which is nice. It’s also nice to see all my friends again.

“I saw Bernhard Langer for the first time in six years, plus Retief, Monty, Vijay, because I grew up playing against these guys in the 1990s and early 2000s.

“It’s nice to be back on the same golf courses as these guys and back competing against them.”

Campbell will face a tough test if he is to succeed at the Staysure PGA Seniors Championship with last year’s winner Philip Golding, from Hertfordshire, hoping to defend his title.

And Colin Montgomerie, who set the course-record last year with a nine-under par opening round of 63, will be looking to clinch his 10th Staysure Tour victory.

The first round will begin at 7.45 am, with Campbell teeing off alongside Montgomerie at 9.05am.

Follow live scoring here.

The post Michael Campbell raring to go on Staysure Tour after six years away from the game appeared first on Golf North.